Re: (erielack) NYO&W

[Charles_Walsh_@_Berlex.com]

Paul,

It's an interesting point that you make about the O&W siphoning away
traffic from the Erie.  I suspect that had the O&W had never reached
Scranton--primarily for anthracite--that it would never have made it much
farther into the 20th Century than the Rockaway Valley RR did...another
railroad that should never have been built.  Another factor that O&W had
against it was topography: it was built with too bridges and
tunnels...great as a scenic route, but terrible from a maintenace of way
perspective.

Chuck



                                                                           
             "Paul Brezicki"                                               
             <doctorpb_@_bellsou                                             
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             08/10/2006 10:31          (erielack) NYO&W                    
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The map
http://historical.maptech.com/getImage.cfm?fname=schu35ne.jpg&state=NY
illustrates the scenario Blake outlined. The original O&W alignment (double
track in the early 20th C) at Cornwall continues straight inland to access
the valley of Moodna Creek, while the West Shore alignment veers off to the
north. Several Erie routes also appear in this quadrangle, including both
Newburgh lines, the Graham line and a short segment of mainline at
Harriman. Between Jersey City and Middletown, the O&W and Erie were more or
less parallel routes. Further west, they were within two miles of each
other at Cadosia/Hancock before the O&W took a northward tack towards
Norwich.

One can understand the fan appeal of the "Old & Weary" with it's routes
through some very scenic territory. However in reality it was as
transportation scholar George Hilton called it "a monstrosity that should
never have been built", a ragtag collection of branchlines propped up by
anthracite traffic until it began to drop off in the fifties. Unlike LV and
DL&W, it had no "friendly" east-west connections in upstate NY, and you
wonder how it lasted as long as it did. Moreover it's presence had a
deleterious effect on Erie and other healthier trunk lines by siphoning
away some bridge traffic. Erie went from "here to there by way of nowhere";
O&W went from nowhere to nowhere by way of nowhere.

Paul B

Actually, Gould had nothing to do with the West Shore. When The O&W was
trying to find a way to New York City, they acquired the charter of the
Jersey City & Albany through their Midland Terminal Co. They then formed
the North River Construction Co. who actually built the railroad from
Weehawken to Cornwall prior to the formation of the New York West Shore &
Buffalo. They used the Surveys that were done for the New York West Shore &
Chicago (that was never built) which was the PRR company formed to compete
with the NYC. After being built, the NYO&W turned over it's North River
Construction Company to the New York West Shore & Buffalo and obtained
trackage rights to Cornwall. It is believed by some that this was all a
failed attempt at the beginnings of a transcontinental railroad.

Blake D. Tatar




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