Railroads in Utica, New York

Utica was an important center on the New York Central Railroad. Joining it at Union Station were the Ontario & Western and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroads.

Pictures are from Yahoo! Images

If you have Google Earth© on your computer, you can see aerial photographs of where all the railroads in the Utica area went.

Here's some pictures we took from Google Earth©
Click on each picture to enlarge


Here's a far as I can trace the O&W siding into New Hartford. After Mohawk Containers, it served a building supply, then crossed Campion Road to Partlow Corporation and ended at the American Emblem Company.	A short branch left the main here to serve the textile mills and later, other industries in New York Mills. Track is still operated today by the NY, Susquehanna & Western	West Shore crossed Genesee Street here. You can make out the path it took and see angled buildings that abutted the once double-track. This busy street had nothing more than crossbucks for protection and required flagging.	The West Shore ran right behind the 12th Fairway at the Yahnundasis Golf Club.

You might also enjoy following the course of the Utica Boilermaker in Google Earth©

Welcome to our Utica Railroads WebSite

Here's a preview of some of the exciting projects we have put together for you:

See our feature article: Utica Bound: A Story from the 1980's .

We have a New Hartford map from 1947 showing three railroads through the town; a story on some of what was in Utica ; and information on the Gulf Curve, Little Falls accident .

Follow Utica-area railroads on Google Earth .

Read about the Lackawanna Railroad in Utica and see a NY Central Mohawk Division Map .

Don't miss our reference section

Several years ago I wrote a story on the major railroads of 1950 and what happened to them.

Now I am following up with a closer examination of the New York Central Railroad. This railroad only lasted until 1968 when it merged into Penn Central.

But, what was the NY Central Railroad like in 1950?

You will also be interested in "What if the Penn Central Merger Did Not Happen"

Not only can you search hotels by city, but you can search by your favorite chain of hotels.

We can find all the best hotels in Nice, Cannes, or Monaco,.

Going to Orlando or Philadelphia or wherever, we can find all the best hotels at the best rates!!!

Utica was the headquarters of the New York Central's Adirondack and St. Lawrence Divisions. The Adirondack Division was abandoned in 1972. Around 1980 (Lake Placid Winter Olympics) it was reopened by a new company to carry passengers to the Olympics. Right-of-way had been purchased by State of New York, but train service was run by the Adirondack Railway Corporation. It folded soon after that and a lot of old equipment was at Thendara. Later on, it got partially reopened by the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. This is still a work-in-progress and will someday run all the way from Utica to Lake Placid.

This is a picture of Union Station in Utica, New York.
I grew up in nearby New Hartford (on the DL&W and O&W).
My grandfather was the Paymaster for New York Central "Lines East"
and his office was the corner one on the top floor.
Wasn't any grass growing on the tracks then; it was a lot busier.

Utica Bound

As I look ahead on my calendar, I note that I'm scheduled to attend a meeting at the Utica Computer Center. On the surface, this would seem like a logical place to go on Amtrak until I consult my timetable and realize that the only way I can get to a morning meeting is to stay overnight - kind of a waste for a 70 mile trip!

In 1949 I would have had no problem getting to Utica in the morning. The South Shore Express arrived at 7:17 AM (2 hours 17 minutes from Albany) or the Dewitt Clinton arrived at 10:40. The fastest trains in 1949 were the Empire State Express (1 hr 41 minutes) and the 20th Century Limited (1 hr 33 minutes-but it didn't stop in Utica). By 1961 I couldn't get a morning train to Utica (although 3 mail/express trains were Westbound in the morning). 1961 times were better: the Empire was 1 hr 37 minutes and the 20th Century was 1 hr 27 minutes. In 1921, the Empire took 1 hr 50 minutes and the 20th Century took 1 hr 55 minutes. Currently, the earliest arrival in Utica is 1:09 PM (between 1 hr 37 minutes and 1 hr 47 minutes depending on type of train). It should be noted that only the current times are from Rensselaer-all earlier times are from downtown Albany.

Oh well, by driving I can still observe quite a bit of rail activity. Getting on the New York Thruway at Exit 26, I run parallel to the Conrail freight main from Selkirk. Soon I can see the junction with Guilfords's Boston & Maine at Rotterdam Junction. Just after, Conrail crosses the Mohawk River to rejoin the old New York Central passenger main (Amtrak continues on East through Scotia, Schenectady and Carman to Albany). Adjacent to the Thruway, Conrail continues to South Amsterdam on the stub of the old New York Central West Shore and serves a large quarry and several other industries. This line now ends a few short miles from Rotterdam Junction, but you can see where the tracks went (old trestles, etc) all the way to Herkimer.

The Thruway leaves the river and both rail lines just before Little Falls. Little Falls had the sharpest curve on the New York Central's "Water Level Route" and was the scene of one of it's worst wrecks when the Westbound "Lake Shore Limited" derailed in 1940 killing 31. This curve (known as the Gulf Curve) has since been somewhat eliminated. There was a 9 mile branch to Dolgeville from here which once was a separate railroad named appropriately the Little Falls and Dolgeville. Since going into Little Falls is quite a slow detour, I am not at all sure what changes have been made there recently.

Until a few short years ago, this line went to Fort Plain. In the early 1970's, the line had been cut between Fort Plain and Ilion. All the rail action is on the other side of the river. Sixty M.P.H. will usually pace a West-bound freight.

Heading West, a morning drive to Utica might catch an Eastbound Amtrak run (Train 49-the Lake Shore Limited from Chicago which leaves Utica at 8:27 AM for a 10:14 arrival in Albany).

Just after Herkimer, the Thruway passes over the Conrail main about where the trackage branched off to an old route through Poland and Newport to Remsen Junction and on to the Adirondacks. In the late 1800's, this was a narrow gauge line called the Herkimer, Newport and Poland. It was standard-gauged in 1891 and extended to Remsen to connect with the Utica and Black River. Shortly after, the Adirondack and St. Lawrence (later taken over by the New York Central) opened through Fulton Chain Station (Thendara) to Malone. Most traffic went North via Utica and this line was abandoned between Remsen and Poland in 1943.

Getting off the Thruway at Utica and heading South on Route 12 through the city, the highway passes over the tracks which head North to Snow Junction. This route went to Malone as recently as 1961. Currently, Conrail runs a line from Utica to Boonville and Lyons Falls. This line originally extended to Carthage, Watertown and Ogdensburg but was cut at Lyons Falls in the 1960's. The NY Central (Penn Central) abandoned its line to Lake Placid in 1972. It was operated briefly by the Adirondack Railroad about the time of the 1980 Winter Olympics. It is interesting to note that the New York Central did not own the portion of the line from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid until 1946. Before then, it was a D&H branch from Plattsburgh. Also of note is that the New York Central until 1937 ran from Tupper Lake to Ottawa.

A quarter of a mile past this point, we again cross the Conrail main just West of the Utica station. The Utica Amtrak station is a fortunate leftover from the New York Central. It is a large, imposing three-story building which cost $2 million to build in the early 20th century. It earned it's title of Union Station by serving not only the New York Central (including it's lines to the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence) but the Utica branch of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western which ran South to Binghamton with a branch to Richfield Springs and the New York Ontario & Western which ran South to Norwich, Walton and Weehawken.

Route 12 (a divided highway through the city) now parallels the Delaware Otsego line (ex DL&W via Schuyler Street and ex-NYO&W via Fay Street). The road passes the site of an old roundhouse (NYO&W?) which burned in 1960 (now the site of a large food warehouse (with a rail siding inside).

Getting off at my destination (French Road), I'm at what once was an important? (but never very busy) rail junction where three lines crossed at grade.

1. The Ontario & Western line from Utica to Clinton and beyond. This line was torn up in 1957 but in many places you can still see where it went. There was a branch from Clinton to Rome. There was also a siding into New Hartford which is still active. When the O&W left, the NY Central and Erie-Lackawanna served it. I'm not sure who runs it now.

2. DL&W to Binghamton (now part of the Delaware Otsego system). Delaware Otsego seems to be the sole survivor in this area now.

3. West Shore interchange which was 232 miles from New York City. This line continued through Clark Mills, Vernon, Canastota (interchange with the Lehigh Valley) to Kirkville Junction (Syracuse Division). The line between here and Vernon was cut between 1961 and 1965. Before 1961, the line between Canastota and Kirkville Junction was abandoned and connection to the main line was at Canastota. Additionally, the Lehigh Valley branch to that point was abandoned. The line through South Utica to a junction with the NYC mainline at Harbor was cut after 1965. Near this point, industrial trackage which served the old textile mills in New York Mills left the West Shore. In 1949, this line was double tracked and had a 35 MPH speed limit. By 1961, it was single tracked and had a 15 MPH speed limit. Now it is gone.

JWH Rapid Response Temporary Housing
On site containers become residential accommodation, offices and much more!

Services we provide are:
Transportation to your site.
Site preparation for your portable shelter.
Assembly of your portable shelter.
Subsequent enhancements or moving of your portable shelter.


Interested in Penn Central? New York Central? Pennsylvania Railroad? New Haven Railroad? or in the smaller Eastern US railroads? Then you will be interested in "What if the Penn Central Merger Did Not Happen". You will also enjoy "Could George Alpert have saved the New Haven?" as well as "What if the New Haven never merged with Penn Central?"