West Shore Railroad main line

West Shore Railroad main line
West Shore Railroad main line
	Southbound train on River Subdivision at Newburgh
Overview
Owner	CSX Transportation
Locale	New Jersey; New York;
Termini	Weehawken, New Jersey; Buffalo, New York;
History
Opened	July 30, 1873
Technical
Line length	423 mi (681 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	Auburn and
	Rochester Railroad
	Elmira and
	Lake Ontario Railroad
	New York, Ontario
	and Western Railway
	New York, Ontario
	and Western Railway
	New York, Ontario
	and Western Railway
	New York, Susquehanna
	and Western Railway

The main line of the West Shore Railroad is a partially-abandoned railway line in the states of New Jersey and New York. At its fullest extent, it ran from Weehawken Terminal on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York. It runs roughly parallel to the former main line of the New York Central Railroad and was originally built as a competitor to that line, but was acquired by the New York Central Railroad and used primarily as a freight line. Much of the line has been abandoned but several sections remain in use, including most of the line on the west side of the Hudson between Weehawken and Albany.

History

Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad

The oldest part of the West Shore Railroad main line is the former main line of the Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad, later the Athens Branch of the New York Central Railroad. Daniel Drew founded the Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad in 1864 to further his steamboat interests on the Hudson River. The company completed a 37-mile (60 km) line between Schenectady, New York, and Athens, New York, in March 1866.^[1] The New York Central leased the company in 1867; the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway leased the line between Coxsackie, New York and Fullers, New York, on December 2, 1881. The company used it as a second main line track.^[2]

Jersey City and Albany Railroad

The Ridgefield Park Railroad was incorporated in 1867 and began building a 13-mile (21 km) line between Ridgefield, New Jersey, and Tappan, New York.^[3] This line was completed by the Jersey City and Albany Railroad on July 30, 1873.^[4] The New Jersey Midland Railway, a predecessor of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, operated the line under contract. After a period of receivership, the line was sold to the new Jersey City and Albany Railway in 1878.^[3]

Jersey City and Albany Railway

The Jersey City and Albany Railway was incorporated in 1878 to acquire the property of the Jersey City and Albany Railroad.^[5] The new company pushed the line north from Tappen to Haverstraw, New York, an additional 13.1 miles (21.1 km). The extension opened on March 1, 1880.^[6]

New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway

The next and most significant expansion of the line took place under the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway, which was established in 1880. This new company had powerful financial backing and was developed as a competitor of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad.^[7] The company extended its main line an additional 391.6 miles (630.2 km) from Haverstraw to Buffalo, New York. The line was completed in 1883.^[8] The New York Central established the West Shore Railroad in 1885 to acquire the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway, including its main line.^[9]

West Shore Railroad

The West Shore Railroad remained the titular owner of the West Shore Railroad main line until June 20, 1952, when it, along with several other subsidiaries, was formally merged into the New York Central Railroad.^[10] The most significant change to the line during that period was realignment of the New York Central's lines through Syracuse, New York. The New York Central's main passenger line ran down the middle of Washington Street, posing a hazard to pedestrians and motorists. The West Shore line ran several blocks to the north, between Burnet and Canal. The New York Central constructed a new three-track line, elevated on an embankment, on the right-of-way of the West Shore line. This new line, including a new passenger station, opened on September 24, 1936.^[11]

New York Central Railroad and Penn Central

Beginning in 1955, the New York Central gradually abandoned portions of the West Shore Railroad main line between Albany and Buffalo as it implemented centralized traffic control (CTC) to consolidate through traffic (freight and passenger) on its original main line.^[12] The line ceased being a through route as the New York Central abandoned 114 miles (183 km) between 1955 and 1963:^[13]^[14]

New York Mills–Vernon in 1964, 12 miles (19 km)
East Syracuse–Canastota in 1955, 20 miles (32 km)
Amboy–Wayneport in 1959, 60 miles (97 km)
Chili Junction–Byron in 1959, 12 miles (19 km)
Byron–Oakfield in 1963, 10 miles (16 km)

In addition, the New York Central sold the elevated right-of-way through Syracuse, built in 1936, to the state of New York in 1962 for the construction of Interstate 690.^[15] The New York Central merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968 to form the Penn Central Transportation Company. The new company entered bankruptcy two years later, eventually leading to the creation of Conrail in 1976. Before that happened, Penn Central abandoned two more parts of the line:^[16]

Little Falls–Canajoharie in 1973, roughly 20 miles (32 km)
Little Falls–Ilion in 1974, 9.5 miles (15.3 km)

Conrail

Most–but not all–of the remaining line was conveyed to Conrail in 1976. This included the entire line between Weehawken and Selkirk Yard, now known as the River Line. West of Albany, sections between Selkirk and Rotterdam Junction, Ilion and New York Mills, Vernon and Canastota, Wayneport and Chili Junction, and Oakfield and Buffalo were also included.^[17]^[18] The line between Rotterdam Junction and South Fort Plain was not conveyed but Conrail operated it under subsidy from the state of New York.^[19]^[20] This line was abandoned in 1981.^[21] Conrail abandoned the section between Ilion and Utica in 1982, and between Oakfield and Buffalo, the Oakfield Secondary, in 1984.^[22]^[21]

In 1989, Conrail agreed to sell line south of North Bergen Yard along with part of the former New Jersey Junction Railroad to NJ Transit for what became the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail project.^[23] NJ Transit took ownership in 1995, and Conrail abandoned service in 2000.^[24] With the breakup of Conrail in 1999, the remaining parts of the West Shore line were conveyed to CSX Transportation.

Current operations

River Subdivision

Under CSX operation, the line between North Bergen Yard and Selkirk is known as the River Subdivision. It is approximately 130 miles (210 km) long. At the southern end it connects with the Northern Branch in North Bergen, New Jersey. In Selkirk it connects with the Castleton Subdivision, leading east across the Hudson River or west into Selkirk Yard.^[25]

The line is used for the transport of Bakken oil.^[26]^[27]^[28] The line uses rail cars that are considered inadequate and a safety hazard, calling for more regulations and oversight by the towns which The River Line passes through.^[29]^[30] In February 2016, competitive federal funding for rail improvements was not awarded to the line.^[31]

Selkirk Subdivision

Under CSX operation, the line between Selkirk and Hoffmans is known as the Selkirk Subdivision. West of Hoffmans, the subdivision also includes part of the former New York Central Railroad main line between Hoffmans and Kellogg's Yard, east of Amsterdam. It is approximately 34 miles (55 km) long. At its southeastern end it connects with the Castleton Subdivision at the west end of Selkirk Yard. It connects with the Carman Subdivision in Rotterdam before crossing the Mohawk River at Hoffmans, where it meets the Hudson Subdivision coming up from Schenectady. The line proceeds west along the north side of the Mohawk before reaching Kellogg's Yard, outside Amsterdam, where it becomes the Mohawk Subdivision.^[32] Amtrak's Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited, and Maple Leaf trains operate over the Selkirk Subdivision northwest of Hoffmans.^[33]

West Shore Subdivision

Under CSX operation, the line between Fairport and Churchville is known as the West Shore Subdivision or West Shore Branch. It connects at both ends with the Rochester Subdivision, providing a southern bypass around the city of Rochester. At Genesee Junction, the line has an interchange with the Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad and the Rochester and Southern Railroad. The subdivision is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long.^[34]

Notes

^ Browder (1986), pp. 138–140.
^ New York Central and Hudson River Railway (1884). "Fourteenth Annual Report of the New York Central and Hudson River Railway" (PDF). Albany, New York: Weed, Parsons and Company. p. 32.
^ ^a ^b ICC (1929), p. 78.
^ "City and Suburban News". The New York Times. July 30, 1873. p. 8. Retrieved June 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ICC (1929), p. 77.
^ "New Jersey". Courier-Post. March 1, 1880. p. 1. Retrieved June 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Churella (2013), p. 516.
^ ICC (1929), p. 65.
^ Churella (2013), p. 523.
^ Bureau of Transport Economics and Statistics (1955). Sixty-Sixth Annual Report on the Statistics of Railways in the United States for the year ended December 31 1952. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 584.
^ "New York Central Completes Grade Separation and Passenger Station Project Within City of Syracuse". Railway Age. Vol. 101, no. 15. October 10, 1936. p. 504.
^ Hornaday, Hilton (October 22, 1954). "NYC Will Cut Down to Two-Track Line Between Here, N.Y." The Buffalo News. p. 1. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Palmer, Richard F. (March 29, 1967). "800 miles of trackage abandoned by Central". Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. 24. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Proposes to Abandon Part of Branch Line". Daily Sentinel. May 2, 1964. p. 3. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "NYS Pays Final RR Installment". The Post-Standard. December 22, 1962. p. 6. Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Dozens of branch rail lines feel impact of federal plan". Syracuse Herald-Journal. March 17, 1974. p. 13. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ USRA (1975a), pp. 273–278.
^ USRA (1975b), pp. 247–252, 281.
^ USRA (1975b), pp. 247–249.
^ Dawson, David (February 16, 1979). "State offers chance to play Monopoly for real". Star-Gazette. p. 13. Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Metzger (2013), p. 38.
^ United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Transportation and Related Agencies (1986). Department of Transportation and related agencies appropriations for fiscal year 1986: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Ninety-ninth Congress, first session, on H.R. 3244 ... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 129. hdl:2027/uc1.31210016301911.
^ Baehr, Guy T. (June 9, 1989). "Conrail signs agreement for Hudson 'trolley'". The Star-Ledger. p. 18. Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "CSX Transportation, Inc.—Discontinuance Exemption—in Hudson County, NJ" (PDF). Federal Register. 65 (237): 77071–77072. December 8, 2000. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
^ CSX (2010), pp. 97–100.
^ Fallon, Scott (August 11, 2014). "Trains carrying highly explosive Bakken oil coming into N.J. by the dozens every week". The Record. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014.
^ Fallon, Scott (August 19, 2014). "NJ officials won't say how many oil trains go through Bergen County". The Record. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014.
^ Mutnick, Ally (July 7, 2014). "N.J. considers revealing train shipments of oil". Asbury Park Press.
^ Slater, Paige (September 25, 2014). "CSX meets with Bergen County municipal officials over rail concerns". Northern Valley Suburbanite. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
^ Ensslin, John C.; Fallon, Scott (September 23, 2014). "Rail car oil shipments emerge as Bergen County election issue". The Record. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014.
^ Fallon, Scott (February 18, 2016). "N.J. won't get federal funds to improve safety on rail lines carrying oil tankers". The Record. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016.
^ CSX (2010), pp. 119–120.
^ FRA (2023), pp. 2–8, 2–9.
^ CSX (2010), p. 157.

References

Browder, Clifford (1986). The money game in old New York: Daniel Drew and his times. Lexington, Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press. ISBN 978-0-8131-6224-9.
Churella, Albert J. (2013). The Pennsylvania Railroad: Volume I, Building an Empire, 1846–1917. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-4348-2. OCLC 759594295.
CSX Transportation (October 15, 2010). "Albany Division: Timetable No. 6" (PDF). Retrieved June 28, 2025.
Interstate Commerce Commission (1929). Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports. Vol. 28. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Metzger, Bill (February 2013). "Heart of the Water Level Route". Trains. Vol. 73, no. 2. p. 38. ISSN 0041-0934.
United States Federal Railroad Administration (2023). High Speed Rail Empire Corridor: Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (PDF). Vol. 1.
United States Railway Association (1975). Final system plan for restructuring railroads in the Northeast and Midwest region pursuant to the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (PDF). Vol. 1. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office. OCLC 2889148.
United States Railway Association (1975). Final system plan for restructuring railroads in the Northeast and Midwest region pursuant to the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (PDF). Vol. 2. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office. OCLC 2889148.