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    Rails in Rochester and Monroe County
    Rails in Rochester and Monroe County
    Rails in Rochester and Monroe County
    Ebook175 pages57 minutes

    Rails in Rochester and Monroe County

    By Richard "Dick" Chait

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    About this ebook

    From photography to farming and from medicine to music, Rochester and the county in which it resides, Monroe County, are known throughout the world. This book brings to life the role that rail transportation had in developing an economy that made these contributions possible. By 1900, some of the county's biggest railroads had been drawn to the Rochester and Monroe County markets. They attracted people and businesses to the area and ensured the flow of products to the marketplace. Trolleys enabled people to commute to and from work as well as to enjoy the recreational resources of Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay. Rail transportation helped make Rochester and Monroe County truly great places to live and work.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 14, 2015
    ISBN9781439653258
    Rails in Rochester and Monroe County
    Author

    Richard "Dick" Chait

    Richard "Dick" Chait has been an avid rail fan throughout his life. This is reflected in both his writing and societal activities. Living in the city of Rochester and then in the town of Irondequoit, he saw firsthand how economic growth and rail transportation of the region were intertwined. Currently a resident of Northern Virginia, he remains a rail fan, devoting much of his time to his family, travels, and toy train collection.

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      Book preview

      Rails in Rochester and Monroe County - Richard "Dick" Chait

      apologies.

      INTRODUCTION

      Like other major cities in New York State, Rochester and the county in which it resides, Monroe County, owe their economic development from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s in large measure to rail transportation. Major railroads included Rochester and Monroe County in their expanding rail networks. Long-distance passenger travel became available. Raw materials could be brought in, and manufactured goods could be efficiently shipped out. Companies flourished. Farming communities along Lake Ontario and in the Genesee River valley could be assured that their products could get to market. Rochester and Monroe County were known for their many recreational sites and resorts along Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay. Using one of the many electric streetcar routes ensured that these places were within reach. Truly, Rochester and Monroe County enjoyed the reputation of being a great place to work, live, and raise a family. The rail mode of transportation that contributed so greatly to these qualities makes an interesting story

      Presented first are depots of the major railroads that appeared on the scene in Rochester. Through acquisitions and consolidations, the New York Central Railroad (NYC) expanded into Central and Western New York State. Its first railroad station in Rochester was built in 1854. NYC went on to build two other railroad stations in Rochester, the last of which was the well-known and beautiful Bragdon Station, designed by Claude Bragdon. In the 1880s, several other railroads realized the potential of the Rochester and Monroe County market and soon established footholds. These railroads included the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh (BR&P), which eventually became part of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O), the Lehigh Valley, the Erie, and the Pennsylvania. Both the NYC and the BR&P/B&O extended their lines to Charlotte where the Genesee River flowing north empties into Lake Ontario.

      The book also presents important aspects of additional rail activity in Rochester and Monroe County. Railroads that went through the towns of Chili, Henrietta, Mendon, Rush, and Wheatland, located south of Rochester in the Genesee River valley, were especially busy. The village of Scottsville on the Rochester branch line of the BR&P/B&O saw many a coal train bound for the Genesee Docks (coal docks) at Charlotte. East Rochester, a village southeast of the city of Rochester on the NYC main line, was home to the Merchants Despatch Transportation Company, also known locally as the carshops. It was here that all types of freight cars and cabooses were fabricated. Locomotives of all types were seen at Rochester’s Goodman Street Yards, a major classification yard on the NYC main line. The yards with its roundhouse, water tower, and coaling tower bristled with activity. Watching the activity at not only Goodman Street Yards, but also at Bragdon Station and at various other locations, rail enthusiasts could see steam engines from J1s to S1s and diesel locomotives from F3s to RS-3s.

      The Goodman Street Yards are still very active albeit under CSX. However, the Bragdon Station is gone, as are many of the other sites presented in the book—replaced by running trails, parking lots, and other businesses. It is hoped that what has been presented here will bring back fond memories of these sites and what the rails meant to Rochester and Monroe County.

      SOME ACRONYMS AND SHORT DEFINITIONS

      Alco: American Locomotive Company

      BLW: Baldwin Locomotive Works

      Bulldog: Nickname for the cab design of Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors’ E and F series diesel locomotives

      CCC&StL: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway, known as the Big Four

      C424: Designation for Alco Century road-switch engine

      C-Liner: Designation for the Fairbanks-Morse (FM) diesel road locomotive

      Conrail: Consolidated Rail Corporation

      CSX: CSX Transportation

      Doodlebug: Nickname for a self-propelled baggage/coach car

      E7/E8: Designations for EMD diesel passenger locomotives

      FA: Designation for Alco diesel road freight locomotives

      FT/F3/F7: Designations for EMD diesel road freight locomotives

      Geep: Nickname for EMDs GP diesel road-switch engines

      GP7/GP9: Designations for EMD diesel road-switch engines

      H Class: Designation for NYC’s Mikado type 2-8-2 steam locomotive

      Hojack: Nickname for NYC’s Ontario Division along Lake Ontario’s southern shore

      Hudson: Name for NYC’s J class steam passenger locomotive

      J Class: Designation for NYC’s Hudson type 4-6-4 steam locomotive

      K Class: Designation for NYC’s, Erie’s, and Lehigh Valley’s Pacific type 4-6-2 steam locomotive

      LAL: Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad

      L Class: Designation for NYC’s Mohawk type 4-8-2 steam locomotive

      Mikado: Name for NYC’s H class steam freight locomotive

      Mohawk: Name for NYC’s L class steam freight locomotive

      NH: New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad

      Niagara: Name for NYC’s S class passenger steam locomotive

      OMID: Ontario Midland Railroad

      PA: Designation for Alco diesel passenger locomotives

      Pacific: Name for K and P class steam passenger locomotives

      P&LE: Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad

      P Class: Designation for B&O’s Pacific 4-6-2 steam locomotive

      Peanut Line: Nickname for NYC’s Tonawanda-to-Canandaigua branch line

      Piano Works: Nickname for American Piano Corporation (AMPICO)

      PRR: Pennsylvania Railroad

      R&SL: Rochester & State Line Railroad

      Reefer: Nickname for refrigerated freight car

      RF-16: Designation for BLW diesel road locomotive

      RG&E: Rochester Gas & Electric Company

      RSR: Rochester & Southern Railroad

      RS-3/RS-11/RS-32: Designations for Alco diesel road-switch engines

      RW&O: Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad

      S Class: Designation for Niagara type 4-8-4 passenger steam locomotive

      S-4: Designation for Alco diesel switch engine

      Shark: Nickname for cab design of BLW road diesel locomotives

      SW 1500: Designation for EMD road diesel switch engine

      U-Boat: Nickname for General Electric’s U-25B diesel locomotive

      West Shore Line: New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad

      Whyte notation: Numerical description of the configuration of the steam engine’s wheels, for example 4-8-4

      One

      MAJOR RAILROADS

      COME TO TOWN

      By the 1850s, the New York Central Railroad had consolidated and expanded into Central and Western New York. In 1852, it built its first railroad station in Rochester

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