History

The New York Central was a major force in Western New York railroading and operated a number of lines in the region.  The 1900 map above shows the trackage owned by the company in red and the railroads that it leased and operated in other colors.

History

The New York Central Railroad was formed on March 17, 1853 by the consolidation of a number of smaller railroads between Albany and Buffalo. In 1867 Cornelius Vanderbilt gained control of the New York Central Railroad and on November 1, 1869 he merged it with his Hudson River Railroad to for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad.

An April 1853 pass.

On February 1, 1968 the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad joined with its arch-rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, to form the Penn Central Railroad.  The Penn Central was never successful and on April 1, 1976 it was absorbed into the new Consolidated Railroad Corporation (Conrail).

A 1901 pass on the New York Central

Line and Stations

The New York Central had extensive operations in Western New York, including both its main line and many branches.  For ease of presentation, we have created separate pages for different sections of the railroad.  These include:

Maps

Timetables

Newspaper Articles

References