Map of Seneca Falls Branch
Seneca Falls Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad
By Paul J. Shinal
[With added notes by David Hanna and Richard Palmer]
Of the many Lehigh Valley Railroad lines that once traversed the Finger Lakes, the last to be constructed was the branch from Geneva to Seneca Falls. Chartered as a proprietary company of the Lehigh Valley on February 24, 1891, the Seneca County Railway was organized for the stated purpose of constructing and maintaining a railroad between Geneva and Seneca Falls along the south side of the Seneca River.
It is believed its purpose was likely to compete with the lucrative business of the “Auburn Road,” a branch of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, operating since 1841 on the north side of the Seneca River. At the time of its charter the Lehigh Valley was completing its new freight bypass mainline along the east side of Seneca Lake.
In 1892, a connection was made with the original mainline crossing Seneca County out of Ithaca to the new bypass line at a place named, “Geneva Junction.” The junction was located at the northeast end of Seneca Lake at the same place where the Seneca River enters the lake. Also occurring at the same time, the Lehigh was finishing its mainline westward between Geneva and Buffalo.
The new Seneca County Railway was to begin with a connection to the Lehigh Valley’s original line from Ithaca, near Geneva Junction. Construction began in February 1896.
On October 24, 1897 the first Lehigh Valley passenger train arrived in Waterloo.
( Seneca Museum of Waterways & Industry collection)
The first train entered Waterloo on September 18, 1897 and passenger service between Geneva and Waterloo was inaugurated on Sunday, October 24, 1897. Trains departed Geneva using Lehigh Valley’s new (1893) Torrey Park station off North Genesee Street, while in Waterloo an existing building at the Fayette Street crossing was obtained for use as its passenger depot. In early 1898, the line was completed to Seneca Falls with its terminus at Ovid Street, where a combination passenger and freight depot was built. Upon reaching Seneca Falls, passenger trains made returns to Geneva with little delay. When completed, the line consisted of 8.2 miles of single track. The track was standard gauge and used 76-pound rail, except for a mile built using 80-pound steel rail.
Train at the Washington Street crossing in Waterloo on a cold and snow winter day about 1900.
(Seneca Museum of Waterways & Industry collection)
Lehigh Valley Union Hall was not actually a building for the railroad unions, but rather an 1840s "Union Hall" built by the craft guilds of the time. Although later bought by the railroad (unsure why) it retained its old name of "Union Hall." The new circa 1900 LV passenger & freight station is on the right, along with the coal trestle.
This building may have served as the original depot in Seneca Falls. It is of 1870s Italianate construction. It was likely built to serve the adjacent Cayuga and Seneca canal at the northwest corner of Bridge and the Lehigh Valley Railroad. This structure may have been purchased by the Lehigh Valley as their first freight house. Here it is redundant as the new freight and passenger station further down the line has been built. In this 1910 photo it is probably serving as a crew and supplies house for the LV. Note that the wooden appendage upstairs has been removed. (Canal Society of New York State collection)
Track laying train in Waterloo in 1897. Photo courtesy of Seneca Museum of Waterways & Industry Collection.
Circa 1900 eastward view of the Waterloo station, shortly after it opened. In the distance a freight siding can be seen. Photo courtesy of Seneca Museum of Waterways & Industry Collection.
Waterloo station in 1966, shortly before being abandoned & later demolished. Note the roof had been modified over the years. Photo by Richard Palmer.
Initially, passenger service provided several daily round trips (excluding Sundays), but by January 12, 1902, this had been reduced to two. Passenger patronage was weak because the line could not easily compete with both local trolley service and passenger trains operating on the competing New York Central. By May 1902, there was only one round trip daily, except on Sunday, from Geneva to Seneca Falls. During February through April 1903, passenger service on the branch was suspended and the United States Express Company closed its office in Seneca Falls, but service was restored and the express company re-opened on May 1.
The Seneca County Railway was merged with the Lehigh Valley Railroad on August 3, 1903, and the line became known as the Seneca Falls Branch. On July 1, 1914, the United States Express Company closed its offices on the branch in both Waterloo and Seneca Falls. Average daily passenger revenue in July 1914 was only $.20 and $.42 in August, while the average cost of the service was $5.07. In September, 1914 the Lehigh Valley applied to the New York State Public Service Commission to discontinue all passenger service on the Seneca Falls branch. Its application was granted.
Unlike its passenger experience, freight volume on the Seneca Falls Branch fared much better. A team track and stock loading pens were used by customers in Waterloo, with a distillery and a sauerkraut plant becoming regular customers. Business in Seneca Falls was even brighter, where its tracks came very close to the highly industrialized area known as “The Flats.” The tracks ran down Canal Street alongside Seneca Woolen Mills, a lumber/coal yard and a scrap yard. George Townsend, an Interlaken resident interviewed in 1961, noted that in its early days the Lehigh’s station in Seneca Falls loaded more hay for shipment than any other railroad station in the United States. Trumansburg had the distinction of being second in such shipments.
View taken from the Phoenix Mill showing an old circa 1850s coal shed (board and batten wooden building in foreground), the Lehigh Valley coal trestle, the new circa 1900 passenger and freight station built for the Geneva shuttle train.
(Photo courtesy of Canal Society of New York State)
In 1904, the Lehigh Valley contemplated extending the rail line east from its present Ovid Street terminus in Seneca Falls. It planned to build along the south side of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal to a point where it would join the competing Auburn Road track in order to cross the northern end of Cayuga Lake. In Cayuga it would then connect with the Lehigh’s Auburn & Ithaca Branch, which traveled up the east side of Cayuga Lake and at Cayuga turned east to Auburn. The connection of the new extension into Cayuga to the existing branch would become “Cayuga Junction.” When the railroad learned that the State of New York was going to reconstruct the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, it postponed its plan.
By 1913, new plans ensued for the Seneca Falls extension, but this time given the State’s new canal project, the line would run on an elevated roadbed around the southern perimeter of the village. It would entail the construction of five girder bridges that would cross six village streets, including one bridge that would cross both Bridge Street and Ovid Street. The extension began at “Seneca Junction,” diverging from the existing line in the town of Seneca Falls, just east of the intersection of Kingdom Road and West Bayard Street, not far from Sucker Brook.
It then followed the village line south, then east, then northeast until it joined the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad at a point just west of State Route 89 named, “Lehigh Valley Junction.” Here it was granted joint trackage rights for 2.2 miles over the northern end of Cayuga Lake, where it joined the other Lehigh Valley branch at Cayuga Junction.
The original 1.5 miles of dead-ended track from Seneca Junction along the canal to Ovid Street in Seneca Falls became known as the Seneca Falls Spur. Freight traffic began operating over the newly extended branch on July 1, 1914. Trains now ran between Geneva and Auburn via the extension’s new connection with the Auburn & Ithaca Branch at Cayuga Junction.
Over the years trains originated in both Geneva and Auburn. As customer needs evolved, the Lehigh would also revise its operations. During most of its existence, a weekday train would service the branch in both directions, usually with the same locomotive and crew. Freight business continued to keep the line financially sound into the early 1960’s.
Fence between Seneca Falls branch and Cayuga & Seneca Canal, presumably to prevent mules from being alarmed by passing trains.
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As trucks began to erode its revenues, the branch began to suffer and maintenance neglect of its right of way became apparent. In 1958, the Seneca Falls Spur was abandoned and its tracks were removed. In 1962, the Pennsylvania Railroad formerly took over control of the Lehigh Valley. It was not a complete merger, but the Lehigh was no longer an independent entity. Following the mega-merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads in 1968, the Lehigh Valley now had options transporting thru freight between Geneva and Auburn.
For such service it would now use the former competitor’s better maintained Auburn Road tracks, especially for its major customer, Beacon Feeds in Cayuga. This left the branch with a few customers in Waterloo, requiring service only as needed. When such service required eastbound transportation, it sometimes was more feasible to haul the freight over the entire branch, rather than return it from Waterloo to Geneva and then ship it east over the Auburn Road.
Though the Public Service Commission had approved the abandonment of the line between Geneva Junction and Lehigh Valley Junction in 1969, these infrequent locals kept the branch barely alive into the early 1970’s. By 1975, the line saw no trains and was fully abandoned with its rails removed.
Today, from the former site of Geneva Junction alongside NY Route 96A by the Seneca River into Waterloo, the roadbed has become the Cayuga-Seneca Canal Trail. In Seneca Falls from the Bridge Street bridge to Sucker Brook the former railbed is now the Ludovico Sculpture Trail. Aside from these trails, some remnants of the old line still exist. The original Passenger Station at Torrey Park in Geneva still stands and is occupied.
The foundation of the interlocking tower at the former Geneva Junction along NY 96A can be seen alongside the old mainline track, owned and operated now by Finger Lakes Railway. At the same location along NY 96A on the other side of the highway is the original girder bridge over the Seneca River (now part of the trail) once used by both the Ithaca and Seneca Falls branches. In Waterloo two small girder bridges still remain, one easily seen crossing the stream on River Road next to Waterloo’s Waste Management Facility across from Silver Creek Golf Course.
In Seneca Falls the abutments for the many village girder bridges are still evident along West Bayard Street (near Sauder’s Market), East Bayard Street, Ovid Street and Garden Street Extension. Lastly, if you are fortunate enough to be aboard a Finger Lakes Railway excursion train, Lehigh Valley Junction (close to NY 89) can be identified.
Whenever this area is threatened by severe weather, one typically sees the threat locations listed on the Weather Channel is “Lehigh Valley Junction.” Though the railroad and this junction have been gone now for more many years the name, “Lehigh Valley Junction” gets transmitted from satellite into homes and businesses, though very few know it even existed.
Sources:
Hanna, David B., Seneca Falls -Rights, Railroads, Religion, 2009
Trice, Herbert V., The Gangly Country Cousin, DeWitt Historical Society of Tompkins County, 2004
Archer, Robert F., A History of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Howell-North Books, 1977
Marcham, David, Lehigh Valley Memories, DeWitt Historical Society of Tompkins County, 1998
Assistance of Walter Gable, Seneca County Historian
Research notes on Seneca Falls Branch by Richard Palmer (Appended)
Circa 1900 view of Lehigh Valley produce cars on a siding along Canal Street by the Seneca Woolen Mill in Seneca Falls. (Seneca Museum of Waterways & Industry Collection)
This early 1900s view is looking westward from Canal Street in Seneca Falls of the line crossing Bridge St.at the southern entrance to the former Bridge St. bridge, going over both the original canal and the Seneca River. At the bottom left in the distance can be seen the original truss bridge built by the never completed Pennsylvania & Sodus Bay Railroad. The bridge was eventually owned by the village & converted to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Signal cabin on the Auburn Road at Lehigh Valley Junction.
(Richard Palmer collection)
Addendum
Agents in 1910 were H. B. Forest at Waterloo and W. G.Cushing at Seneca Falls - Lehigh Valley List of Offices, Agents, Equipment, Facilities, Etc. No. 4 - Nov. 1, 1910.
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Seneca Falls Branch of Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Seneca County Railway was incorporated February 4, 1891. The line, 8.1 miles in length, Geneva Junction to Seneca Falls, was opened on October 24, 1897. It was acquired by the Lehigh Valley on August 3, 1903. It owned no equipment. In 1910 the station agents were H.B. Forest, Waterloo; and W.G. Cushing, Seneca Falls. Telegraph call letter were: WR for Waterloo and FC for Seneca Falls. It was within the Buffalo division.
Lehigh Valley public timetable of January 12, 1902 shows two daily round trips. Train #602, leave Geneva at 7:25 a.m., arrive Waterloo at 7:40 and Seneca Falls at 7:50 a.m. Train #603 leave Seneca Falls at 8 a.m., Waterloo, 8:10 a.m. and arrive Geneva at 8:25 a.m.; #604, leave Geneva at 7:25 p.m., arrive Waterloo. 7:40 p.m. and Seneca Falls at 7:50 p.m.; #605, leave Seneca Falls at 8 p.m. and Waterloo at 8:10 p.m. and arrive at Geneva at 8:25 p.m.
Elmira Daily Gazette
Oct. 22, 1897
Announcement is made that passenger service will be inaugurated on the new Seneca county railroad between Geneva and Waterloo on Sunday, October 24th. The trains on this division will make close connections with Lehigh trains to and from Buffalo and Rochester to and on the main
line trains south of Geneva. Trains will leave Geneva at 7:20, 5:00 and 2:05 p.m. and 11:05, 8:25 and 7:20 p.m. Trains from Waterloo to Geneva will leave as follows: 7:50. 9:50, 10:39 a.m. and 1:30, 3:15, 6:15 and 8:45 p.m.
Elmira Telegram
October 30, 1897
Lehigh Valley Seneca Falls Branch
It is again announced that the Lehigh Valley will have its road in operation to Seneca Falls within a short time. The people generally and the manufacturers in particular would welcome it but would like to see it in operation. That it will be built there is no reason to doubt, but it has been delayed so long and for apparently trivial reasons, that many are becoming skeptical.
Several routes have been surveyed, none of which for some reason seem to meet the requirements. The rights of way have been purchased, and grade crossings secured as far as Bridge street, Seneca Falls. The proper route for the road is conceded to be through Canal street, but at this point is where difficulty seems to lie.
It is claimed by those who pretend to know that some of the property owners on this street are withholding their consent in the hope of realizing a larger sum than the Lehigh is willing to pay, and that the delay is caused in trying to find a way around this street, and still not fail of its principal object, that of putting itself in direct communication with the large manufacturing concerns.
Geneva Daily Times
Thursday, December 30, 1897
Complete connection of the grading on the Seneca County Railroad will be made from Waterloo to Sucker Brook by tonight, and by Saturday night it is expected that the grading will be finished to Bridge street, when the work of laying the rails will be commenced. Contractor Dolan is constantly hiring more men and teams and is rushing the work along at the greatest possible speed.
It is not at all likely that any more obstacles will be met with, and if such is the case it is said by authority that the road will see its complete by February 15, 1898. The right of way has been secured over the entire route, and no delays are expected.
Geneva Advertiser
Tuesday, May 27, 1902
By the new Lehigh Valley timetable, which went into effect Sunday, passenger service o the Seneca Falls branch has been still further reduced to one train a day each way, leaving Waterloo going east at 7:30 p.m. and west at 7:55 p.m. The trolley road does the business between Geneva and Seneca Falls.
Geneva Advertiser
Feb. 17, 1903
The Lehigh Valley has abandoned all passenger traffic on the Geneva & Seneca Falls branch. It never paid, not even when running one train a day. The electric cars do about all the local business between Geneva, Waterloo and Seneca Falls, because passengers land in the very heart of business.
Clifton Springs Press
Thursday, April 23, 1903
It is said that beginning about the first of May the Lehigh Valley will restore the passenger train service on the Seneca Falls branch, and that the United States Express Co. will re-open their offices in Seneca Falls.
Geneva Daily Times
Saturday, Sept. 5, 1914
Would Discontinue Passenger Service
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P.S.C. to Hold Hearing Here on
Application of Lehigh With
Reference to Seneca Falls Branch
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That the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company is anxious to discontinue the passenger service on the branch road which runs from the city to Auburn is evidenced by an application for permission to discontinue the passenger stations at Waterloo and Seneca Falls filed with the Public Service Commission. When this branch was extended to Auburn, it was believed that at least two passenger trains a day would be run over the road but on account of other means of transportation, about the only passengers are those bound for western Leigh points, and so the local officials believe the road has found the passenger branch of the road an unprofitable one and this accounts for the desire to discontinue.
Mayor Gulvin this morning received from Frank H. Mott, secretary of the Public Service Commission, a communication notifying him that a petition under section 54 of the Railroad Law having been filed with the commission by the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company for consent to the discontinuance of the passenger stations on said railroad in the villages of Waterloo and Seneca Falls, is being proposed by said petition that passing train service on this Seneca Falls branch be discontinued, and the following: "Notice is hereby given that a public hearing on said petition will be held by Commissioner Irvine of the commission at the Common Council Chamber, city hall in the city of Geneva on Friday September 11, 1914 at 10 o'clock in the morning."
As a result of the communication and notice Mayor Gulvin today advertised the public hearing will be held at the common council room at the time specified.
Geneva Daily Times
Friday, Sept. 11, 1914
Train Carries One Passenger
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That is Average on Seneca Falls Branch
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Therefore Lehigh Valley Wishes to
Suspend Passenger Service on
This Line
That only about one passenger a day has been handled during the months of July and August by the Seneca Falls Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, was a fact brought out at a hearing on the application of the road to discontinue passenger service on this branch, which was held this morning by Public Service Commissioner Frank Irvine of Ithaca at the City Hall. It was also shown that the average daily passenger revenue over the line during the month of July was 16.6 cents and during the month of August was 41.7 cents, while the average cost of the service was $5.07.
Because of this daily loss the Lehigh requested the Public Service Commission to relieve it of the necessity of maintaining this service. Commissioner Irvine expressed himself as inclined to grant the request of the road, although he adjourned the hearing for one week upon the request of the village attorneys of Waterloo and Seneca Falls. The adjournment was ordered to enable the two villages to present evidence, if they desire, and upon the understanding that if they desired to present evidence in the matter to notify Commissioner Irvine by Monday and also the counsel for the Lehigh Valley.
In behalf of the railroad, Benjamin F. LaDue of New York, assistant general solicitor, appeared, while the village of Waterloo was represented by its village attorney, J. Willard Huff, and Edward McGhan, a member of the village board of trusted, and Seneca Falls was represented by its village attorney, John S. Gay.
The only witness examined was W.W. Abbott of Auburn, superintendent of the Auburn Division of the Lehigh, who testified at length regarding the reasons why the passenger service on the line should be discontinued and was cross examined by attorneys from Waterloo and Seneca Falls.
In the evidence of Mr. Abbott it was brought out that at present the Lehigh Valley operates one passenger train each way daily over the Seneca Falls Branch. This train leaves Geneva at 4:49 p.m, reaches Waterloo at 5:09 p.m. and Seneca Falls at 5:24 p.m. On the return trip the train leaves Seneca Falls at 5:28 p.m., arrives a Waterloo at 5:35 p.m. and Geneva at 5:54 p.m. This train consists of an engine and a single combination passenger and baggage car. The crew of this train consist of a conductor, engineer, fireman and two brakeman. Besides running to Seneca Falls each day this crew assists with the traffic on the Naples Branch and in switching Geneva yards. Mr. Abbott testified that owing to the maintenance of the Seneca Falls service the crew is frequently required to work overtime to clean up its work in the Geneva yards.
Extensive evidence was introduced to show that ample passenger service between Geneva, Waterloo and Seneca Falls to meet public demands is provided b the New York Central and the Geneva, Seneca Falls and Auburn
trolley road. It was also explained that since July 1st, no express business has been handled over the branch. This was due to the fact that when the American Express Company succeeded to the contract of the United States Express Company on the Lehigh Valley's lines, it closed the United States Express Company's offices in Waterloo and Seneca Falls, and routed all express in and out of these towns by way of the New York Central. The option was expressed that the two towns had not suffered by this change in the express services.
Application to cease the operation of passenger trains on the Seneca Falls branch was made two years go and local business men lodged a strenuous objection then because it would have eliminated the United States Express business office from the village's shipping facilities. That was the sole objection then. The closing of the express office removes that from consideration in the matter now.
In behalf of the railroad a schedule was filed showing the daily passenger receipts of the branch during the months of July and August. The attorneys from Waterloo and Seneca Falls said that they had not been notified of the hearing until Wednesday and had not had an opportunity to prepare a case, if it was desirable to do so in in behalf of their respective communities. They therefore requested that the case be held open to further consider the question. Owing to this request Commissioner Irvine adjourned the hearing, conditionally, until 10 a.m. on Sept. 18th at Geneva. The condition is that if the attorneys from Waterloo and Seneca Falls wish this additional hearing they must notify the commission and the attorney for the commissioner by Monday next.*
*Earlier in 1914 the morning train had been removed.
Geneva Daily Times
Sept. 19, 1914
Stations Discontinued
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Application of the Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company Granted
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Word was received from Albany today announcing that the application of the Lehigh Valley Railroad to discontinue its passenger service on the Seneca Falls branch of the road and close the stations at both Waterloo and Seneca Falls, has been granted by the Public Service Commission.
The application by the company was filed with the Public Service Commission some time ago and a public hearing was held here last week. Attorneys for the villages of Waterloo and Seneca Falls appeared and upon their request an adjournment was taken until yesterday in order to permit them to put in a case against the application if it was decided to do so.
The case was not prepared and accordingly the application of the company was granted. It was shown at the hearing that the trains carried an average of but one passenger and it cost in the neighborhood of $5 to secure a return of about 50 cents in fares.
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Note: Seneca Junction into the village of Seneca Falls, 1.60 miles, was abandoned in 1958. The portion from Geneva Junction to Lehigh Valley Junction, east of Seneca Falls where it connected with the New York Central was abandoned and later removed in the mid 1970’s.
