Long since retired but still proudly wearing his stationmaster's cap, Frank Cargill remained a railroad man at heart. What was different about him was that he was also a railfan. When Gene Gissin purchased the old Cazenovia depot to convert into a photo studio, Frank was right there to assist him "because he knew where everything was." As a result the photo studio is also a railroad museum. Outside is an authentic Lehigh Valley caboose. Photo by Gene Gissin.
Lehigh Valley Railroad Auburn Division
[Anthracite Railroads Historical Society]
Frank spent most of his career working at stations on the Auburn Division of
the Lehigh Valley Railroad shown on this map.
Remembering a Lehigh Valley Station Agent
By Richard F. Palmer
[Photos courtesy of Helen Simonelli unless otherwise credited]
In the early 1960s it became apparent to local railroad enthusiasts that the Canastota branch of the Lehigh Valley was on the 'endangered species' list. The branch was a remnant of a line that originally stretched from Elmira to Camden, a distance of 139.2 miles. In the 1930s what was called the Elmira and Cortland branch was severed between Elmira and East Ithaca and from Canastota to Camden. What remained suffered the ravages of time. It was poorly maintained, and its on-line business had either disappeared or gone to trucks. During its last decades of existence the Lehigh Valley, itself on a downward spiral, closed stations and severely curtailed service. What were considered high taxes also took their toll.
Fortunately, the Lehigh Valley, had a roster of dedicated employees (some on the payroll as long as 50 years) who were devoted to their jobs and did their best to keep the railroad alive. One of these people was Frank G. Cargill, the long-remembered station agent at Cazenovia, a genial man who loved and lived railroading to the fullest. With more than 40 years of experience he always welcomed visitors at the station during his working days. Although quiet and unassuming, he could recite the history of the railroad chapter and verse. He had a cheerful and pleasant personality.
Frank always enjoyed having children around. Standing on the baggage wagon are his daughter and son, Helen and Richard, along with several other Cazenovia children.
Frank was first and foremost a family man, a devoted husband and father. But railroading was in his blood which also had a definite influence on his family. His daughter, Helen Simonelli of Camillus, recalled that while growing up in Cazenovia in the 1950s, she and her brother, Richard, were allowed to ride the mixed train that operated between Cortland and Canastota. Aware of the fact that passenger service would soon end on the Lehigh Valley, Frank decided to treat his wife and two children to a ride on the night train, the "Maple Leaf." They boarded the train at Geneva on Feb. 27, 1957 and spent the night in a Pullman drawing room bound for Philadelphia. On several occasions in later years Frank and his wife, Alice, traveled to Florida on the Auto Train.
The following story is based on Frank's own writings, documents he preserved now in the possession of his daughter, Helen Simonelli of Camillus, and research done by the author using various sources including newspaper articles, local histories and Lehigh Valley Railroad documents. Information was also provided by Gene Gissin of Cazenovia, and Raymond Shaver of the Newark Valley Historical Society
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The Early Years
Of pioneer stock, the Cargill family is deeply rooted in the history of Tioga County, New York. William Cargill was born in Tyringham, Mass. on July 13, 1831, the second son of Heman and Olive (Sears) Cargill. He came to Tioga county with his brother, John, in 1852, and settled in Berkshire, where they manufactured hand-rakes, a business they continued until 1856. They then moved to what was known as the Randall farm in the town of Newark Valley.
Through the years William Cargill, in partnership with others, was a wagon maker, furniture manufacturer and undertaker. He married Adaline A. Graves of Southboro, Mass., on August 16, 1853 and they had seven children, one of whom was Frank H. Cargill. William died May 15, 1918.
Frank H. was born in Newark Valley on December 14, 1862. After attending Newark Valley schools he moved to Rochester where he was employed by the Graves Elevator Company. He returned to Newark Valley about 1889 and entered the dry goods business with his partner, Oscar S. Randall. He married Adelaide M. Roberts, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James R. Roberts of Smithboro. Mr. Cargill subsequently operated a general store on Water Street. After several years he sold out and became a traveling salesman for the Cargill-Cleveland Whip Company of Westfield, Mass.
About 1908 he opened a hardware store in Newark Valley, and ended his working career as a salesman for the Spencer Glove Co. of Waverly. He retired in 1935 and died February 15, 1941. The following interesting item appeared in the Tioga County Herald of Newark Valley on September 20, 1935:
Salesman Takes the Road Again
Frank H. Cargill, who underwent a major operation at the Packer hospital in June and has been recovered at his home since, will on Monday next resume his duties as traveling salesman for Smith & Son, glove manufacturers of Galeton, Pa., with which concern he has been connected for some years, covering eastern and central New York. He will, however, now only sell central New York and the eastern part of the state will be traveled by his son, Frank G. Cargill.
Frank junior, who was a student operator at the Lehigh station here and served as station agent at various points, has been successively deposed by men with more years of service, in the constant closing of smaller stations until there appears to be no further prospects in that line and he will start the life of a traveling man next week.
The Cargill's had seven children, the youngest of whom was Frank G., the subject of this work. He was born March 19, 1905. He had two sisters and four brothers. The Cargill home was on Maple Avenue on the west side of the village a short distance from the Lehigh Valley Railroad which dissected the village.
Always Loved Trains
Frank was the only one of his family who developed an interest in railroads at the tender age of four or five. He was "bitten" by the railroad "bug" after being given some miniature trains as Christmas gifts. His first train was a cast iron locomotive and two coaches. Initially, he had no tracks. They came later. He recalled, "I remember lying on the kitchen floor rolling those cars back and forth. It was covered with linoleum, making smooth rolling."
Two doors down from Frank lived his chum, Jack Joslin. "He had one of the most elaborate train and track sets I ever saw for those days. We spent hours on his porch putting track together and running the trains - wind-up type."
Newark Valley depot - where Frank started his railroad career.
Richard Palmer collection
Frank said, "Living on Maple Avenue and going to school on the other side of town meant crossing the tracks and occasionally it would take quite some time to get home. Mom knew where to look for me - at the railroad tracks." When he graduated from high school, he knew he was faced with choosing a working career. During summer vacations he had worked at a greenhouse. Now the owner, William Stimming, wanted him to stay full time. His uncle, Dr. Hiram Knapp, president of the First National Bank, "wanted to make a banker of me."
Frank grew up in this house on Maple Avenue in Newark Valley
But Frank had other ideas. He wanted to be a railroad man. In those days the best way to get on the railroad payroll was through a relative or an acquaintance who had considerable railroad seniority. While growing up, he had spent much of his leisure time at the railroad depot in Newark Valley and had made the acquaintance of agent Joseph D. Joslin, who had launched the railroad careers of other young men. Joslin found that Frank was quick to grasp the operational aspects of railroading and hired him as a station helper for $50 a month.
At this time so-called "Lehigh and New York" branch of the Lehigh Valley running from Sayre, Pa. to North Fair Haven, was a very busy railroad. There was so much business in Newark Valley alone in those days the station was open 14 hours a day, with a first and second "trick" or shift. Frank remained there for about five years before going out on his own.
Joseph D. Joslin - Frank's mentor
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| Richard Palmer collection |
Newark Valley was a lively place in those days with two farm machinery dealers, the Cheesebro Whitman ladder factory, Borden milk plant, a glove factory, lumber and coal yards and three feed mills. A timetable dated Sept. 28, 1924 lists the passenger trains that served Newark Valley. To clarify the directions, all trains leaving Sayre were westbound and all those arriving there were eastbound on the timetable.:
Westbound
No. 281 8:24 A.M. Daily Sayre to North Fair Haven
No. 283 5:13 P.M. Daily Sayre to Auburn
No. 291 8:49 A.M. Sunday Sayre to Auburn
No. 293 5:13 P.M. Sunday Sayre to North Fair Haven
Eastbound
No. 282 10:38 A.M. Daily Auburn to Sayre (Milk train)
No. 286 12:16 P.M Daily North Fair Haven to Sayre
No. 284 7:32 P.M. Daily North Fair Haven to Sayre
No. 286 12:16 P.M. Sunday North Fair Haven to Sayre
No. 292 7:03 P.M. Sunday Auburn to Sayre
Train No. 284, the last eastbound, left Newark Valley, carrying the express to New York City. Frank said "sometimes there would be as many as 100 cases of eggs, 30 dozen per case, and 20 to 30 calf carcasses to load."
A 'Railroad Town'
From the day its rails reached the village on August 6, 1869, the Southern Central Railroad did much to stimulate the early growth and brought prosperity to the village of Newark Valley as well as the other communities through which it passed, stretching 116 miles from Sayre, Pa. to North Fair Haven, N.Y. on Lake Ontario. Many local businesses depended on rail service.
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| Richard Palmer collection |
In earlier days the Dimmick House, across the tracks from the depot, catered to railroad travelers.
When Frank was a boy Newark Valley was a very prosperous agriculture-oriented community. It had four large general stores, a shoe store, two millinery shops, two clothing stores and two farm implement stores.
The primary hotel was the Dimmick House which was built in 1871 as a result of the coming of the railroad. It was located on the west side of the tracks opposite the depot. One patron of the Dimmick House in 1875 noted the passing of 60-car coal trains every hour on the hour headed north. The original hotel, along with the nearby Ward Hotel, and the depot, went up in flames on October 16, 1879. Arson was suspected. At the time there was about 16 tons of coal in the cellar of the Dimmick hotel which smoldered for months before finally being extinguished.
The hotel and depot were subsequently rebuilt. The new Dimmick House had 26 rooms and was operated by the affable Hiram Young and Ossian Dimmick. It was a popular hotel during the 19th and early 20 centuries, particularly among traveling salesmen, commonly called "drummers." In the early days trains would stop here to allow passengers to partake of meals before continuing on their journeys as dining cars were never operated on this line. One "drummer" composed these lines:
"Trains running north. Trains running south. You'll see little Dimmick run out of the house. He runs round the trains like a cat after a mouse, asking kind strangers to call at his house." In later years it became a rooming house and apartments and was razed during the fall of 1963.
Chores at the Depot
Frank really wanted to be a railroad man and was more than willing to learn the business from the ground up by doing seemingly mundane chores around the depot. He said:
"One of my first jobs was to get acquainted with a push broom and try it out on the office and waiting room floor. The floors were made of narrow tongue and groove boards which apparently had shrunk, leaving many cracks, thus very hard to clean.
"There were two pot belly stoves in the station, one in the office and one in the waiting room. Coal for the stoves was stored in a bin in the freight house. The bin was replenished with coal from the railroad mines in Pennsylvania by spotting the car at the siding at the freight house door. The section men shoveled the coal from the car into the bin. When the bin was full the car was moved to the next station for their supply. Guess who emptied the ashes?
"Outside the station were two large, four-wheel trucks, one for express, and one for baggage and mail. The wheels were equipped with three-inch steel tires to keep them from sinking into the crushed stone platform. Helping load and unload these trucks was another job for me. These trucks are now museum pieces.
"After the departure of the train, the mail had to be taken to the Post Office. This I did on a two-wheel push cart. The first thing I learned on that trip was to balance the load. As there was delivery service for express, I had to handle that in the same way, so back to the station I'd go.
"There were two big headaches in delivering the express - ice cream for 'Dutch' Genung and bread for Terpening's store. The ice cream came in a heavy metal container, packed in ice in large wooden tubs. These metal tubs stood about 30 inches tall and 24 inches across and made of wood about one inch thick, with a heavy canvas cap strapped over the top. Balancing these on a two wheel cart was no easy trick. The bread came in light-weight wooden boxes about the size of a trunk. Only two would fit in the car, but if there were three in the shipment, another trip had to be made.
"I had to keep the water tank full. This monster was located just south of Maple Avenue and water was supplied by a large electric pump in a pit with a shanty over it. In the winter it was heated by coal from the station. This I transported on a three-wheel hand car. It would take two to three hours to fill the tank so I would take that time to collect express bills from the morning deliveries.
"One day I must have done quite a lot of visiting as the tank ran over, spouting out on all sides. It was still spouting when the 5:13 passenger train came in. The engineer saw the shower and closed his windows but the passengers had a surprise."
Across the tracks from and a little north of the station was a small stockyard and pen for loading cattle and unloading horses from the West that were sold by a local dealer in horses. "Loading days were often good for some excitement," Frank said. "I remember one farmer bringing a huge bull with its front feet hobbled, a ring through its nose tied to the rear of a heavy lumber wagon. Passing through Water Street, the bull became frightened and picked up the rear of the wagon up off the road. Then he tried to get away to to the right and left, taking the rear of the wagon with him."
By the time the bull reached the stockyard, he'd ripped the ring out of his nose. It took several farmers to get the beast into the stockyard. But the bull would have no part of this. Frank said: "he took a look around, crossed the yard and leaped over the fence as though it was only two feet high." Frank said the last he saw of the bull he was high-tailing it up Whig Street. Frank recalled that Joslin worked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Raymond Cleveland, the night operator, from 1 to 9 p.m. Later, Cleveland was the station agent in Owego. Joslin had also taught Cleveland telegraphy.
After mastering the required skills Frank received his first official assignment as agent-operator relief job at Fair Haven, Nov. 1 to 6, 1929. His pay rate was 60 1/2 cents an per hour. For Frank it was a long series of short stints at obscure branchline stations. He never knew from one day to the next where he would be. It could be Camden one day and Owego the next.
On May 30-31 and June 21 to September 22, 1930 Frank worked at McConnellsville. The 20.8-mile line that started as the Camden & Northern between Canastota and Camden was abandoned on August 6, 1938.
John Taibi collection
Other Stations Where Frank Cargill Worked
Auburn station in 1910
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Herbert Trice collection |
Original Southern Central station, Washington Street, Auburn.
Wycoff's or Owasco Lake station  |
| Bruce Tracy collection |
Moravia
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| Richard Palmer collection |
Fair Haven
Coal train at North Fair Haven, 1874. Andrew Hines, engineer; William McFadden, brakeman; Syrus Bloodgood, yardmaster; Silas Bay, operator of lumber dock and planing mill.
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Herbert Trice collection |
Sterling Town Historian
The first week of November, 1929 found Frank filling in as operator at remote Fair Haven. This was the northern most point on the Lehigh Valley Railroad. It was abandoned from the village of Fair Haven to North Fair Haven in 1937; and Cato to Fair Haven in 1953.
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| Herbert Trice collection |
The home of George I. Post served as the original station, telegraph and U.S. Customs office at North Fair Haven. Post had been president of the Southern Central Railroad that originally built the railroad from Sayre, Pa. to Fair Haven.
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| Herbert Trice collection |
Oswego Palladium Times
March 25, 1937
Lehigh Company To Raze Trestle
Famous Old Structure Has Lost Its Value
Work has been commenced by the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company to raze the coal trestle at North Fair Haven. This trestle was built by the company, which was formerly called the Southern Central Railroad, which extends from North Fair Haven to Sayre, Pa. It is 120 miles in length.It was largely a coal road. As early as 1852 an effort was made by an organization named the Lake Ontario Auburn and New York Railroad Company, with a capital of $1,500,000. The route was surveyed on the Murdock Line, its southern terminus being Pugley’s station and Fair Haven northern. So many of the subscribers defaulted that the entire enterprise collapsed.
The effort was renewed in 1858 and work was begun on the line from Weedsport to the lake. Operations were suspended by the war of the rebellion and notrenewed until 1865, when a reorganization of the company was effected. Several towns on the line learned the necessary amount of bonds and the completion of the road was effected and trains began to run in 1869. For the year ending December 1,1897, 240,000 tons of coal were transported over it besides the passenger and freight traffic was large. The railroad company, later knowns as the Lehigh Valley Company, built this trestle, having an capacity of 45,000 tons and a pocket capacity of 1,300 tons. They also owned the steam tug E. P. Ross, named after the president of the road.
G.P, Kemp, deputy collector of customs, gave the statistics during the year of 1877, which were received and forwarded as 14,000 bushels of barley, 1,500,000 feet of lumber, 75 tons of fish, 2,000,000 lath, 1.000 cords of cedar posts, 3,000,000 tons of iron ore,65,000 tons of coal.
From April to December 360 vessels were loaded at this port. Several coal companies did business at the trestle. Work was plentiful for a number of years, but has diminished until it is said it does not pay to keep up repairs any longer as fewer boats come her to be loaded.
The Lehigh Valley Company is wrecking eth upper part and it is said the lower part will be sold to another company which will tear it down soon.
Cortland Democrat
August 13, 1937
Southern Central’s Little “Jimmies” Took Vast Quantity Of Coal To Lake
Rails have been removed from the Lehigh Valley’s coal trestle, at North Fair Haven, and the trestle has been sold to Whitman & Robinson of Weedsport, who are tearing it down. They have a small saw mill on the job converting the timbers into saleable lumber.
The trestle was erected by the Southern Central Railroad Company and hundreds of thousand of tons of coal were handled annually, making North Fair Haven a busy lake port. Old residents along the Southern Central recall the coal “jimmies” of the early days of the railroad. The “jimmies” were 6-ton coal cars with four wheels. Coal trains were made up of an immense number of cars, coupled by hand with three links and pins, and braked by hand.
The first project was known as the Lake Ontario Auburn and New York Railroad for which article were filed May 23, 1856, and its life was continued to July 1, 1875, by act of May 10 1869.
Articles of the Southern Central Railroad Company, were filed November 17, 1857, for a length of 116 1/2 miles from Fair Haven to Athens, Pa. The 68 miles from Auburn to Owego was opened in 1871. Trains were running over the southern part of the road earlier. Sounds of cannon fired at the Groton Celebration in 1869 were heard in Cortland.
The Lake Ontario, Auburn & New York Railroad subscribers defaulted and did not take their stock and the Southern Central delayed by the Civil War, finally beat them out.
The Lehigh’s trestle at North Fair Haven had a capacity of 45,000 tons. The deputy collector of customs looked up some old statistics, showing shipment in 1877 of 140,000 bushels of barley, 1,500,000 feet of lumber, 2,000,000 lath, 1,000 cords of cedar posts, 3,000 tons of iron ore, and 65,000 tons of coal. From April to December 360 vessels loaded at the port. In 1897 the trestle handled 240,000 tons of coal.
The long “trains of coal jimmies” disappeared when the railroads began to haul coal in gondolas, and now lake shipments are a thing of the past so far as North Fair Haven is concerned.
Cato Citizen
May 18, 1939
Removal of Landmark Due to Business Depression
The Old R. W. O. and Lehigh Combined station has been sold and moved to Fair Haven
The removal of the old depot at Sterling Station marks another step in the decline of railroads in this country.
The building was sold to S.T. McArthur, of Fair Haven and was moved to that village where it will be used as a warehouse and storage plant.
It was built in 1872, by the Lake Ontario Shore and Southern Central railways, and was used as a combined station by both roads.
The first station agent was Floyd Keeville, who remained there till 1881 and then in February 1903 he returned and was agent til 1912 at the time of his death. Mr. Keeville was also interested in the produce business at the station in connection with Allison Albring.
Later the Lehigh Valley R.R. purchased the stockholders interest in the Southern Central and it was known as the Sayre division. Geo. I. Post who had visions of a great city at the terminal of the road, was interested in its construction. The following was taken from an early history of the road:
“In the yar of 1865, Hon. George I. Post of Auburn, called a public convention to consider the questions of organizing a company to construct the Southern Central Railroad for which he had drawn articles of association. The result of his efforts was the organization of the company and building of the road. Mr. Post served as director and secretary of the company on its organization also served as president and vice-president. HE had the merited honor of driving the last spike on the completion of the road in 1871. In 1876, Mr. Post also took an active part in the organization of a company to construct a railroad from Oswego to Lewiston, 145 miles in length, entitled Lake Ontario Shore Railroad. John and Thomas Hunter of Sterling, in the year of 1871, contracted for grading about seven miles of the Lake Ontario Shore Railroad and at a later date, laid the track on about 70 miles of that road, now part of the Rome and Watertown Railroad. According to the history of Cayuga County, the railroads began operation about the same time."
The towns along the road were heavily bonded to aid in their construction to erect stations. It took many years to pay off these bonds and in some cases were repudiated but eventually had to be paid.
The advent of the roads meant much to the people in those days, as it afforded transportation for them. Before the roads were built horse drawn vehicle were the only means of ingress and egress. Today huge trucking service and automobiles have played an important part in placing the railroads in the red.
The writer can remember when the engines in use used wood for fuel and had “filling stations” scattered along the road.
Some of the old coaches used can be seen in the railroad yards in the cities and they look antiquated compared with the pullmans of today.
It is predicted that not very far in the future the roadbeds of these roads will be used for truck highways and railroad service completely abandoned.
This will be a severe blow to many towns and villages, as it will detract severely from tax revenues.
As old resident told us recently that he could remember when there were about twenty trains each day passing the Sterling station and the services of three men was required to care for the business.
A hotel at the station was conducted for many years by James Byer, well known in Cayuga county.
Passenger service has been abandoned for several years on both roads and tracks torn up from Fair Haven to the lake. An effort is now being made to maintain freight service between Fair Haven and Auburn.
The Lehigh had an extensive coal trade at one time and erected an expensive trestle at North Fair Haven, which was torn down sometime ago.
The Lehigh Valley coal dock at North Fair Haven was abandoned in 1937.
Ira
Herbert Trice collection
The station at Martville, between Cato and Fair Haven, in 1953, the year the line was abandoned. Frank worked here February 3 and 4, 1931.
Sterling Town Historian
Cato
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| Richard Palmer collection |
Cato Citizen
December 7, 1939
The line extending from Canastota to Camden was abandoned on August 7, 1938.
Bruce Tracy collection
McConnellsville depot John Taibi collection
Vienna
Sylvan Beach station. John Taibi collection
Canastota (1909)
Originally the New York Central and Lehigh Valley shared what had b been the West Shore station here until July, 1933. Then the Lehigh Valley moved its ticket office to the freight house. Regular passenger service was discontinued on the Canastota branch in March, 1942.
Lehigh Valley coal trestle at Canastota.
Blakeslee (Perryville)
This depot was built in the 1870s when the railroad was called the Utica, Ithaca & Elmira. It burned November 16, 1920. A bucket brigade was unable to save it. It was replaced by a box car that sufficed as an office until the station was closed in April, 1939. At the time of the fire Robert Bower was station agent.According to the Lehigh Valley Seniority Roster for Telegraphers and Agents dated January, 1939 the agent there at that time was R.A. Poole. J.A. Low was agent there for years, but is last listed as agent there on the January, 1938 Senior Roster.
There was also a station on the Lehigh Valley Railroad called Perryville in Pennsylvania. To avoid confusion they renamed Perryville station Blakeslee after a prominent local family who settled here. At one time there were two wagon shops near the village bridge, a chair factory, two milk stations and a feed store. The railroad at this point also served the Worlock stone quarry.
Bruce Tracy collection
Cazenovia
Frank was remembered for always having a smilee and a positive attitude at Cazenovia station.
Frank remained at the Cazenovia station until March 24, 1955 when he was bumped (by seniority) by Walter G. Brown and again found himself on the extra list For the next nine years he worked the same routine as he had done decades before, substituting at various stations. He finally returned to permanent status at Cazenovia in January, 1964. But by now, the Lehigh Valley was contemplating abandonment of the Canastota branch. For awhile his duties included servicing shippers not only in Cazenovia but Canastota and New Woodstock.
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| Richard Palmer collection |
On April 14, 1949 the first diesel locomotive ran on the Canastota branch, replacing steam.
Mixed train at Cazenovia, early 1950s. Richard Palmer collectionOn a bleak December 30, 1967 the last train left Cazenovia forever. Within a year the tracks were taken up between Cortland and Canastota. Efforts to save the line by a group of investors called the Cortland and Canastota Railroad Company proved futile. What a vast contrast to the 1940s photo below when trains were longer and were pulled by steam locomotives.
Rippleton, a few miles south of Cazenovia, was the junction point where the Lehigh Valley and Chenango branch of the New York Central crossed. John Taibi collection 
Frank was frequently assigned to New Woodstock station. His first assignment here was in 1929. He also worked here for short periods of time in 1938, 1956, 1957, 1964 and 1966 before the station was closed. as one of Frank’s first assignments in 1929. He also worked here for short periods of time in 1938, 1956, 1957, 1964 and 1966 before the station was closed. It is now the museum of the New Woodstock Regional Historical Society.
Richard Palmer collection
Passenger train at New Woodstock Richard Palmer collection
Battling Snow on the Canastota Branch of the Lehigh Valley
(From the Cortland Democrat, Friday, February 28, 1902)
Thomas J. Donnelly, passenger conductor on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, who has been employed at railroad work for 28 years, says that his worst experience in railroading occurred last week, in going from Cortland to Cazenovia.
Mr. Donnelly's train, No. 325, left Cortland Monday evening on time. at New Woodstock the train was only an hour late, but reports indicated that the railroad between New Woodstock and Canastota was in bad shape, and that it was going to be a hard matter to get through to Canastota. Conductor Lynch's train, south bound, which left Canastota at 6 p.m. Monday did not reach New Woodstock until 3 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Conductor Donnelly had 15 passengers to New Woodstock, including six women. One of the women was Miss Marguerite Taylor of Canastota, who was returning from a visit with friends in Cortland. The passengers remained in the cars all Monday night and all day Tuesday and Tuesday night until about 11:30 p.m. They had nothing to eat from Monday night until Tuesday about 1:30, when they were given dinner at the hotel in New Woodstock.
From New Woodstock to Cazenovia is only six miles, yet the train did not get into Cazenovia until nearly 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. The passengers were taken off the train south of Rippleton about 11 p.m. Tuesday night, and given about two miles in omnibuses to Cazenovia, where hey were quartered at the Lincklaen House, at the expense of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company.
The omnibuses had a hard time getting through and one tipped over, dumping the passengers in the drifts. Wednesday afternoon when the Cazenovia branch of the West Shore was opened, the passengers were sent over that road to Syracuse and thence to their homes.Conductor Donnelly and his crew left their train at Cazenovia Wednesday, and went to Canastota by way of Syracuse.
The two engines with a huge snow plow, accompanied by 35 shovelers, started towards Canastota, and were all of the afternoon and evening unto 10 p.m. working their way toward Canastota. Some of the drifts, Mr. Donnelly says are fully 30 feet deep, and in order to get out the snow it was necessary that it be had led three times, the first shoveler throwing it as high as he could reach to a man on a second "bench," who in turn threw it to the top of the bank.
Cazenovia Republican, June 13, 1946
Thompson Retires After 44 Years
As Lehigh Agent
New Woodstock - At the close of business on Saturday of this week, George M. Thompson, New Woodstock agent for the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company for many years, will and a railroad career of about 45 years, most of which has been spent at the New Woodstock station. Mr. Thompson started railroading on April 1, 1900, as an apprentice under Charles B. Hugg, who was then New Woodstock agent for the Lehigh. Shortly afterward Mr. Thompson passed the telegraphy examination and went on the “extra” list, filling various temporary positions on the Elmira-Camden branch.
A little later, he accepted a job as towerman on the Fall Brook Division of the New York Central, where he worked about one and a half years. After a short time in a similar position on the Mohawk Division of the same road, he returned to New Woodstock where he became Lehigh agent in 1902, a position he has continuously occupied since that time. At the same time he purchased the local coal business from Mr. Hugg.
Great changes in the operation of the Elmira-Camden branch hav occurred during Mr. Thompson’s agency. For many years the railroad operated 10 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 100 tickets for a single train. He remembers when as many as 25 New Woodstock G.A.R.veterans traveled to Memorial Day exercises on a “party” ticket.
Before the days of truck competition, the local freights filled the freight house with incoming fret 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 inane 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 dispatcher’s 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 the operation of this railroad, first as the “Elmira, Cortland and Northern” and subsequently as 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, Charles 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 almost become a rarity. Mr. Thompson has also witnessed great changes of 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. These 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 1100’s, 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 2000’s, 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 at his office, however, the chances are that he will be catching up omg his hunting and fishing a field in which he enjoys a considerable reputation. Arrangements are underway for a party in his honor to be given by fellow Lehigh Valley employees. (Written by Walter F. Mann).
Park Station
Elmira Star Gazette, January 19, 1953
From Horseheads to 'The Summit' on First Railroad Train
By James L. Smith
The Erin Historical Society
It was during the Summer of 1874. The long-awaited day had at last arrived. At every crossroad from Horseheads to Erin, happy, holly groups - men, women and children - in joyous anticipation; talking, trying to imagine what the new era which was about to dawn upon their communities might bring forth.
And they were eagerly awaiting the thrill of their lives. The railroad, which was to become the Utica, Ithaca & Elmira, had been completed from Horseheads to "The Summit" and those little groups along the way were to be among the first passengers to ride over this section of the road.
They were not to ride in luxurious coaches or parlor cars (no passenger equipment or rolling stock had yet been acquitted) but they had been invited by the management to ride, as their guests, on the "observation cars" which had been especially equipped for this memorable occasion.
At Horseheads the tender had been loaded with cordwood to be used as fuel for the "Dolly Varden," the same engine which was used to haul the work-trains back and forth in the construction work. The train was made up of flat cars with raised seats of plank running lengthwise of the cars for the ladies and children, while the men-folks were to sit on the edges of the car floors, with feet hanging off.
Because of this arrangement of open cars, it was deemed advisable to employ some sort of spark arrester to prevent sparks and embers from the burning wood, falling on the passengers. For this purpose a wire screen was placed in the smokestack.
The train was considerably late arriving at the way stations in the town of Erin. Somewhere down the like the improvised spark arrester had become clogged, shutting off the draft to the fire-box to such an extent that the fireman was unable to keep sufficient steam to haul the novel train.
Considerable time had been spent trying to overcome the difficulty but to no avail. After a long delay, in desperation, a member of the crew climbed to the top of the engine and with a pole poked the screen down to of the smokestack. The fireman was now able to get up steam and soon the train was again on its merry way.
Some of the Erin folks, who had become anxious during the long wait, again became joyous bands as the "Dolly Varden" hove in sight, exhaust steam whistling, belling ringing, and her smokestack belching forth a cloud of smoke which carried with it many sparks and flying embers.
But such things as a few sparks could not dampen the ardor of those who made made elaborate plans for this ride of all rides. Many of them had never ridden on a train of any sort, and this was to be not only their first train ride, but also a historical occasion never to be forgotten.
Among the passengers boarding that train at Breesport was Elias Wheaton, then a mere boy, who, 64 years later, was to have the distinction of also riding on the last train over that same road, before it was taken up in 1938.
Among the passengers taken on at the first crossing above Erin was Fred Kellogg, now 84 years old and the oldest resident in Erin at the present time, who furnished much of the data for this paper. With him were his mother and little sister Mr. Kellogg tells me that one thing in particular he remembers of that trip is that the little sister was crying nearly all the way because one of those pesky sparks had burned a hole in her new dress.
Although many more holes were burned in the wearing apparel of the other passengers, they somehow managed to avoid a conflagration, and finally arrived at "The Summit" with only a fews or sports where those annoying sparks had raised blisters before they could be brushed off.
Upon arriving at "The Summit" a good old-fashioned basket picnic was in order. Each family brought with them large baskets filled with chicken and other delicacies which went to make up such a feast for the sturdy country folks of those bygone days.
Tablecloths were spread and the bounteous feast prepared on the "green" at about the spot, where, a few years hence, the Beckwith Hotel was built. That hostelry, located at the edge of the dense forest, soon became a famous rendezvous for the sporting fraternity of southern New York and northern Pennsylvania.
Soon after that memorable day of which we have written, "The Summit" became Park Station, so named in honor of Alexander H. Park, a resident of that section, who served the town of Erin as supervisor several terms, the last of which he was chairman of the Chemung County Board of Supervisors. When the post office was established in November, 1874, the government designated the office as Park, although the railroad continued the name Park Station for many years.
A few years after the Park post office was established, an enterprising fellow, Lewis N. Wheeler, organized a mail order concern which did a thriving business for several years. Although a rather unusual location for such a business, besides the proprietor, his wife and daughter, several girls were employed. The concern specialized in the sale of Bibles and other religious books. A short time ago another member of the Erin Historical Society brought me one of those books with the imprint on the title page: "The Elmira Supply and Printing Co., Park, Chemung Co., N.Y.," which again brought to mind the incidents herein recorded.
Faded memory fails to tell us anything of the return over that newly constructed railroad, but the "Dolly Varden" and the little train of flat cars which she hauled, with the crude seats of plank; the falling sparks and the thrill of his first train ride, still linger among the lifelong memories of one who made the historic trip.
Richard Palmer collection
Breesport
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Charles Woolever collection
Elmira Star-Gazette Thursday, February 21, 1952
Old Railroad Car Sits Out Years On Slope Overlooking Breesport
END OF THE LINE. For 60 years or more, this old railroad coach has occupied a spot in a slope outside of Breesport. Its history has been lost with the passing of time.
By JIM MORSE It's just a shadow of its former self today, but a cloak of mystery engulfs a dilapidated old railroad car parked beside sloping Jenkins Hill Road which overlooks Breesport. The car, which bears no makings of any kind, has benign Breesport so long that the natives just take it for granted. They appear surprised that anyone should be interested in its background. And they are stumped when asked about the car's history. Now neglected, and left to decay, it appears that the only thing the car has retained is its story. Information of all types, from folklore to the condition of Mrs. Smith's sick child, usually can be found in a general store, one of the few remaining trademarks of rural America. But the employees of such a store in Breesport this week were unable to provide any information about the old railroad car, which is resting only a few hundred yards up the road. They referred inquisitive tourists to Art Struble. "He owned the car once and may have been gthe man who dragged it here in the first place," they said. Mr. Struble, a lifelong resident of Breesport, was also in the dark as to the car's origin. "It's been around the village for at least 60 years," he said. "I know it was here when I was a kid. But where it came from, I don't know." Mr. Struble said that the ownership of the car has changed hands several times over the years. "A family lived in it at one time," he said. "Then another family used it as a kitchen in the backyard, and I used it as a kitchen, too. I think I know as much about the car as anyone in town," he continued. "And I don't know very much about it. Don't think you can find out anything more. The few people who might have been able to tell you the story are either dead for have moved away." Probably the car came off the old Elmira, Cortland & Northern or the Utica, Ithaca & Elmira which ran through Breesport. The line became the Lehigh Valley in later years and was abandoned about 20 years ago. So the ancient railroad car rests along the highway, waiting for the conductor of time to punch the final ticket.
Elmira Star Gazette February 24, 1952
(Excerpt from a column called "Morse Code" by Jim Morse) The mystery is voted. The little piece wrote in Thursday's Star Gazette about the old railroad car in Breesport brought the following memorandum from our own Frank Tripp: "Why, Jim, didn't you ask me? That old car up in Breesport is one that Ed Tripp toted over the Utica, Ithaca & Elmira Railroad back in the 180s; was going when I was born up there. "Joe Rodbourn owned almost everything around Breesport then; was taking out the lumber. What became the Elmira, Cortland & Northern, finally a branch of gthe Lehigh Valley, started as a lumber road. My father was one of the first two engineers. The other was Jonas Miller. The two men for whom I was named surveyed the road, as boy chairmen under Mordecai Rickey, whose descendants live in Horseheads. "Two of these cars found a place as curios on the grounds of the Rodbourn mansion, we called it, right in the center of Breesport, about opposite the Masonic Temple. They were there many yeas, while the old house became the village tavern; at one time a favorite rendezvous for Elmirans seeking fine food and hospitality, back when Bigler Brink, Stiff Davis and a few others at different times ran it. "The well in its yard was that from which came the once famous Breesport water and soda beverages, exploited by Billy Lormore. The spot where you wok, my boy, was where the Breesport Water office stood, in a little house that once was the office of Dr. Purdy. When it was torn down in 1907, The Star-Gazette had to provide a place for Breesport Water in the new building. For a number of years, what's now the advertising department was full of pop bottles and crates; and Billy Lormore's desk was right where the telephone switchboard stands. If I had a place to put it, I'd buy that old railroad car."
Elmira Star Gazette March 7, 1952 (Excerpt from a column called "Morse Code" by Jim Morse) Among the most informative of the letters received this week was this offering by James L. Smith, the veteran postmaster at Erin: "Mr. Joseph Winters, now retired for many years and residing in Corning, was an engineer on the old Utica, Ithaca & Elmira Railroad, which became the Elmira, Cortland & Northern, and later still the Elmira and Cortland branch of the Lehigh Valley. Mr. Winters relates the depot at Breesport burned and he drew that old passenger coach from Canastota to Breesport where it served as a depot while the new depot was under construction. When the new depot was completed, Mr. Joseph Rodbourn, who was at the time vice president and general manager of the Utica, Ithaca & Elmira Railroad, moved the old car to his spacious grounds in the village of Breesport. I well remember when that car was kept in first-class repair and condition, and was used as a reading room and sort of a summer house by the Rodbourn household. "Fifty years ago, when I was going to school in Breesport, there were three more of those old cars standing on the railroad right-of-way in the eastern end of the village."
Horseheads
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Elmira  |
Herbert Trice collection
Dryden |
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Visitors to the Dryden Fair in 1897
Richard Palmer collection |
North Harford
Bruce Tracy collection
Harford Mills |
Charles Wollever collection |
Berkshire
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| Richard Palmer collection |
Richford
Richard Palmer collection Flemingville
Bruce Tracy collection Owego
Frank worked at the busy station at Owego on several occasions early in his career.
Richard Palmer collection
Smithboro
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Bruce Tracy collection |
Half Acre
Herbert Trice collection
Union Springs
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| Richard Palmer collection |
Oakwood
Bruce Tracy collection
Union Springs
Aurora
Bruce Tracy collection
Atwaters
Bill Hecht collection
Ludlowville
Eugene Endres collection
Waterloo
Richard Palmer collection
Geneva
Richard Palmer collection
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
Richard Palmer collection
____
Frank worked at this station in 1939 and 1940
Being a roustabout seemingly did not deter Frank, even though it would be a slow climb for him up the seniority roster. Some of the old timer station agents had been around for more than 40 years by that time and there was little opportunity to get a permanent position as an agent or operator - even in his home town.
Joslin himself had been on the railroad since June 1, 1884, and Cleveland, since June 18, 1914. Number one on the seniority roster for telegraphers and agents was Willis P. Besemer, the agent at Besemer's near Ithaca. He had been on the railroad since April 6, 1876 when the Utica, Ithaca & Elmira Railroad was extended from East Ithaca to Elmira. Many others also had between 30 to 50 years of seniority, with very little turnover. He even built the station called Bessemer’s.
As lines were abandoned and stations closed in the 1930s, the seniority roster started to dwindle through attrition and retirements. Those with the most seniority bid on, and normally got the remaining jobs. The Lehigh Valley was already on a slow but steady downhill slide.
The Depression worsened and the Lehigh Valley focused on abandoning unprofitable lines as business shrunk. As early as 1926 the Lehigh Valley had replaced several branchline steam powered passenger trains with gas electric cars. But patronage continued to decline due to the automobile. First trackage to go was two and a half miles of the E&C branch between Van Etten and Spencer in 1932.
Then, 23 miles of the Elmira and Cortland Branch between Spencer and East Ithaca went in 1935. Three years later another 20 mile stretch between Canastota and Camden was abandoned, along with 19 miles from Horseheads to Van Etten. This eliminated stations at Breeseport, Erin, Park Station, Swartwood, West Candor, Snyder. Wilseyville, White Church, Brooktondale, Besemer's, South Bay, Sylvan Beach, Vienna McConnellsville and Camden. Frank had worked at many of these stations between 1929 and when these lines were abandoned.
Until he joined the U.S. Navy in September 1942 Frank continued to work briefly at the majority of the stations that remained open on the Elmira and Cortland, L.& N.Y., and Auburn and Ithaca branches. His personal telegraph sign was "NF." Stations continued to close and telephones eventually replaced the telegraph as the primary means of communication. As time went on, movements on these branch lines were governed by written train orders.
Joslin Tours
For more than three decades Newark Valley was the headquarters of one of the leading tourism organizations in the United States. Joseph D. Joslin, the station agent at Newark Valley, organized and conducted tours throughout the world in conjunction with the Lehigh Valley. These tours generated substantial revenue for the railroad. In 1895, Joslin and his wife, Lena, organized the Joslin Tourist Bureau.
Over the next 35 years they crossed the continent 38 times. These trips usually involved several different railroads as well as steamship lines. Joslin organized and conducted tours to Alaska, Mexico, Central America, Cuba, the West Indies, and through the Panama Canal to California; to Great Britain and throughout Europe. They operated both summer and winter. Over the years the Joslins themselves logged more than 275,000 miles, or the equal of more than 18 times around the world. This was a very successful business enterprise and was the equivalent of a modern day travel agency.
In July, 1928 Joslin hired Frank as an escort on a grand rail tour from New York that included the west coast and Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park. Frank said, "This trip was quite an experience for me, never having been in a Pullman sleeper, nor eaten in a dining car nor stayed in a hotel (always the best). It was my job to handle the tickets, check the bus tours, count noses and baggage, and pay the bills."
On the return the tour group boarded a steamship at Port Arthur for a four-day cruise on the Great Lakes. This trip was repeated the following year, the only diversion being an overnight trip by steamer from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
Joslin discontinued this business in the mid 1930s due to the Depression, failing health and his impending retirement. But since the tours were so popular and profitable the railroad decided to continue them. In 1936 the passenger department of the Lehigh Valley called and asked Frank if he would be interested in escorting their Scenic America Tours own. On April 29, 1936, Frank sent in an application and was accepted.
He said, "I was instructed to report to Mr. Gaffner, General Eastern Passenger Agent at 500 Fifth Ave., New York City on July 3. My salary was to be $175 a month including all expenses. It was necessary to have my pass validated for use on the 'Black Diamond' between New York and Buffalo. Just before my arrival in New York a young man came strolling through the car and, stopping at my seat, remarked, 'you must be Frank Cargill.' I admitted that I was, so he proceeded to instruct me where I would be staying in New York City and how to get to the office. When we arrived in New York I asked him how he knew me. He replied, 'because you have 'country' written all over your face.'"
The Tioga County Herald of July 3, 1936 reported:
Appointed Lehigh Tour Conductor
Frank G. Cargill of this place was notified last week by the passenger department of the Lehigh Valley R.R. that he had received an appointment as a tour conductor for the railroad company and he was ordered to report for duty at New York today.
Mr. Cargill, who has been for some time acting as a substitute telegrapher-operator and station agent, several years ago conducted in part three western tours for J.D. Joslin, the well known tour organizer, at times when Mr. Joslin was with a tour in Europe or was otherwise engaged, and he made a fine success of this work.
Of late the Lehigh has been organizing numerous tours of its own and Mr. Cargill's record and experience counted heavily among his qualifications among the applicants for positions as tour conductors. When he went to New York he did not know what tour he was to conduct, but expected it would be a tour to the Pacific coast and the national parks.
In 1936 and 1937 Frank conducted two trips a year during July and August. "My job was to look after all of the tickets, baggage, hotels, sightseeing buses and pay most of the bills. Some summers I would make as many as our trips across country."
My experience as a tour escort started in 1928 for a private Tour Agency - The Joslin Tours - located in Newark Valley, N.Y., my home town. In 1936 the Passenger Dept. of the L.V.R.R. in New York City called me and asked if I would be interested in escorting their Scenic America Tours.
I signed up and worked summers until 1941 when all tours were cancelled because of the war.
My job was to look after all of the tickets, baggage, hotels, sightseeing busses and pay most of the bills. Some summers I would make as many as four trips across country.
An incident occurred in 1939 when I was assigned to a 21-day California-Canadian Rocky Tour with 89 people in five standard Pullmans. This was the largest group I had handled. We left New York Aug. 5th at 6:05 p.m. on LV #7, The Maple Leaf. At Buffalo the cars were switched to the Canadian National #17, Intercity Limited, and a diner was added for our exclusive use.
Arriving in Chicago, Dearborn Station, at 8:10 PM passengers and baggage were to transfer to sleepers on the Santa Fe Railroad, but instead our cars were switched over, a. S.F. diner replaced the C.N. diner, and the six cars were attached to S.F. #3, the California Limited.
The Pullman conductor out of New York went through to Chicago, and just before arrival there he asked if I would put in a request for his services for the entire trip. As we had two hours there, I made the request at the Pullman Office and was given the okay. This turned out to be a big help as he took over all of the tickets, railroad and Pullman. I estimated that the tickets, if laid end to end, would extend to over three hundred feet long.
The five Porters stayed with the cars also, and finally made the entire trip. We pulled out of Chicago on time at 10:15 p.m. I was awakened about 5 a.m. apparently by the stillness. We had not moved for some time, so I decided to get up (down as in this case - upper berth). While shaving, a trainman was passing through the car, so I asked about the delay. He stated that we were a few miles west of Ft. Madison, Ia. and that a freight train had piled up ahead of us and all the tracks were blocked. More time elapsed and finally we started back toward Fort Madison where we switched to the Burlington, I believe, as the first large City we passed through on the detour was Keokuk, just south of Fort. Madison.
All went well until about noon when one of the Pullmans began to heat up. Of the five Pulimans, there were four different types of air conditioning - steam activated, brine, freon (I believe) and ice. We were out of ice. What to do? Go visiting! It being our second day together some of the people from
the hot car went from car to car getting acquainted with other members of the party, while others went to the club car.
By late afternoon we were back on the Santa Fe where the train was checked, the sleeper iced and the diner replenished. By now we were eight hours late. Looking over the itinerary I figured we would have to cut out one of the side trips scheduled for the next two days. The Santa Fe traveling passenger agent,
Mr. Sherman, was accompanying our party so I questioned him about the two side trips scheduled. His reply was “Leave it to us.”
From then on things moved fast. Sometime during the night at La Junta, our sleepers and diner
were cut off #3, five more sleepers, a diner and a Club Car with an American Express Tour were added to our cars and we ran as Second Section Train #3.
About a month after returning home after his last trip he was ordered to report to Detroit to work as chief clerk in the Lehigh Valley's passenger department branch office. But this was short lived and he returned home on April 30, 1938.But the trips continued. He named that summer's tours the "Merry-Go Round." He made four identical trips to Denver, Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City and Yellowstone Park. When a tour arrived back in New York on a Sunday night, he would scurry back to the office and organize the next tour which was to leave New York at 11:15 a.m. Monday morning.
Following the 1938 trip one of the passengers wrote a letter to the Lehigh Valley commending Frank on the excellent job he did. She said: "I have never received such consideration and courtesy as that given by Mr. Cargill. He seems almost super human in the fact that he treated each and every person with the same degree of kindness. Were all the other people to write, I'm certain they would confirm my statement. A person of Mr. Cargill's temperament and ability should do much to further your trips."
These tours were a great success and seem to have been the high point of Frank's career, as he enjoyed recalling his fond memories of them. At least they must have been a pleasant distraction from his regular duties as a relief agent-operator at remote rural depots in upstate New York.
One 21-day tour which left New York on Aug. 5, 1939 and carried 89 passengers. This required five Pullman sleepers, a diner and club car which were coupled on to regular trains.
Of this trip Frank recalled:
"We left New York at 6:05 p.m. on LV #7, the Maple Leaf. At Buffalo the cars were switched to Canadian National Train No. 17, the "Intercity Limited" and a diner was added for our exclusive use. We arrived at Dearborn Station in Chicago at 8:10 p.m., passengers and baggage were to transfer to sleepers on the Santa Fe Railroad. But instead our cars were switched over, a Santa Fe diner replacing the Canadian National diner, and the six cars were attached to Santa Fe #3, the "California Limited."
The Pullman conductor out of New York went through to Chicago and just before arrival there he asked if I would put in a request for his services for the entire trip. As we had two hours there, I made the request to the Pullman office and was given the OK. This turned out to be a big help as he took over all the tickets, both railroad and Pullman. I estimated that the tickets, if laid end to end, would extend to over 300 feet long.
“We pulled out of Chicago on time at 10:15 p.m. I was awakened about 5 a.m. apparently by the stillness. We had not moved for some time, so I decided to get up (down, as in the case of the upper berth). While shaving, a trainman was passing through the car, so I asked him about the delay. He stated that we were a few miles west of Fort Madison, Iowa and that a freight train had piled up ahead of us and all the tracks were blocked.
“More time lapsed and finally we started back toward Fort Madison where we were switched to the Burlington, I believe, as the first large city we passed through on the detour was Keokuk. All went well until about noon when one of the Pullmans began to heat up. Of the five Pullmans, there were four different types of air conditioning - steam activated, brine, freon and ice. We were out of ice. What to do? Go visiting! It being our second day together some of the people from the hot car went from car to car getting acquainted with other members of the party, while others went to the club car.
“By late afternoon we were back on the Santa Fe where the train was checked, the sleeper iced and the diner replenished. By now we were eight hours late. Looking over the itinerary I figured we would have to cut out one of the side trips scheduled for the next two days. The Santa Fe traveling passenger agent, Mr. Sherman, was accompanying our party so I questioned him about the two side trips scheduled for the next two days. His reply was "Leave it to us." From then on things moved fast. Sometime during the night at La Junta, our sleepers and diner were cut off #3, five more sleepers, a diner and a club car with an American Express tour was added to our cars and we ran a second section of Train #3.
“Morning found us at Lamy, New Mexico, about on time. Here we were to transfer to buses for one of the side trips to Santa Fe, N.M. and the Indian villages. To save time the baggage was left on the train and the cars deadheaded to Albuquerque where we boarded them that evening for the Grand Canyon.
"Arrival there was scheduled for 8 a.m. the next morning. Again I was awakened early in the morning, this time to find that we were in Williams, the cut-off junction for the side trip to the Canyon, but ahead of schedule. It being nearly a two hour run, I figured our arrival at the Canyon at about 6:45 a.m. so I started calling the people at 6 a.m. for the sun rise over the Grand Canyon. There was much groaning but all were ready to detrain as we pulled up in front of the El Tovar Hotel and Mother Nature really put on her show for us.
“The passenger agent knew what he was talking about when he again said ‘Leave it to us." After being eight hours late, we arrived at the Grand Canyon ahead of time. Where the hours went I do no know, except that we ran as a passenger-extra from Albuquerque to the Grand Canyon. A delightful day was spent there with headquarters and meals at the hotel. At 8:20 p.m. we boarded our cars for San Bernardino, arriving there at 10:10 a.m. the next morning. Before detraining we had breakfast, our last Santa Fe meal.”
On some of his trips Frank wrote extensive accounts of his experiences that were published in his home town newspaper, the Tioga County Herald.
Frank's time books show that he continued to "fill in" at many stations on the Lehigh Valley's ever-shrinking at stations along the Auburn division. The January, 1942 seniority rosters shows him on the "extra list" at Newark Valley, with a pencil line through it with the notation "Resigned."
The Lehigh Valley operated the last of its Scenic America Tours in July and August, 1940 when they were discontinued due to the pending outbreak of World War II. They were never resumed after the war. Frank is show here at Lake Louise during the final trip on August 3, 1940.
From 1939 to prior to entering the U.S. Navy in 1942 Frank briefly operated this service station in Newark Valley while working on the railroad. He then lived at home. He sold it upon entering the Navy.
Joins the Navy
Frank wanted to serve his country during World War II. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at Owego in September, 1942 and reported for active duty in Albany. As a result he lost 12 years of seniority on the railroad. He underwent training at the Naval Training Center in Newport, R.I. and was then assigned to Sampson Naval Base near Geneva as a transportation specialist. His daughter, Helen, said, "The only story I remember about the service was that my father was 37 when he entered the Navy - much older than most of the new recruits. He got a chuckle out of how they tried to help him through basic training because he was so 'old.'"
It was at Sampson Naval Station that Petty Officer 2nd Class Frank Cargill met his future bride, Alice Kahle. He recalled his office had the only coffee percolator in the building and she came from across the hall several times a day for a cup of coffee. It was almost love at first sight. She was a civilian secretary to Captain W.W. Edel, the base chaplain. Alice was from Penn Yan and was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Edgerton. She had previously been married and had a 10-year-old daughter, Carolyne, who, in later life, was Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan.
Alice and Frank in 1966. After the Canastota line was abandoned Frank spent his last two years prior to retirement manning the stations at Ludlowville and East Ithaca. He was finally able to retire on June 16, 1970.
These items about his days at Sampson appeared in his hometown newspaper:
Tioga County Herald:
Newark Valley, Friday, Oct. 16, 1942
Frank Cargill is now in the Disbursing Office, Unit 1, at the Newport Naval Train Station
“Oops, hold everything. Just got a phone a phone call from Frank's mother saying that he has been sent up to Sampson. The story is that after Frank got through with his weeks of tough training, he learned they'd made a slight error - he wasn't scheduled to get all of the commando stuff. Anyway, it's a beaut of a story. The Red Cross got a letter from Frank this week which we haven't space for this week.”
Tioga County Herald
Newark Valley, Friday, Nov. 6, 1942
“Frank Cargill is finally settled up at Sampson and writes to say that his mail is catching up with him and in the lot forwarded from Newport was a package containing an initialed writing folder from "the Maple Avenue Neighbors." It is the envy of the boys around me," writes Frank, and I am proud of it. I would like to impose on you to say 'thank you' to the M.A. neighbors for me. It looks like a huge task to write each one separately as much as I would like to. "They are deserving of it but time will not permit. Don't you wish you lived in a swell neighborhood like that?" (Nope. We'd tell you what they do up on our neighborhood, only it'd make you jealous. Fact is, if and when we go the folks are going to get out the band, to play of all things, "Praise the Lord etc." - Ed.)
“Frank says they are gradually getting settled around there, that very day as they go to work 'something new has been added.' A week ago dedication was held, and Sunday the first church services, in the largest drill hall in the U.S.
"We went to work on our first day here only to find empty offices. They were soon filled and help started coming in. What thrills me is to see this organization grow and how smooth things move along ... When everything is completed this going to be a beautiful place, overlooking the lake .... Norm Lewis was in to see me the other day. He is working some distance from where we live ... I am working in the Transportation department so fee quite at home even though the work is different."
Alice and Frank were married at Royce Memorial Chapel at Sampson on Sept. 25, 1942 with friends and relatives attending. Frank assisted in arranging transportation for thousands of in and outbound sailors who underwent basic training at Sampson. He was honorably discharged on Dec. 17, 1945. For serving his country he was awarded the Victory, American Campaign and Good Conduct Medals. On December 26 returned to the railroad, working for a brief period in the ticket office at the Geneva station.
But his mistake in resigning was he lost 12 years of seniority. His new seniority date was listed as February 12, 1946. His original seniority date was October 25, 1929. On February 3, 1946 Frank was assigned to the station in Groton, where he remained until July 10.
On to Cazenovia
Frank first became acquainted with Cazenovia in 1930 and 1931 when he was sent there as operator/telegrapher. As an attractive village next to a beautiful lake, he felt it would be a fine place to settle down and raise a family. He was finally able to land what he thought would be a permanent assignment at Cazenovia, with the retirement of agent Arthur Mengle Jr.
He received notice at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 8, 1946 that he was to finish his work at Groton and report to Cazenovia the following Monday morning. He enthusiastically looked forward to this move. His wife and two children, Richard and Carolyne, remained in Groton for several weeks until he purchased a home on Ballina Road, two miles south of Cazenovia.
Although Frank thought he could finally settle down, it appears he wasn't too optimistic about the future. He wrote to his wife, "I think about my job and I sort of lose interest. There is a possibility that in years to come the railroad will be abandoned. Of course I might be retired by then. Another thing, everything is expensive here because of the tourist trade." He was right, although the railroad lasted another two decades.
Frank's daughter, Helen, born in December, 1945, fondly recalled growing up in the country with her brother and sister. "We often walked the tracks from Ballina to Rippleton Crossroads, and, counting on Dad to know the train schedule, gingerly crossed the trestle, a challenge for us as youngsters. We also could watch from our backyard as the train brought in the pipe for the pipeline that ran through Cazenovia. Later, after the railroad was abandoned, we walked the tracks and looked for spikes and other train discards." In later years, when he worked at Union Springs, his children enjoyed summer days playing at the beach.
There was a sudden spark of business on the railroad after World War II. Frank recalled a considerable amount of express and "a bit of freight" still being handled by train. Surprisingly, there was still some semblance of passenger service between Cortland and Canastota in the form of a combination baggage and passenger car coupled on the freight train. This was advertised on the timetable as westbound mixed train #325 and eastbound mixed train #324. Helen recalled riding this train once with her brother. Frank sold tickets to adults who, for no other reason, just wanted to take their children for a short train ride from Cazenovia to Canastota and back.
This had originally had been a regular passenger train but was downgraded to "second class" or "mixed" on July 17, 1948, operating daily except Sunday. It was supposed to take two hours and 40 minutes to travel 48 miles, but usually took much longer if cars had to be cut out or coupled on at various points along the way. Its counterparts, #322 and #323, ran daily except Sunday between Cortland and East Ithaca. It was later cut to tri-weekly and was discontinued on April 30, 1950. These runs were listed as "combination passenger and freight service: Trains subject to delay." The combine on the Canastota run finally broke down in 1954 and was sent to the scrap heap. It was replaced by a caboose in 1954 ending the days of the novel mixed train. A similar mixed train, #282-283, between Sayre and Auburn, had been discontinued in 1951.
Mixed train at Cazenovia in the early 1950s.
Since mixed trains had all but disappeared from this part of the country by the early 1950s, it became a pet peeve for railfans from far and wide to flock to Cortland to ride it to Canastota. An interesting account of such a trip appeared in the February, 1953 issue of "Turnout," the newsletter of the Boston Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, written by Langdon Allen:
I was eager to ride over the branch and trace various points of interest. Through the courtesy of Mr. R. A. Erickson, Public Relations Director of the Lehigh Valley, permission was obtained to ride the way freight, train 325, from Cortland to Canastota.
Arriving in Cortland in the late afternoon of a dismal day in May, I proceeded at once to rent a room in the local YMCA and then browsed about the city. Luckily I ran into one of the townsfolk that knew which residents might contribute data about the branch. Among them chanced to be Newton L. "Doc" Hunt of Central Ave. and conductor of the very train I was to take on on the following day. He and his wife were most cordial and we talked of railroads and I was shown numerous interesting items of railroadiana dating back to the eighties.
On rising the next morning, the storm had passed and the sun was most welcome. After downing a hearty breakfast, I headed for the south side of town and the Lehigh Valley station. A ten-minute brisk walk brought me to the yard and soon I spotted "Doc" Hunt checking a cut of cars that was to be on our train. We entered the freight office where I was introduced to A.G. Shapley, the agent. With his guidance, I was taken on a brief trip around the yard where some work equipment and a snow plow were stored. The big Baldwin road switcher, #200, was idling nearby and the activity of the crew showed that they were ready to tie into the train. Indicating the availability of diesel power the 200 operates from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the "west end" of the branch and in the late afternoon and night covers the "east end" from Cortland to Sayre via East Ithaca and return.
At last, all was ready, and with two blasts of the horn we slowly move out of town, carrying a consist of 7 loads, 2 empties and a coach for the crew and any possible passengers. The Brewer-Titchener plant on our right manufactures metal parts for the auto industry. Further down the line, we cross the diamond of the Syracuse branch of the DL&W and swing over to a long tangent. The countryside became rolling and on the gentle slopes herds of well-groomed Holsteins were grazing. Track was in excellent condition, and it seemed hard to realize that this train was replacing four passenger, two local freights and two milk trains which ran daily but 30 years before.
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| Richard Palmer collection |
The only air conditioning provided on this old combine came by prying open the windows.
Needless to say, such schedule cutting called for heavy seniority to hold a regular run. Our crew had over 200 years between them. Conductor Hunt was the veteran with 48 years of service; Tom McNally, the engineer, next with 47 years and fireman H. Ludwig with 42 years, trailing third. McNally's father had been a coachman for the Kennard family, builders of the road in the seventies.
As we passed East Homer and the abandoned station and milk depot, Route 13 paralleled us on the left. A large powdered milk and cheese factory was passed as w crossed the Cuyler-Truxton line, another symbol of the area's dependence on the dairy industry. At Truxton, the engine was cut, and I had the opportunity to see an inscription on the baggage room wall - "J.B. O'Neil, Agent, NY&OM, 8-4-75" - harking back to the days when this was Midland station.
It was nearly 10:30 as we pulled out and headed up through Burke's Cut, passing streams abounding in trout and woodlands that held many deer. We arrived at DeRuyter about 11, where more less-than-carload freight was unloaded. It was here that the New York & Oswego Midland veered to the right over Crumb Hill and wound its way to Norwich. A feed warehouse is now located on the siding that was once the old "main" and one can almost sense a bygone age by looking over the line of the abandoned roadbed. Our train was now 600 tons, an easy match for the diesel with its 1,400 ton rating on this branch.
We climbed steadily to Chittenango Falls State Park, where occasional glimpses through the woods could show the rushing stream and the roaring falls. At the summit of Falls hill, a fine view of Oneida Lake, several mines distance was obtained. We rounded a long curve into Blakeslee, where we paused to allow the brakeman to turn several retainers to protect on the descent into the Mohawk Valley. We clicked through Cottons, long abandoned, about 12:30, and began to twist around curves on the grade, with flanges squealing in protest.
Finally, we entered the outskirts of Canastota, passed the vast plant of the Diemolding Corporation and the Queensboro Dairy depot on the left, and a few minutes later pulled into the yard and stopped before the freight office. It was with a regret that I bade good-bye to the friendly crew who had been my hosts on the run. As I left to seek the local lunch cart, pleasant memories of a branch line trip remained among my souvenirs. _____
One day Frank came to work and found that the depot door to the depot in Cazenovia had been padlocked. Unknown to him, on Dec. 8, 1966 it had been sold to Cazenovia Lumber and Coal Co. The railroad rented office space from the lumber company until the Canastota branch was abandoned. The final blow came when it was announced that rail service on the line would be discontinued after November 24, 1967. It was officially closed down on December 26, 1967.
(Last train)
Efforts by shippers and others to save the line proved futile. Frank had not reached retirement age and spent the rest of his career in charge of the stations at East Ithaca and Ludlowville. His last work day was June 16, 1970. In 1972 it was renovated as the Kennard Community Center. A few years later it was purchased by Gene Gissin who established a photo studio there. Frank acted as a consultant in its restoration. He did the same for the Newark Valley Historical Society when it was restored as a local museum. "Frank had a great memory and knew where everything was supposed to be. Even down to the cupboards and fixtures," said Raymond Shaver of Newark Valley. Frank at one time was an auxiliary policeman in Cazenovia, and for a time was a village policeman. He and his wife were very sociable and participated in many community activities.
In 1954 Frank said he was pleased to learn that Dr. Stanley Groman of Syracuse had established Rail City - the first tourist railroad in the U.S. He donated several railroad artifacts he had collected over the years to Groman who put them on display at his railroad museum near Sandy Creek. The museum lasted only a few years. Frank was also active in local civic affairs.
Locally, Frank was an active member of the United Methodist Church, the Grange, the Pleasant Valley Numismatic Coin Club and the American Association of Retired Persons. He loved plants and gardening. In his later years one of Frank's favorite past-times was riding train excursions whenever possible accompanied by either his wife or a friend. Mrs. Cargill passed away on July 17, 1975 at the age of 62, having retired as a secretary less than a year before.
Frank greatly enjoyed railroading as a hobby. Carrying his movie camera, he frequently went on train trips to various parts of the U.S. and Canada. He joined the Central New York Chapter, National Railway Historical Society in 1966 and enthusiastically participated in its activities. He passed away while attending the N.R.H.S. Convention in Denver, Colorado on July 17, 1982 at the age of 77 - seven years to the day his wife died. His long-time friend, Walter Mann of New Woodstock, had accompanied him. He was survived by his children and five grandchildren.
Frank a way of making friends and was always eager to "talk shop" with fellow railroad enthusiasts. He had also been the Lehigh Valley's good will ambassador for as long as he worked in Cazenovia. Although his working career was “bumpy,” his love for railroading never waned. At the time of his passing he was doing what he enjoyed most - riding trains. His loss was regretted by the many people who knew him and he will long be remembered.
The spirit of railroad lives on at "Depot Hill" in Cazenovia.
Photo by Gene Gissin
Frank is shown on September 6, 1978 aboard the Canadian National's "Super Continental" as it passed through Jasper, Alberta, Canada - just a month shy of 38 years since his last tour group excursion. This time it was aboard former Lehigh Valley business car #353, by then privately owned. He undoubtedly was contemplating the many changes that had occurred since the cross country trips he had chaperoned decades earlier.
Frank also acted as "consultant" when the Newark Valley Historical Society acquired the old railroad station as a museum. His input was invaluable. After all this is where he started his railroad career 50 years before. He remembered every "nook and cranny."
To us railroad buffs who knew him Frank Cargill was a very special person.
