History
In 1858 the Lake Ontario Shore Rail Road was chartered from Oswego to Niagara Falls, but very little track was built or operated by the company. It wasn't until 1875 when the Lake Ontario Shore Rail Road was merged into the the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad that the line to Niagara Falls was completed.
In 1878 the RW&O ended up in the hands of the management of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The DL&W's management only cared about the DL&W and left the RW&O to die, so to speak. By 1882 the RWO had been purchased again and the new owners built the Ontario Secondary (Beebee line) from Charlotte on the shores of Lake Ontario to Rochester. The new management wasn't enough to save the RW&O and the company was leased to the New York and Hudson River Railroad on March 14, 1891. The RWO was absorbed into the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company on April 16, 1913.
The line was commonly referred to as the "Hojack Line." The origins of this name are unclear and different theories have been suggested for it.
Stations
The following table lists the stations in Western New York. The list of stations is drawn from different sources and we don't have mileage for every station.
| Station | Distance |
| Oswego Shops Furniss Wheelers Hannibal Sterling Sterling Station Red Creek Wolcott North Rose Alton Wallington Sodus East Williamson Williamson Ontario Lakeside Union Hill Webster Forest Lawn Seabreeze Windsor Beach Charlotte Greece Hilton Walker Hamlin Morton Kendall Brice Carlton Waterport Ashwood Lyndonville Yates Millers Barker Appleton Burt Wilson Ransomville Model City Lewiston Heights Suspension Bridge |
0.0 4.5 10.1 15.8 20.6 26.3 31.0 36.0 38.0 41.0 45.0 47.2 52.0 56.6 59.5 68.9 69.7 76.2 79.4 82.9 85.9 90.0 92.3 97.3 99.9 102.9 106.0 109.9 114.0 118.3 123.2 126.4 132.3 138.0 143.7 150.9 |
The trackage from Charlotte on Lake Ontario to Jay Street in downtown Rochester was known as the Ontario Secondary or the Beebee line by the RW&O and the Charlotte Branch by the New York Central.
| Station | Distance |
| Rochester (Jay Street) Barnard Charlotte (Freight House) Charlotte (Wye connection) Charlotte (Ontario Branch connection) |
0.0 4.0 6.9 7.0 7.2 |
Newspaper Articles
- September 12, 1871 - The Ladies Car
- March 11, 1872 - A Little Skirmish With The Snow
References
- New York Central Railroad. 1943. List of Officers and Representatives, Stations and Other Facilities.
- Rumsey, David. "David Rumsey Map Collection." http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps900035-24518.html
- Unknown. "Rome Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad Company" http://www.lakemirabel.com/Railroad/RomeWatertownOgdensburg1.html
- Wikipedia. "Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome,_Watertown_and_Ogdensburg_Railroad