Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad

Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad

Overview
Dates of operation	1850 (1850)–1853 (1853)
Predecessor	Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad
Successor	New York Central Railroad
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Length	75 miles (121 km)
Route map

The Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1850 to acquire the bankrupt Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad and develop a new route between its three namesake cities. This new line opened in 1852. The railroad was consolidated with nine other railroads in 1853 to form the first New York Central Railroad.

History

See also: Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad

The Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad had been founded in 1834 and opened between Lockport, New York, and Niagara Falls, New York, in 1838. ^{[1] [2]} The New York legislature authorized the company to build east to Rochester, New York, but it lacked the financial resources to do so. ^[3] The Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad was incorporated on December 14, 1850, to develop a new route between its namesake cities. It acquired the bankrupt Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad at the same time. ^[4] Trains stopped running on the original line on August 26, 1851, after which it was completely abandoned. ^[5]

The new line, 75 miles (121 km) long, opened in July 1852. ^[6] Compared to its predecessor it took a shorter, more direct route between Lockport and Niagara Falls, passing south of Pekin, New York, and the Tuscarora Reservation. In Rochester, New York, it connected with the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad. The Buffalo and Lockport Railroad, founded in 1852, soon provided a direct link between Lockport and Buffalo, New York. ^[7]

The Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad was consolidated with nine other railroads to form the first New York Central Railroad on May 1, 1853. ^[8]

Notes

1. ICC (1930), p. 595.
2. Yates (1950), pp. 31–32.
3. Yates (1950), pp. 43–44.
4. ICC (1930), p. 212.
5. Yates (1950), pp. 44–45.
6. Stevens (1926), p. 234.
7. Klein (1985), p. 19.
8. ICC (1930), pp. 211–212.

References

• Interstate Commerce Commission (1930). Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports. Vol. 27. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Klein, Aaron E. (1985). New York Central (1st ed.). New York: Bonanza Books. ISBN   978-0-517-46085-6.
• Stevens, Frank Walker (1926). The Beginnings of the New York Central Railroad: A History. New York: G. P. Putnam.
• Yates, Raymond F. (1950). The old Lockport and Niagara Falls Strap Railroad. Lockport, New York: Niagara County Historical Society. OCLC   11465531.