Skaneateles Short Line Railroad
The Skaneateles Short Line Railroad (AAR reporting mark: SSL) was an American Class 3 railroad company in Onondaga County in upstate New York. Built in 1867 company operated a eight-kilometer railway line to 1981.
History
The construction of the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad (A & S) in 1836 did not lead to that the city Skaneateles was connected to the railway network. Therefore Local entrepreneur founded the Skaneateles Railroad and also received the concession to build an eight -kilometer-long railway line from Skaneateles to the existing railway line. However, the building did not materialize. 1837 concession for the Skaneateles & Jordan Railroad was granted. This rail project should lead to Jordan after the Erie Canal. Powered eventually became only the construction of a horse-drawn railway to Skaneateles Junction along the route of the A & P. The line was opened on September 30, 1840. For the transport of three horses were available. The train could not compete with the parallel road link due to higher maintenance costs. On 24 August 1850, the company was dissolved.
Transport volume of mills and factories along the Skaneatales Creek rose in the following years further. A number of local entrepreneurs under the direction of Joel Thayer attacked the idea of a railway to again and founded the Skaneateles Railroad. On April 18, 1866, the Company received the concession and $ 88,877.29, the line was built. First, at the opening on October 1, 1867 there were only two decrepit steam locomotives available. However, these were soon replaced by a D coupler. The traffic on the route increased rapidly, so that more locomotives had to be purchased. Above all, the excursion traffic to Skaneateles Lake was popular with wealthy Americans. To benefit from this excursion transport a steamship was acquired in 1871. In the next few years the fleet has been extended by a further three ships. In 1878, John E. Waller successor of Thayer as president of the society. Mid-1880s were employed by the track 15 man. Under Waller some projects to extend the route to the north and to the south were being considered, but they were not realized. From the turn of the century, the Company received competition in passenger transport by interurban Auburn and Syracuse Electric Railroad. At the same time the railway company its fleet of cruise ships sold to the Regional tramway. The company also began to renew their railway systems. So heavier rails were installed, installed bridges with higher loads and subjected to the locomotives major repairs.
At the same time the President took turns in a short time. WK Niver was established in 1898 and president in 1905 was replaced by John McNamara, 1907 was followed by Martin Dillon, 1911 Henry Reed and 1922 Samuel Kane. Kane had at this point most of the company.
The increasing traffic led 1914/1915 to replace the 40-year -old locomotives. The economic slump through the Great Depression resulted in 1932 with the setting of the passenger traffic after only empty trains were transported. End of the 1930s presented the U.S. Gypsum operation at its plant in Skaneateles one. This factory was one of the largest customers of the railway company. Kane decided on the track shut down. This decision was approved February 7, 1940.
However, 14 residents from Skanteatles found thus not expire. They set up for $ 50,000, the Skaneateles Short Line Railroad and acquired by Kane for $ 25,000, the existing railway. In May 1941, the traffic was resumed. 1947 established the Cowles Chemical Company (later Stauffer Chemical Company) in Skaneateles Falls, a soap factory, which led to an increase in the volume of transport and the railway company economically secured for the coming years. In 1950 the company the fleet to diesel operation.
On 9 July 1968, the track was badly damaged by a flood. 1969 closed the Talcott Milling Company their factory in Skaneateles. Therefore, the railway company decided to only the route to operate until the soap factory and built in Skaneateles Falls, a new operations building. As the route was no longer adequately maintained since the 1920s, were derailments on the agenda. 1974 acquired the Stauffer Chemical Company, the railway company and operating it until 13 July 1981 on the supply of the soap factory.