New York Central Coal Dumper, East Syracuse, ca. 1950

Prattsburg Railroad

No. 1 of the Prattsburg Railroad, fondly known as "Old Huldey."

                      By Richard F. Palmer

    One of the many picturesque little short-lines that once connected the small communities of central New York with the outside world was the Prattsburg Railroad, nicknamed the "Kick & Push." Originally known as the Kanona & Prattsburg, this 11.4 mile line existed between 1889 and 1961.

   Like most shortlines, this one had a personality all its own. But it is not within the scope of this article to recount its complete history, which is more than adequately covered in the book "Keuka Lake Memories" by the late William R. Gordon of Rochester.

   The first part of this article deals with the railroad's first steam locomotive, Number 1, which was used from the day it was delivered at Kanona until it finally wore out and was junked in 1939. A machine that can last for 50 years in itself is a record in today's "throw-away" economy.

  Affectionately known as "Old Huldey," this locomotive, of the "4-4-0" wheel arrangement, was built by the Pittsburgh Locomotive Works in January, 1889, as serial number 871. To the more mechanically-minded, this locomotive had 62-inch drive wheels and cylinders of 17-inch bore and 24-inch stroke. "Old Huldey" was a pioneer and was there from the beginning. She powered the work trains that built the railroad, then spent the rest or her days hauling passengers and freight.

   In her waning years, "Old Huldey" became a temperamental old machine and it took a lot of coaxing, along with chewing gum and baling wire, to keep her going far beyond her years. In her last years, she became known as the "Matriarch of Mileage." What follows are excerpts from an interesting article about this old engine, as well as the story of the railroad itself, that appeared in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Sunday Magazine on Nov. 5, 1939:

  Old Huldey, a locomotive on the Prattsburg-Kanona Railroad, has covered no less than a million miles in 50 years, and all on a track 11.44miles long.

Huldey is thought to be one of the oldest engines...possibly the oldest...in the country in point of age and continuous service. Since the line was opened in September, 1889, there has never been a crossing accident. There has been the occasional derailment, but never a wreck. Small wonder the farmers and businessmen who own the railroad are proud of its record!

   The Kanona & Prattsburg Railway Company was organized in 1888 through the efforts of a large group of men, some of whom contributed as much as $3000.

Others donated time and material, and great was the local rejoicing in September, 1889, when sufficient track had been laid to permit the transportation of Steuben County folks as far as the cut a mile south of Prattsburg where they were met by rigs and taken on into Prattsburg to attend the annual fair.

   A month later, 50 years ago this month, the line was completed...

In 1917, beset by financial difficulties the Kanona & Prattsburg Railway Company was sold at foreclosure, but 171 of its loyal friends came to the rescue with the necessary funds and the road was reorganized as the Prattsburg Railway Corporation.

                                              "Old Huldy"

   In 1932 the little railroad achieved momentary fame when it paid the largest dividend to stockholders of any road in the country.

Its equipment includes two engines, the 11.44 miles of track and .76 miles of siding, a station and six warehouses in Prattsburg and the use of the Erie station at the Kanona terminal, and a turntable at Prattsburg.

  Because the upgrade is toward Prattsburg, an approximate 258-foot rise, the engine is backed down and comes home head first....It is not an uncommon sight today to see the train cut in half at the grade and pulled in in sections if the load is over the usual four to six cars.

  It might also be noted that due its many financial trials and tribulations, the Prattsburgh Railroad is said to have had more "receivers" than the local telephone company. Nevertheless, the little railroad served its purpose well. There were only three regular stations on the line, at Kanona, Wheeler and Prattsburg. The flag stations or crossroads were Bean's Station, Stickney's, Dinehart's, Marshall's and Jordan's. Passenger service was discontinued in 1929. The railroad was immortalized in this rhyme written in 1909 by Irv Nichols of Cortland, a traveling salesman, and published in his little book. Rhymes of the Road.

Kanona and Prattsburg

A half a dozen trav'ling men,
On Washington's birthday,
Said good-bye to Kanona, and
For Prattsburg moved away;
The walking was so very bad,
They couldn't stand the strain,
And so they did the next best thing-
They took a Prattsburg train.

It was an interesting sight
To see that faithful crew
Make up the train for Prattsburg,
While the moments swiftly flew.
'Twas due to leave at 3.15,
But here I'd like to state,
When it was ready for a start
"Twas fifty minutes late.

There were box cars and flat cars, too,
And cars of every kind;
The freight cars they were all ahead,
The passenger behind;
The engine made an awful fuss
To draw the train along,
We feared 'twould "bust its biler,"
'Cause it wasn't very strong.

It drew the train quite fast at first,
Displaying lots of power;
We hoped to make that Prattsburg run
In about a half an hour.
But soon it settled to a pace
No faster than a walk;
And once or twice it acted queer,
We feared 'twas going to balk.

Then suddenly 'twould gather strength,
And up the grade would climb;
But when it had to whistle,
It would stop most every time;
For when it to a crossing came,
Where whistle had to blow,
It took its strength for whistling,
So it left no power to go.

That Prattsburg engine surely
Kept us guessing all the time;
And that is why I tho't to try
To write its pranks in rhyme;
It forward went and backward, too,
And acted like a clown;
The once or twice it stopped quite short
And jumped right up and down.

The grinding of those air-brakes
Kept the train in constant quiver;
Cold chills ran up and down our spines,
And caused us each to shiver;
There never was a broncho
Could perform so many feats;
We got so interested, that
We couldn't keep our seats.

Our tickets all were limited,
So 'twas our great desire
To reach our destination
Ere our tickets should expire.
We got quite tired and hungry, too,
Yet we were all alive,
When we arrived at Prattsburg
Fifteen minutes after five.

by Irv Nichols 

                       Views of the Prattsburg Railroad 

                            in the late 1950s

New York, Ontario & Western Train near Roscoe

Arthur P. Yates - The Forgotten Railroad Photographer

                                          By Richard F. Palmer

                            

                                                    Arthur P. Yates

    Most New York Central historians are familiar with the early action views of the Empire State Express and the 20th Century Limited of the 1890s and early 1900s. But don’t forget the man who took these photos that startled the world - Arthur P. Yates.

    Mr. Yates  came from a distinguished family. He was born in Schenectady on June 26, 1841, one of eight children of  Nicholas and Harriet (Hansen) Yates.  His father was in the furniture business. His great-grandfather was an aid-de-camp to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War . His uncle, Joseph C. Yates of Schenectady, was once governor of New York State.

    He began his working career as a draftsman at Schenectady Locomotive Works when he was 19 years old. He soon became chief of the locomotive design department. Two years later, in June, 1861, he was employed in the motive power department of the New York Central. He was made foreman of the wood and tender department, a position he held until that department was moved to Depew, near Buffalo. He then was transferred to Syracuse. Active in public life, he was nominated for mayor of Syracuse in 1878 but was defeated by James J. Belden (coincidentally a railroad contractor). 

    For a time he worked in the New York office. To be more centrally located he soon moved his office and established a photo laboratory in the old West Shore station on North Franklin street in Syracuse. Then he took over the second floor of the  old Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg station at the northwest corner of West Washington and North Franklin streets.

    In 1890 he took up photography and became a member of the Syracuse Camera Club, serving as president for two years.  Eventually his work drew the attention of George H. Daniels, General Passenger Agent of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, who was quick to recognize both Yates’ artistic bent as well as the publicity value of the burgeoning pictorial age.

Yates set up shop upstairs in the former Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg depot at the northwest corner of West Washington and South Franklin streets in Syracuse. 

    Up to that time wood cuts served to illustrate the  captivating wilderness scenery and vacation resorts of the Thousand Islands and Adirondack Mountain regions of New York State. Soon the work of Yates started appearing in the New York Central’s elaborately illustrated publication “Health and Pleasure.” Similar publications soon appeared on other railroads. Many of Yates’ views were made into framable prints and today are collectors’ items. He was widely recognized by art connoisseurs for his composition work. 

    This was at a time the railroad was developing its fast intercity passenger trains and Yates was just the man to photograph them for publicity purposes. Virtually all of the photographic images on New York Central and Lake Shore & Michigan Southern timetables and travel literature were the work of Yates. He developed an extensive portfolio.  He rapidly advanced on the railroad and was constantly on the road on assignments from Daniels. 

    He startled the world by taking a picture of the fledgling Empire State Express while it was traveling at 60 miles per hour.   About that time the bicycle was gaining in popularity, both for recreation and for racing. These larger sporting bicycles made for racing could accommodate six, eight or even 16 riders. They were capable of great speed but also could be dangerous.  Following a natural bent for excitement six employees of E.C. Stearns & Co. approached local New York Central officials about pitting their machine against fast moving trains. Stearns was a highly successful firm that employed 3,500 people and at its height produced 500 bicycles a day. It also had factories in Toronto and Germany.

    Oddly enough the proposal interested normally conservative railroad officials.  On the morning of July 28, 1896,  a section gang went to clear and level the spaced between tracks 2 and 3.  This stretch was not as long as the wheelers would have liked to have it,  but it would have to do.  The machine itself was recently developed and produced by Stearns, called the “Yellow Fellow.” was manufactured  by E.C. Stearns &  Company of Syracuse. The event was to be staged in Solvay to near the Solvay Process works. Here the railroad is as “straight as an arrow” and a four-foot wide strip between the tracks was very suited to race trains.

    The timetables had been consulted and the conditions seemed perfect to race the Empire State Express. A man was stationed with a white flag to signal when eastbound train was in sight. The sextuplet team meanwhile had been practicing on the path and was confident of “holding their own,” if not beating the train for some distance. The flag finally waved and they pushed off to get headway. Every man was bent over his handle bars and the six pairs of legs went up and down with mechanical precision.

                    Yates took this action shot near Syracuse in 1896.

    Down the line Yates set up his camera. In an 1896 interview he said his usual equipment consisted of 4’ by 5,”Poco;   5”  by 7” and 8” by 10” format cameras. In this case he set up his “Poco” camera which was the most useful in taking snapshots when there was s no time to set up a tripod and compose.

    The train with 999 in the lead quickly approached. The crowd applauded as they kept up with the train. Racing a good half mile, they beat it to the designated half mile point by four lengths.  Passengers aboard had been alerted to the novel event and heads were looking out every window.  But the then public relations prone New York Central would have no more of this. It was viewed as a once-only publicity stunt. An official public notice was posted prohibiting the use of the right of way to for racing trains.

 The event was sensational enough for the U.S. Postal Service to apply  Yates’ early depiction of the Empire State Express onto the 2-cent postage stamp.

    Later in 1902  when the Twentieth Century Limited was inaugurated Yates was there to photograph it.  His photos circulated throughout the world and were widely used in magazines and technical publications,  on timetables, calendars, postcards,  stationery,  framed prints, cigar bands and embossed pocket watches.  

Explaining his techniques in an interview in 1896 he said: “ In lenses I have about seven, made by Bausch & Lomb of Rochester.

   

     These lenses range from an 8x10 Ziest down to a 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 Universal, and include several of wide angles. In order to to secure the best results, one must be provided with lenses of different focus. Some of my appliances I invented myself. I found this necessary in order to secure success.”

    He said to produce the best results required a significant investment in high quality camera equipment. “It is only a waste of time and effort to attempt to succeed with inferior apparatus and poor materials.”

To take action photos of fast-moving trains he said he used specially prepared plate negatives “so highly sensitized that in order to produce a good negative they must be developed under very subdued light. I always carry three or four dozen plates along with me, most of my trips being short, only extending over a period of three or four days.”

    On returning to Syracuse he developed his negatives, loaded up again and was soon off on another job. In the early days the railroad provided a car equipped with dark room and accessories. This gave Yates the opportunity too remaining at a desired location long enough to take advantage of available like and other conditions which in the days long before digital photography were essential for taking top grade photographs.  

    Among the disadvantages of landscape photography in particular has always been weather conditions. “I have frequently made several trips to the same place only to be disappointed and delayed by unfavorable weather,” he said. He was asked to what he owned his success. He replied: “Scrupulous attention to the smallest details, and an innate love for the art.”

    One of his most cherished possessions was a gold medal he received for an enlargement of his first picture of a fast-moving train. His large bromide prints became a trademark of the era and were highly prized. (Note: I have one framed). Yates also photographed many celebrities from foreign countries who traveled over the New York  Central when touring America.  He spent more than 50 years on the New York Central. Upon his retirement in 1910 he purchased s 75-acre farm in Cleveland, New York, on the north shore of Oneida Lake.  He named his farm “Grand View.” 

     Mr. Yates died May 16, 1924 at the home of his adopted daughter, Mrs. Marie E. Stanton in Syracuse. He was the oldest member of Central City Lodge No. 306, F. and A.M. Following the funeral he was buried in Schenectady. One of Yates’ close acquaintances, noted local historian William M. Beauchamp,  once wrote:

“He devotes his time and energy almost exclusively to photography and has achieved a world-wide reputation in his art, gaining a degree of proficiency which can result only from natural talent, close application and untiring energy.” 

                                    Sources

New York Railroad Men, February, 1896, Vol. IX No. 5, PP 105-110

Locomotive Engineers Monthly Journal, Vol. XXX - No. 12, December 1896

Beauchamp, William M., Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County (S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., New York, 1908), Vol. II PP 290-292

 Syracuse Standard, July 26, 1896

Syracuse Herald and Syracuse Journal  articles, July 25, 1896

Syracuse Journal, May 16, 1924

West Shore Railroad Engine #215