Vintage Railroad Pictures: Old Railroad Scenes in New York State

New York Central depot, Camillus

Cincinnatus on D.L.& W.

Lehigh Valley eastbound passenger train, Lodi

New York & Oswego Midland Auburn branch,

DeRuyter, ca. 1872, looking west

Lehigh Valley depot, East Ithaca

Lehigh Valley depot, Freeville

McGraw on D.L.& W.

Cortland on Lehigh Valley

DeRuyter on Lehigh Valley

New Woodstock on Lehigh Valley Canastota Branch

DeRuyter Gleaner

June 13, 1946

George M. Thompson Ends Railroad Career of Forty-five Years

____

At the close of business in Saturday (June 15) of this week, George M. Thompson, local agent for the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company for many years, will end a railroad career of about forty-five years, most of which has been spent at the New Woodstock station. Mr. Thompson started railroading on April 1, 1900, as an apprentice under C. B. Hugg, who was then New Woodstock agent for the Lehigh. Shortly afterward, he passed the telegraphy examination and went on the “extra” list, filling various temporary positions on the Elmira-Camden branch.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Thompson accepted a job as tower man on the Fall Brook Division of the New York Central, where he worked about a year and a half. After a short time in a similar position on the Mohawk Division of the same rod, he returned to New Woodstock where he became Lehigh agent in October, 1902, a position he has continuously occupied since that time. At the same time he purchased the local coal business from C. B. Hugg.

Great changes in the operation of the Elmira-Camden branch have occurred during Mr. Thompson’s agency here. For many year the railroad operated ten regular trains per day in addition to extras. The number has now shrunk to two. He says that he always averaged a passenger ticket sale of 250 or more per month, that 25 to 30 per day was not abnormal and that he has sold as high as 200 tickets for a single train. He remembers when as many as 25 New Woodstock Grand Army of the Republic veterans traveled to Memorial Day exercise on a “party” ticket.

Before the days of truck competition, the local freight trains filled the freight house with incoming freight at almost every daily stop. Outgoing express was in sufficient volume to permit loading of an iced car from this station about twice a week in season. A hundred cases of eggs per day and a hundred dressed calves in a single shipment were not at all abnormal.

There is now no one employed in any capacity along the line who was working when Mr. Thompson began his duties. He is presently number one man on the seniority roll of the entire Buffalo division. When he began “O-S-ing” trains the dispatches’ office was located in Cortland. As the number of runs on the various branches of the railroad has decreased, the dispatcher’s office has been successively moved to Auburn, Buffalo, Sayre and Wilkes Barre.

It is especially interesting to note that during the entire history of his railroad, first as the Elmira, Cortland and Northern and subsequently the Lehigh Valley, only four agents have held the position at New Woodstock. These, in order of their service, have been Frank Sims, Ernest Poole, Charge B. Hugg and Mr. Thompson.

Outgoing freight used to amount to about 150 carloads of produce and miscellaneous freight, 360 cars of milk and 20 cars of express per year, besides less than carload shipments. Now, the shipment of a car of freight has become almost a rarity. Mr. Thompson has also witnessed great changes in the motive power and equipment used. When he first took over the agency, old four wheelers, inherited from the E.C. & N. were the only motive power. They were later followed by the “mother hubbard” type, which had formerly seen passenger service on the main line. They, in turn, were replaced by the so-called 1100s, which were newly built in 1917. The most recent change occurred shortly before the recent war, when structures were strengthened to permit the use of the larger and heavier 2000s, which are in use at the present time.

Mr. Thompson plans to continue the operation of his coal, lumber and building supply business in this place. Should you be unable to locate him in his office, however, the chances are that he will be catching up on his hunting and fishing, a field which he enjoys a considerable reputation. Arrangements are under way for a part in his honor to be given by fellow Lehigh Valley employees.

R.W.& O. at Oswego

New York Central at Brewerton.

New York Central station, Richland

New York Central station, Lowville

New York Central depot, Pulaski, now gone.

New York Central depot, Hannibal, long gone.

New York Central depot, Altmar, gone.

New York Central depot, Norwood, gone.

Grasse River Railroad, Cranberry Lake

New York Central depot, Remsen

Syracuse & Baldwinsville Railroad, Amboy, 1880s.

Cuba depot, Erie Railroad , gone.

New York Central depot, Oneida, gone.

New York Central, Skaneateles Junction. Depot is home of the Skaneateles Model Railroad Club.

Well into the 1950s one could still ride a mixed train on the Lehigh Valley between Cortland and Canastota. This is the Lehigh Valley station in Cazenovia.

Lehigh Valley depot, Sylvan Beach.

It's hard to visual the out-of-the-way village of Freeville, near Ithaca, once being a major railroad junction. Nevertheless it was such for many years. At this point, the north-south and east-west branches of the Lehigh Valley crossed at a diamond and several times daily the place was a hub-bub of activity as travelers changed trains. There was even a restaurant in the station. But it was all gone by the late 1930s and the station was demolished in 1941. From the Dick Palmer collection.

In the 1890s, particularly before railroads were required to burn oil in their locomotives in the Adirondacks during spring, summer and fall, the New York Central & Hudson River RR maintained a firefighting train. Here, it poses at Thendara station, which at the time was called "Fulton Chain." It is the same depot that today serves the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. Note the water pump atop the boiler. The Hotel Van Auken, shown at left, was later moved a short distance to the east, across the road.

DL&W depot, Onativia

Onativia

Snow scene, Philadelphia, N.Y.

Philadelphia

Dryden on Lehigh Valley Auburn Branch

Westbound fast passenger train on New York

Central mainline, Warners, 1907.

Train arrival time at Freeville in the 1890s.

Carthage & Copenhagen Railroad station in Carthage,

early 1900s.

Too much shoving almost landed this coal car into

Lake Ontario, at the Lehigh Valley trestle at

North Fair Haven.

Another view of the Lehigh Valley coal trestle at North

Fair Haven. Dismantled in the late 1930s.

DL&W coal dock in Oswego, early 1900s.

The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western shipped coal from this trestle in Oswego between 1882 and 1935 when it was dismantled and replaced by the new loader (above) which continued in operation until 1963. The photo was taken in 1969.