Newspaper and Magazine Articles

One of the best sources of historical information is published articles from that period. Newspaper and magazine articles give a perspective not found in publications aimed at railroad historians. The stories show how the railroads were presented to and perceived by the general public.

I find it astonishing how many stories there were about railroads, especially from papers published in the 1870's and 1880's. Railroads were a hot topic of discussion in the newspapers and railroad news items from around the country were published.

The following list is in chronological order by publication date and each story has a short description.

September 16, 1848 - A Funny Railroad Accident on the Boston & Lowell
July 2, 1853 - Locomotive Trial Trip
November 23, 1855 - Wreck on the New York Central
September 3, 1858 - The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
March 28, 1860 - The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
August 24, 1860 - Progress of A&GW to Jamestown.
August 24, 1860 - The A. & G. W. R. R. Co. of N. Y.
August 24, 1860 - Location of A&GW Depot in Jamestown
August 31, 1860 - Atlantic and Great Western Railroad!
October 28, 1862 - Completion of the A&GW in Meadville, PA
November 4, 1862 - First train on the A&GW from Meadville, PA to Jamestown, NY
November 19, 1863 - The Opening of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
June 22, 1864 - The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
July 19, 1864 - Terrible Collision on the Erie Railway
May 10, 1865 - Letter by Benjamin Greene regarding rioting by Irish railroad workers
October 14, 1869 - Through to Norwich
December 11, 1869 - The Receiver of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
January 10, 1870 - The Erie Trials.; The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad Out of the Coils of the Erie Managers
September 12, 1871 - The Ladies Car
December 1, 1871 - Letter from Sobieski Ross to George McClellan
March 11, 1872 - A Little Skirmish With The Snow
November 21, 1872 - A Proposed Change of Gauge Upon the Erie
February 21, 1873 - The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
March 14, 1873 - Interesting Facts in the Secret History of the Atlantic and Great Western Road
May 12, 1873 - Proposed Lease of the Atlantic and Great Western to the Erie Company
April-May 1874 - Changing the DL&W Utica Branch to Wide Gauge
June 26, 1874 - The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad Lease
May 8, 1875 - The Rights of Passengers
July 4, 1875 - The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad Difficulties
December 27, 1875 - A Passenger Train Off the Track Near Salamanca, N.Y.
December 1875-March 1876 - Standard Gauging the DL&W Main Line
March 15, 1876 - No Dogs Allowed In The Cars
May 1876 - Standard Gauging the DL&W
May 29, 1876 - Narrow Gauge of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad
June 2, 1876 - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Change of Gauge
January 4, 1879 - Erie's Narrow Gauge
January 9, 1879 - Derailment Near Kennedy
January 9, 1879 - Erie To Build New Grain Elevator in Hoboken
January 16, 1879 - A Dangerous Explosion on a R. R. Car
February 22, 1879 - Erie's New Acquisition; Securing Control of the Atlantic and Great Western
December 2, 1879 - Allegany Station
January 7, 1880 - Sale of the Atlantic and Great Western
June 24, 1880 - The Erie Narrowed
January 13, 1881 - Olean, Bradford & Warren Railway to Complete Warren Extension
January 13, 1881 - Workman Killed in Gowanda
January 13, 1881 - New Bridge in Franklinville
January 13, 1881 - Rochester & State Line Popular for Eastern Travel
January 27, 1881 - Wreck near Gowanda
January 27, 1881 - Five Dead in wreck at Tioga Center
January 27, 1881 - One Legged Railroad Car
February 3, 1881 - Train 5 Looses Wheel
February 3, 1881 - Collapse on B&SW Railroad
February 10, 1881 - Accident on B&SW Railroad
February 10, 1881 - More Bad Luck for Engine 27
February 10, 1881 - Collapse of Central Depot in Buffalo
April 25, 1881 - Railroad! The Necessity!
June 11, 1881 - Early Railroad Profits - The Enormous Dividends of the Narrow Gauge Lines in the Bradford Oil Regions.
July 15, 1881 - First Telegraph Pole
July 21, 1881 - A Special Train for Nine Passengers
July 30, 1881 - Conversion of the Erie to Standard Gauge
November 1, 1881 - A New Railroad
January 11, 1882 - Angelica's New Railroad
October 31, 1882 - Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Timetable
November 13, 1882 - A Fatal Wreck on the B.E. & C. Road
January 20, 1883 - The Narrow Gauge Railroad
November 20, 1885 - About the Erie
July 25, 1887 - Grand Opening Excursion on the Chautauqua Lake Railway
January 17, 1888 - Two Swift Trains Collide on the Erie's Rochester Division Near Avoca
January 25, 1888 - Enormous Oil Production
December 20, 1888 - The Mail Train
December 10, 1891 - Brief History of this portion of the Tonawanda Valley
December 10, 1891 - In Memorium
March 25, 1892 - New Street Cars
October - November 1892 - Articles on the Lackawanna and Southwestern Railroad
May 2, 1895 - Accident on the BR&P
September 1895: In Honor of A.S. Wesson
May 10, 1889 - Chautauqua Lake and Street Railways
January 10, 1896 - Bolivar Breeze railroad news items on Central New York & Western
September 16, 1897 - DAV&P Annual Report
January 30, 1989 - Thing of the Past, Narrow Gauge Railroads of the Oil Country
February 1, 1898 - The Erie Years: A Railroad Memoir
June 7, 1900 - Railroad Excursions from Olean
April 25, 1901 - A $15,000,000 Railroad Mortgage
November 28, 1901 - Standard Gauge
February 14, 1902 - Ten Freight Cars Derailed
February 17, 1902 - Train Cut In Two
February 18, 1902 - Killed By The Cars
May 19, 1902 - Remembrances of the A&GW
December 31, 1903 - New Train Schedule
April 21, 1904 - Bad Shawmut Wreck
July 28, 1905 - Rail Laying Halted at the big Gorge
April 17, 1907 - Erie's New Electric Road
December 25, 1908 - Runaway Freight Train of 72 Cars Demolishes a Station and Creamery
May 6, 1910 - Receiver in Charge of B. & S. Railroad
January 9, 1913 - Landslide on Erie Near Cattaraugus
January 10, 1913 - New Trolley Line Now Seems Assured
December 6, 1913 - Buffalo & Susquehanna Sold
September 14, 1915 - Up-State Railroad Sold
October 4, 1918 - Two Men Are Killed in Tail-End Wreck
May 9, 1919 - Stolen Pork Found In Attic
June 8, 1928 - Retired Engineman Tells of Early Days of Old Wood Burners on Auburn Road
July 6, 1931 - End of Sodus Bay Railroad Line Planned
September 30, 1935 - New York Central Memo September 30, 1935
June 13, 1937 - Dolly Varden Passenger Train Makes Its Last Trip
January 29, 1938 - Farewell to the Street Cars
January 29, 1938 - Passing of Trolley Cars From Jamestown Scene Recalls Debt to Broadheads
May 9, 1942 - Lackawanna Raises Tracks Above Streets in Syracuse, N.Y.
January 1944 - The Man in the Tower - Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh
February 1944 - Beating The Timecard
May 25, 1947 - Just Around The Corner
May 22, 1952 - Old Timers on the Rochester Branch of the PRR
October 12, 1955 - Freight Wreck Loss Put at $250,000
October 13, 1955 - Erie Freight Wrecks on Creek Bridge
October 20, 1955 - Erie Speeds Repairs on Wrecked Bridge
January 8, 1956 - On the Pennsy Through Elmira
July 8, 1956 - Parlor Cars, Mt. Pisgah Buckboard, Minnequa - They're Memories of Troy's Railroad Days
February 16, 1959 - Why Erie Car Repairs Cost Less
1961 - Planned Railroad through Zoar Valley Started 97 Years Ago
January 1963 - Railroad Wreck Near Bath in Blizzard of 1888 Almost Forgotten in Days of Diesel Locomotives
April 17, 1963 - Gatekeeper Recalls Last Rochester Run
1994 - Self-Guided Tour of the Syracuse and Utica Divisions of the Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad
August 2000 - Excursion on the DLW Utica Branch
August 31, 1892 - Trains To Go Over The Lehigh Valley Road Tomorrow.
January 23, 1925 - Motor Car is Tried on Hemlock Branch