The Dolly Varden passenger train making its last trip from Dunkirk to Titusville carried about 100 people. Hundreds of stations were filled with people to see the train go by. Claude Timmons, Conductor punches his last ticket.
Dunkirk, 13 June 1937. Claude Timmons has punched his last passenger ticket as Conductor on the DAV&P Railroad. When he returned to his home last night he put away his uniform as a passenger conductor and today became a freight conductor on the line for which he has worked for 53 years. Passenger service has been abandoned. A hundred times or more yesterday, he punched neat holes into pasteboards. Each punch seemed to say, “The Dolly Varden is No More.” Trains are still running over the DAV&P Railroad from Dunkirk to Titusville but its passenger service of 66 years has been brought to an end.
At 2:30 o’clock yesterday afternoon, with Engineer Hugh YORK at the controls the last regular passenger train over the line left Dunkirk for Titusville. Discontinued because of lack of patronage the passenger train yesterday had a record crowd for recent years. About fifty persons from Dunkirk were on the train for the last trip. Among the passengers were Trainmaster Fred S. Schumaker, Train Dispatcher Frank Wertner, Master Mechanic Arthur Colson and Head Car Inspector Martin Culligan, all of Dunkirk.
Along its entire run, the historical note of the trip was emphasized. At nearly every stop there were delegations of residents of that vicinity to see the train and scores of photographers greeted its arrival everywhere.
Many persons boarded the train at Sinclairville and Gerry to ride as far Falconer. By the time the train arrived at Falconer, passengers were standing in the aisles, on the platforms and even in the Baggage Car. Groups boarded the train at every stop to ride at least a short distance. A large delegation boarded the train at Warren.
When the train arrived at Titusville the road’s passenger service came to official close. About midnight, the train returned to Dunkirk as “dead head”, returning those who made the last trip.
Once a Thriving Business
The road, commonly called “The Dolly Varden,” once did a thriving passenger business, but with the advent of the automobile the revenues have been dwindling for the last 12 years. When the railroad company showed the Public Service Commissions of the States of N.Y. & Pa. the figures, the Commissioners of both states readily granted permission to abandon the passenger train service. The figures disclosed that the earnings were badly in the red.
In the early days the road operated two passenger trains in either direction between Dunkirk and Titusville and did a thriving business. In addition to the regular train service, hundreds of special passenger trains were run out of Dunkirk and Titusville to accommodate the heavy traffic to Lilly Dale, also to Chautauqua Lake in the days when the Red Stack Line of Steamers operated a fleet of 20 steamers between Jamestown and Mayville. Several passenger trains were also run out of Falconer every year where the road connected with the Erie Railroad, which in the years gone by operated a fleet of trains from points on its line for the Lily Dale Assembly Grounds.
Five years ago the DAV&P abandoned two of its passenger trains – now all are withdrawn. From now on only a freight service will be maintained. Claude Timmons is the oldest employee of the road, having been in the service of the company for the last 52 years. He is well known to many school children.
Source: Jamestown Journal. Jamestown, NY. June 12, 1937.