Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern Railroad

Ken Clark

• Editorial: Arcadia Publishing
• Año: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781439657423
• Categoría: History
• Categoría: North American History

The Pittsburg (no "h"), Shawmut & Northern Railroad was described by locals as a railroad that "started nowhere and ended no place, with a lot of nothing in between, " although it actually linked the coal mines of Elk County, Pennsylvania, with markets in Cattaraugus, Allegany, and Steuben Counties in central and western New York State. Always an underdog, the Class I line went into bankruptcy a mere five years after its corporate birth, holding the record for the longest receivership of any American railroad at 42 years. Always starved for cash, it limped along with outdated and tired equipment, yet it never failed to meet its payroll. It was scrapped completely in 1947.

One

THE SHAWMUT IN
NEW YORK STATE

The Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern Railroad in New York State began in Wayland, New York, at milepost (MP) 0.0. It extended south to the town of Portville, New York, where it crossed into Pennsylvania at MP 70.5. Wayland was a key interchange point between the Shawmut and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroads.

The focal point of activity on the Shawmut in New York State was at Angelica, New York, located at MP 35.8. Angelica was home to the Maintenance of Way Department and the Office of the Receiver. It was the location of one of the two principal yards and shops of the railroad; the other was located in St. Marys, Pennsylvania (see chapter 2).

During the railroad’s formative years, the Angelica shops included an engine house, a coach house, and an extensive carpentry shop. Until the advent of steel railroad cars in the 1920s, this carpentry shop constructed many of the freight cars and cabooses operated by the Shawmut. Angelica’s importance as a railroad center would eventually wane, matching the overall fortunes of the Shawmut.

North of Angelica at MP 10.9 was Moraine Junction, the location of the branch to Hornell, New York. This branch line was, in fact, a separate railroad: the Rochester, Hornellsville & Lackawanna Railroad. This railroad was owned by the Shawmut’s first president, Frank Sullivan Smith, and simply leased by the Shawmut. Upon Smith’s death, it was willed to his widow Clara Higgins Smith. She eventually willed the branch to the American Red Cross. With the demise of the Shawmut in 1947, the Red Cross went on to sell the line for scrap, except for the Hornell terminal properties, which were sold to the Erie Railroad and operated until the early 1980s.

Near the Pennsylvania state line at MP 67.9 was Prosser Junction, the location of the branch to Olean, New York. This branch can trace its history back to the narrow-gauge Olean Railroad and was constructed on top of the towpath of the old Genesee Valley Canal. Olean was a key interchange point between the Shawmut and the Pennsylvania Railroad.

This 1944 photograph shows the far east end of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western (DL&W) yard at Wayland, New York. This was MP 0.5 on the Shawmut’s main line. Milepost 0.0 was another half mile distant at the Lackawanna’s depot on South Lackawanna Avenue. The approaching westbound DL&W freight is about to pass the water columns fed by the DL&W’s steel water tank at right. (SMHS.)

The west end of the yard in Wayland, New York, was named Wayland Junction. Located at MP 1.2, the building at the left was named “WA Office.” It contained a railroad telephone that connected with the dispatcher in St. Marys, Pennsylvania. This is the point where the Shawmut main line (in the foreground) veered away from the DL&W tracks and began its journey south. (SMHS.)

The hamlet of Perkinsville, New York, located at MP 1.5, was where the Shawmut maintained its own engine servicing facilities. The view in this 1947 photograph is looking south and shows the rails being taken up. The north leg of the wye veers off to the left. Engines could take on water from the 50,000-gallon tank from both the wye and the ash pit track. The bunkhouse stands at the right. (SMHS.)

Engine No. 50 is shown arriving at Perkinsville, New York, pulling combination car No. 132. The car was a unique combination railway post office, baggage/express, and passenger car. By combining all services into a single car, the Shawmut was able to minimize expenses compared to operating three separate cars. (PS&NRRHS.)

The hamlet of Rogersville, New York, was located at MP 5.0. The view in this 1947 photograph is looking east (timetable north) after the railroad was abandoned but before the rails were removed. Rogersville hosted six commercial produce warehouses. The large building (center) is the Shawmut passenger depot. At one time, tons of potatoes were shipped from here. Today, Rogersville is a ghost town. (SMHS.)

Besides laying ties and rails, the other major construction along the right-of-way was the installation of telegraph wires. This photograph was taken about 1905. The pump-style handcart carries spools of telegraph wire. Notice that all the men, except the one at the right, are wearing pole spikes on their boots. This allowed them to climb up the poles. (PS&NRRHS.)

The Stony Brook Viaduct stood at MP 5.9. This viaduct was built in 1883 by the Lackawanna & Pittsburgh Railroad. This spiderweb-looking iron viaduct was constructed by the Delaware Bridge Company of Trenton, New Jersey, at a cost of $75,000. At 700 feet long and 240 feet high, it was the highest railroad bridge in New York State. (PS&NRRHS.)

The Shawmut in New York State typically did not suffer from lake-effect snow. However, in 1910, a train became snowbound and buried south of the Stony Brook Viaduct. Snowplows and other trains were unable to rescue the stranded train. Section crews had to dig the train out by hand. (PS&NRRHS.)

The financially troubled Lackawanna & Pittsburgh lacked the funds to perform any maintenance on th...