Watch for some of these folks in our biographies
**********
The “Dewitt Clinton” was the first run of the first component of the New York Central System
Old postcard of the West Albany shops of the New York Central Railroad
**********
Erastus Corning II, Mayor of Albany, inspects NY Central locomotive 999
**********
**********
What Made Up the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad?
Formation of the New York Central Railroad
Boston & Albany Railroad
West Shore Railroad Company
Rome Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad Company
Little Falls & Dolgeville Railroad Co.
The Niagara Falls Branch Railroad Co.
Carthage Watertown & Sacketts Harbor Railroad Co.
Oswego & Rome Railroad Co.
The railroad was created in 1853 by the merger of ten other railroads, spearheaded by Albany industrialist and Mohawk Valley Railroad owner Erastus Corning:
Albany & Schenectady Railroad
Mohawk Valley Railroad
Schenectady & Troy Railroad
Syracuse & Utica Direct Railroad
Rochester & Syracuse Railroad
Buffalo & Rochester Railroad
Rochester, Lockport & Niagara Falls Railroad
Rochester & Lake Ontario Railroad
Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad
Buffalo & Lockport Railroad
Between 1853 and 1869, the following railroads were merged into the New York Central:
Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad Co.
Lewiston Railroad Co.
Rochester & Lake Ontario Railroad Co.
Saratoga & Hudson River Railroad Co.
In 1869 the New York Central and the Hudson River Railroad were merged.
Before 1914, the following Railroads were merged into the New York Central & Hudson River:
Buffalo Erie Basin Railroad Co.
Carthage & Adirondack Railway Co.
Geneva and Lyons Railroad Co.
Gouverneur & Oswegatchie Railroad Co.
Mohawk and Malone Railway Co.
New York & Ottawa Railway Co.
New York & Putnam Railroad Co.
New York Central Niagara River Railroad Co.(The)
Spuyten Duyvil & Port Morris Railroad Co. (The)
Tivoli Hollow Railroad Co. (chartered in 1893. It was completed 1.23 mi. in City of Albany, prior to 1903 (exact date not known).
The Mohawk & Malone was formed from the following:
Herkimer, Newport & Poland Railway
Herkimer, Newport & Poland Extension Railway
Herkimer, Newport & Poland Narrow Gauge Railway
Mohawk & Adirondack Railroad Co.
Mohawk Valley & Northern Railroad Co.
St. Lawrence & Adirondack Railroad Co.
**********
Webb’s Wilderness Railroad opened up the Adirondack wilderness. Although educated as a physician, William Seward Webb built two hundred miles of railroad and opened up the Adirondack wilderness where others had failed. New York Central tracks reached into the Adirondacks. One line even went across the Canadian border to Ottawa. The 643-mile Rome Watertown and Ogdensburgh became a part of the New York Central in 1891.
**********
It took until the 1960’s before the Annual Meeting of the New York Central was held anyplace but Albany, New York (the official headquarters of the corporation).
**********
THE AGREEMENT OF CONSOLIDATION
FORMING THE NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD COMPANY
Dated April 29, 1914
Agreement of consolidation of:
THE NEW YORK CENTRAL AND HUDSON RIVER RR COMPANY
THE LAKE SHORE AND MICHIGAN SOUTHERN RAILROAD COMPANY
GENEVA CORNING AND SOUTHERN RAILROAD COMPANY
THE TERMINAL RAILWAY OF BUFFALO
THE DUNKIRK, ALLEGHENY VALLEY AND PITTSBURGH RAILWAY COMPANY
CHICAGO, INDIANA AND SOUTHERN RAILROAD COMPANY
DETROIT AND CHICAGO RAILROAD COMPANY
DETROIT, MONROE AND TOLDEO RAILROAD COMPANY
KALAMAZOO AND WHITE PIGEON RAILROAD COMPANY
THE NORTHERN CENTRAL MICHIGAN RAILROAD COMPANY and
THE SWAN CREEK RAILWAY COMPANY OF TOLEDO
into THE NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD COMPANY
THE CORPORATION SHALL CONTIUNUE FOR FIFTY YEARS
The number of directors who shall manage its affairs shall be fifteen.
***********
Westward Expansion: The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
While the original New York Central was developing in the East. The next move for the railroad to expand was developing to the West of Buffalo. Read more about the many railroads that became the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Company was formed in 1869, under the laws of the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, by the consolidation of The Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad Company with a line from Chicago to Toledo, The Lake Shore Railway Company with a line from Toledo to Erie, and The Buffalo and Erie Railroad Company with a line from Erie to Buffalo. The two first named companies were consolidated on April 6, 1869, under the name of The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Company, and this company was, on June 22, 1869, consolidated with The Buffalo and Erie Railroad Company, retaining the former name.
**********
Key Dates in New York Central History
May 27, 1794 Cornelius Vanderbilt, creator of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, is born.
December 28, 1825 George Featherstonhaugh (pronounced fen-shaw), of Duanesburgh NY, runs a newspaper notice announcing the formation of the Mohawk & Hudson Rail Road Company.
July 29, 1830 Construction begins on the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad (later NYC) in New York.
July 2, 1831 First test of the “Dewitt Clinton” on the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad.
August 9, 1831 The “DeWitt Clinton” makes its first regular run on the Mohawk & Hudson (later NYC) between Albany and Schenectady. The original M&H ROW is currently in service from the curve near Rensselaer Lake to roughly CP 156 (Carman cutoff), operated by Amtrak and CSX. On the Albany side, east of the curve a couple locations exist where it still can be seen one at the Fuller Road exit of I90 and others on the SUNY campus and adjacent properties. The location of the Albany plane in in a hollow but could observe nothing of the former rairoad. On the SDY side, the plane was on the location Crane street, from the end of Chrisler Ave. The area of SDY in Mount Pleasant called “engine hill” for the engine of the incline plane. Do a google map search; the long tangent between Albany and Schenectady is the original ROW. PKL
November 14, 1832 First train on the New York & Haarlem Railroad.
June 13, 1845 The Troy & Greenbush Railroad opens between Troy and Greenbush, NY. It is the last link in an all-rail line between Boston and Buffalo.
May 12, 1846 The Hudson River Railroad is incorporated with the goal of building a line from New York City to Albany.
May 21, 1852 The first train enters Chicago.
January 24, 1853 The Toledo, Norwalk & Cleveland Railroad Company (later LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS) opens, forming the last link in the chain of roads from Chicago to New York and Boston.
July 7, 1853 The railroads linking Albany and Buffalo file papers with the Secretary of State of New York to form the New York Central.
Albany and Schenectady (nee Mohawk and Hudson Railroad Company 1831)
Utica and Schenectady 1835
Syracuse and Utica 1839
Auburn and Syracuse 1836
Auburn and Rochester 1840
Tonawanda 1836
Schenectady and Troy 1843
Rochester and Syracuse 1853
Batavia and Attica 1845
Attica and Buffalo 1845
Rochester and Buffalo 1859
Rochester and Lockport and Niagara Falls 1852
Niagara Falls and Lewiston 1854
Lockport and Tonawanda 1853
Rochester and Charlotte 1853
1857 The New York Central and the Hudson River Railroads begin operating a “Lightning Train” between New York City and Buffalo in 15 hours, or an average of 40 MPH.
1857 The New York Central and the Hudson River Railroads begin operating a “Lightning Train” between New York City and Buffalo in 15 hours, or an average of 40 MPH.
May 8, 1858 The New York Central provides a sleeping car on overnight trains between Albany and Buffalo NY.
1886, the Utica & Black River railroad was purchased by the Rome Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad.
June 30, 1889 The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (The Big Four) is formed from the merger of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway, the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago Railway and the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railway.
May 10, 1893 New York Central’s 4-4-0 “999” sets an absolute speed record (fastest speed attained by humans) of 112.5 miles per hour.
**********
Go To World’s Greatest WebSite
>>> New York Subways
>>>>>>Hidden Subway Station
>>>Commuters, Car Culture and The Jenny Plan
>>>Long Island Railroad
>>>Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad
>>>POTUS – Trains for the President
>>>Milk Trains
>>>The Fabled Rutland Milk
>>>The Muhammad Ali Hyperlink
About Our Great WebSite
>>>>>>About Troop Trains
>>>Metro North Railroad
>>>A Collection of Short Stories about Railroads – Book One
>>>>>>Buffalo Creek Railroad
>>>A Collection of Short Stories about Railroads – Book Two
>>>>>>Troy & Greenbush Railroad
>>>DL&W Railroad, Erie Lackawanna and Lackawanna Cutoff
>>>Circus Trains
>>>>>>Disposition Of Circus Trains
>>>Robert Moses – Against Mass Transit
>>>Troop Trains
>>>>>>Troop Train Movie
>>>Railroader Biographies
>>>>>>George H. Daniels
>>>>>>Plimmon H Dudley
>>>>>>Leonore F. Loree
>>>John W. Barriger: Rail Historian and Railfan
Contact and Great Blogs
Other Interesting WebSites
>>>Ontario & Western Railroad
>>>Connecticut To Philadelphia
>>>Central New York Railroad
>>>Chicago, Rail Capital
>>>The Ride To Choate
>>>Union Pacific Railroad-established by Abraham Lincoln to span the continent
>>>The Warwick Valley and Other Railroads West of the Hudson
>>>Short Line Railroads
>>>>>>Little Falls & Dolgeville
>>>>>>Gary Railway
>>>>>>The Owasco River Railway
>>>>>>Dexter and Northern Railroad Company
>>>Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
>>>Washington, the Nation`s Capital
>>>Royal Tour 1939
>>>The Monon Railroad
>>>Big 4 Bridge: Jeffersonville to Louisville
>>>Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad
>>>The Southern New York Railway
>>>Electric Railroads
>>>Lines West
>>>High Speed Rail
>>>Northeast Corridor
>>>New York State
Some Fascinating WebPages
>>>New York State Railroads, and NY Central Railroad
>>>Delaware & Hudson Railway
>>>Lehigh Valley Railroad
>>>Head End Equipment
>>>Boston & Maine Railroad
>>>The Four Railroads of Utica
>>>>>>Gulf Curve, April 1940 New York Central Accident
>>>>>>New York Mills Branch On The West Shore
>>>Railroad Mergers
>>>Railroad Bridges and Tunnels
>>>My last ride on the JFK Express subway in April 1990
>>>Chicago Bypass
>>>Van Sweringen Brothers, Nickel Plate and Other Ohio Railroads
>>>New York City Transit Planning
>>>Tahawus: Railroad to a Mine
>>>Chicago Rail Fair
>>>Joint Winter Olympics for Montreal and Lake Placid
>>>Abandoned Railroads
>>>>>>Putnam Division Abandonments
>>>Amtrak’s Secret Business
>>>Alphabet Routes
>>>EMD Model 40
>>>Budd RDC
>>>Benton Harbor – Once A Rail Center
>>>Snow and Railroads
Central New England Railway
>>>>>>The Central New England In Connecticut
>>>>>>New York and New England Railroad
>>>>>>1937 Fan Trip
>>>Central New England Railway In New York State
>>>The Railroads Of Pine Plains
>>>CNE in Hopewell Junction
>>>>>>Hopewell Junction Restoration
>>>The Maybrook Line Across Dutchess County
>>>The Great Bridge At Poughkeepsie
>>>Poughkeepsie Bridge After The Fire
>>>The Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroad
>>>Central New England Railway Connecticut Connection
>>>Maybrook Yard
>>>>>>Maybrook Yard 1940’s (Maybrook Journal)
>>>Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut Railroad (ND&C)
>>>>>>CNE/NDC Dutchess Junction and Matteawan
>>>>>>CNE/NDC Glenham to Hopewell Junction
>>>>>>CNE/NDC Hopewell Junction to Millbrook
>>>>>>CNE/NDC Bangall and Pine Plains
>>>>>>CNE/ND&C between Pine Plains and Millerton
>>>Fishkill Landing
>>>>>>The First Phase Of The NYC Rebuilding At Fishkill Landing
>>>>>>The Second Phase Of The NYC Rebuilding At Fishkill Landing
>>>>>>The Final Phase Of The NYC Rebuilding At Fishkill Landing
>>>Poughkeepsie & Eastern in the Poughkeepsie Area
>>>Poughkeepsie & Eastern North from Poughkeepsie
>>>One of the railroads that made up the CNE Railway was the Poughkeepsie & Connecticut
Environment
>>>WEATHERTOPIA
Supply Chain Management
>>>Supply Chain Synchronization
Vacation French Riviera
>>>Castillon
>>>Menton
New Haven Railroad
>>>George Alpert, Last New Haven President
>>>Essex Steam Train
>>>Newport and Rhode Island Railroads
>>>Railroads To Cape Cod
>>>Cedar Hill Railroad Yard In New Haven
>>>Housatonic Railroad
>>>Manufacturers Street Railway in New Haven
>>>Train Stations Of Connecticut
>>>Boston and New England Railroads
>>>New Haven RR Signal Stations
>>>Connecticut Railfan
>>>Connecticut Freight Railroads
>>>Shoreline Bridges Of The New Haven Railroad
>>>Old Railroads Of Connecticut
>>>The Trolley In Connecticut
>>>The Shepaug Valley Railroad
Penney Vanderbilt and KC Jones: All About Railroads 
You must be logged in to post a comment.