Unadilla Valley Railway Stories

Oneida Dispatch

Friday, October 21, 1870

   Midland Trip to New Berlin.- Last Friday we took the Midland train at 11:30 for Sidney and New Berlin. The excellent condition of the road at this time is noticeable. The entire line to Sidney is now in the very best order. Important improvements in the way of leveling and ballasting have been made this summer under the direction of the indefatigable officers of the company.

   The passenger coaches being all new and of the most thorough and approved construction it is a pleasure indeed to take a ride over the Midland. Then, too, a run through the Stockbridge, Chenango and Unadilla valleys at this time is made agreeable by the delightful scenery one beholds.

   The inimitable pencil of nature has touched the forest trees, so that they appear in all their gorgeous autumnal beauty. There is an appearance of thrift all along the route that is most gratifying. Broad valleys of great fertility, elegant farm houses, barns overflowing with plenty, growing and prosperous villages speak of the richness of the country, and the enterprise of the inhabitants.

   Lyon Brook Bridge, which has attracted so many visitors the past season, is still an object of increasing interest; and it must continue from year to year to elicit admiration from multitudes  who will gaze up from the chasm below to admire its symmetry and adore the scientific skill that thus swung it, as it wee, in mid air. 

   We noticed that ample facilities are being made at Sidney for the transshipment of coal from the cars of the Albany & Susquehanna - that being a broad gauge road - to the cars of the Midland. Sidney is showing signs of renewed life that important railroad connections and facilities give such a place.

   From Sidney to New Berlin is twenty five miles. The junction of this important branch is at East Guilford, two and one half miles from Sidney.The road runs along close to the Unadilla river, and has a very easy graded. It is well built, having a wide road bed, and being well ballasted.It was opened for travel in June, and the business, both in passenger and freight traffic, has far exceeded the expectations of the most sanguine.  There are two passenger trains each way daily on this branch.

   Our old friend, James McDermott, who was on the main line for some time and is known to many of our readers as a very careful and courteous conductor, runs the trains from Sidney to New Berlin. He has taken to himself a wife, bought a house and lot in New Berlin, and settled down to domestic life. He is very much liked as a conductor, being always in the best humor attentive and obliging. 

   New Berlin is a very pretty village, and though comparatively an old place it has all the thrift, stir and activity of a new town. The Midland has, of course, done much for them, and they feel well paid and fully satisfied with the arrangements of the Company.

   The depot here is the finest, except the brick depots, to be found on the road. Walking up to the Central Hotel, one of the best country hotels to be found, we there meet our good friend, Mr. Daniel Harrington, one of nature’s noblemen, to whom we were under many obligations for courtesies during our stay in the place.

   New Berlin has 14 stores, 4 churches, 1 academy with 150 students, 4 wagon shops, 1 tannery, 1 paper mill, 1 cotton factory, 1 bank, and the usual number of other shops, fine residence and so on that make up a beautiful and prosperous village of a thousand inhabitants.

  Many of our newspaper friends well know that Mr. Harrington makes an excellent quality of print paper. He has a fine mill, capable of making about twenty-five-thousand dollars’ worth of paper annually. The extreme drought of this season, however, has so reduced the streams that he has been unable to run his mill for some time. This may account for an inferior quality of paper that we are now compelled to use. We trust the rains may help friend H at an early day, as we wan some more of his excellent paper.

   In company with Mr. H. we visited the cemetery, on part of which, or upon the addition recently made is a beautiful mount, overlooking the village and the riding Unadilla river.  On this mount a soldiers’ monument is to be erected, in memory of the 47 brave boys from he town of New Berlin who were found worthy to die for their country.

   By the way, we heard a little “horse item” while there that will interest the admirers of “speed.” Mr. J. B.Harvey, proprietor of the Central Hotel is a keen judge of horse flesh and a great admirer of good horses.

   In July he bought the “New Berlin Girl,” a chestnut mare, for $3,000. Last fall the same horse was offered for $250, and sold for $500 in March. Mr. Harvey kept her less than 90 days, during which time she won $3,700 in premiums, taking six out of eight races. In September Mr. Harvey book the “New Berlin Girl” to the Fleetwood races in New York, where she trotted in 2:29, and was a general favorite. After these races Mr. H. sold her to Wm. H. Merritt, of New York, for $13,000. Pretty good speculation.

   Mr. Harvey keeps a fine team - we had the pleasure of riding behind his ponies - he keeps a fine hotel also, and is withal the prince of good fellows. Mr. Fayette Sawdey, the gentlemanly clerk of the Central Hotel, has our thanks for many kindnesses during our visit.

   Stepping into the Midland freight office we learned from Mr. O. P. Field, the agent, that from July 20th, to September 30th, there were shipped from the New Berlin station alone over five hundred and fifty tons of cheese. This speaks well for the dairy interest of this section. The shipment of other merchandise has been very large, while the amount received in July, August and September aggregates 1,031,925 pounds. 

   The Midland has done much for that section of the country, and the farmers and others in the town of New Berlin and vicinity have shown their confidence in its excellent management by investing in its first mortgage and the town bonds to the amount of half a million dollars. Before this road was built the farmers had to pay 40 cents a hundred to get their cheese from New Berlin to Sidney. Now, by special contract, it is sent from New Berlin, by the way of Oneida to New York for 30 cents per hundred.

[From: Railroad Magazine, July, 1942]

A One-Man Fantrip

By Henry P. Eighmey

   Ever since wartime restrictions set the block against fantrips on Class I railroads, I  have been wondering where we hobbyists could find an outlet for our enthusiasm. One solution to my problem was the Unadilla Valley Railway, a standard-gauge pike which carries freight between New Berlin and Bridgewater in upper New York State. Living at Kingston, N. Y., not far from this twenty-mile line, I was naturally curious to learn more about it. Accordingly, I got in touch with E. H. Cook, the Superintendent of Motive Power, and obtained his permission to ride an engine cab.

Old Number 1 wasn't showing her age when this photo was taken of her in the 1940s. It was still used in standby service. . Originally namedd "Pendragon," she was built by Rhode Island Locomotive Works 1895. Cylinders were 16" x 24' with 62-inch driving wheels. It was sold for scrap in December, 1947 and scrapped in Buffalo the following year.

   A two-story frame structure houses the Unadilla’s business office. Behind it are a four-stall engine-house, a freight depot and several smaller buildings, as well as the sidings which make up the yard.   At the engine-house I came across No. 1, an old American type, on a track to the main line. Smoke was rising lazily from her high stack. However, she was not going anywhere at that time. She was just being kept steamed up for use in case of failure of other motive power. In the winter, though, as I  learned later, this little 4-4-0 does active duty in bucking snow.

   Then I saw No. 4, a 2-6-2 type, receiving a complete overhauling; and No. 5, another Prairie type, with steam up, probably ready to haul a train. The fourth stall was empty, as the Unadilla has but three engines. On a siding outside the engine-house stood the company’s only rolling stock - two four-wheeled cabooses, a snowplow, several work cars, and a number of weather-beaten open-end coaches, relics of the passenger service which Unadilla Valley boasted in happier days. I queried an engine wiper in the roundhouse as to the schedule. 

   “We haven't had a time card since we quit hauling passengers ten years back,” he replied. “However, we make two round trips a day, one in early morning, the other in late afternoon.”

   I elected to ride the cab in the later run, and was told to be on hand about four o’clock the next day. When I arrived, No. 5 had been moved out into the yard, ready for the run. George Moore, the fireman, confided that we would start for Bridgewater, the other end of the line, as soon as a New York, Ontario & Western train pulled in with two milk cars.

   Engineer Fred Clark beckoned to me to climb into the cab. We eased out onto the train, coupled on one of the old cabooses, and backed down toward a creamery which adjoins the yard. Here we kicked the caboose into a siding while we picked up several empties. Then we backed down to the NYO&W for the milk cars.

At length we highballed out of New Berlin yard with ten cars and the caboose at our tail. This is about the average size train on the UV. Four years ago, the fireman disclosed, they chalked up a record by running a drag of twenty-one cars; nowadays the total seldom exceeds a dozen.

   Engineer Clark decided we'd have to roll her if we wanted to connect with the usual Lackawanna train at the terminus.  Gathering speed, we passed the last of the sun-bleached passenger cars beside the track and clattered over the switches of the wye which was used for turning locomotives at New Berlin. The freight

cars were now banging along behind the little 2-6-2, and I was bumping up and down in the  fireman’s seat to the sway of the low-wheeled locomotive.

  During the few brief spells when my equilibrium was my own I managed to look out the cab window. Although the right-of-way was somewhat overgrown with weeds,

I noticed that the lightweight rails were in pretty fair shape with occasional evidences of recent tie replacements and even a few new concrete culverts.

   The engineer and fireman vied with each other in giving me statistics of the road. Over ten thousand tons of anthracite and almost a thousand tons of livestock move over the Unadilla in a year’s time, they explained. The line also handles several hundred cars of milk, four hundred loads of cheese from the Kraft-Phenix factory at South Edmeston, and many carloads of miscellaneous commodities. The volume of freight enables the UV to give employment to thirty-five people and pay the New Berlin tax collector close to $1,500 annually.

   Our first stop was at South Edmeston, about five miles out, where three of the Unadilla’s customers are located - a feed and grain dealer, the cheese works and a big chicken farm. The brakemen deftly cut in two cars from the cheese plant, but neglected to set out two loads we had for the same company.

   “We're in too much of a hurry,” Fred Clark explained. “We'll drop them off on the return trip.”

   Six miles further on, at West Edmeston, we halted to fill the’tank with water and pick up an empty boxcar. We whizzed past the next station, River Forks, and arrived at Bridgewater in time for the meet with the Lackawanna freight. Here we cut the engine loose, backed her down a siding until the caboose was on the pilot of No. 5, and pushed the train onto the DL&W tracks. The engine was then turned around on a wye, and the brakemen coupled her onto the nine cars which the Lackawanna had brought for the UV.

   As we steamed out of Bridgewater a bright moon was shedding romance on the shadowy trees and es stream of the Unadilla Valley. We dropped a boxcar and a gondola of coal at Leonardsville, then proceeded to South Edmeston to deliver the two cars which had made a round trip. It was about eight o'clock when the forms of the old passenger cars poking out from the brush along the right-of-way in New Berlin informed me that the trip was almost over.

   The train crew then did their last duties of the night, shoving the cars on a siding, and turned the locomotive on the wye and placed her in charge of the engine-house mechanic. The men lost no time in setting off eagerly for their homes, but I lingered awhile in the vicinity of the yards, meditating on the thrills I had enjoyed in my one-man fantrip over the Unadilla Valley Railway.

    Unadilla Valley Railroad 'Thrives on Twin Loyalty'   

                       By H. P. Draheim

[Utica Observer-Dispatch, Sunday, January 18, 1953]

      Photos by Dante O. Tranquille

The Unadilla Valley Railroad, sometimes fondly referred to as “The Buckwheat and  Dandelion” or just plain “B & D,” like more than 500 other “short lines,” doesn’t haul much freight, but its owners are finding good soil around the grass roots of American railroading. Sixty years ago this year, the line embraces 49 miles of single track and connects Bridgewater with New Berlin Junction. 

General manager is Roy Reidenbach, who has served since 1937.

   The Unadilla Valley Railroad, one of the shortest of “the short lines” in the nation, this year will mark its 60th anniversary of service to the more than 15,000 farmers and villagers residing in the beautiful and picturesque Unadilla Valley.

   The “Buckwheat and Dandelion,” as it is sometimes called, is like some other short lines in the nation in that it doesn’t haul great long strings of paying freight, but its owners are finding good soil around the real grass roots of American railroad.

   To get the story of the “UV” we went to Roy Reidenbach, the line’s general superintendent  - and then to the scene of operations. One fact that stands out is LOYALTY in capital letters. Loyalty is demonstrated everywhere. First by the more than 40 employees who flatly assert “the UV is part of us,” and then the many merchants, dealers, factories and others who prefer using the railroad to other forms of transportation.

   In fact, the railroad has become rooted deeply in each of the communities it serves. The line’s policy, “You have got to serve the public pretty good nowadays” really is paying off.

   Service to the public has included the loan of a load of ties for cribbinh when a leading poultryman wanted to enlarge his hen-house; patronizing gasoline dealers who rely on the UV for shipments of gasoline; donation of ties  and lumber when a church had to be relocated; making purchases from a car dealer whose new cars came by rail, and doing business with merchants whose merchandise came in box cars. The employees, to a man, point out “They help us so it’s no more than right that we should help them.”

   While most railroads in the country are cutting off, or abandoning branch lines, the Unadilla Valley Railroad has been adding trackage . The original 20-mile, single track line from New Berlin to Bridgewater, now includes an eight-mile branch to Edmonton and a 21-mile branch to New Berlin Junction.

   The most northerly terminal is in Bridgewater where connections are made with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western. The southerly terminal is at New Berlin Junction, whee there is a tie-in with the New York, Ontario & Western.

   The diesel-powered UV freight makes one round trip a day, starting at New Berlin at 7:30 a.m., and reaching Bridgewater one hour later. The cars are exchanged with the D. L. & W. and about 9 a.m. the UV freight comprising of about 12 cars, proceeds southward, returning to New Berlin at 10.

   The next operation is over the Edmeston branch, with arrival there at 11. Back at New Berlin by noon, the crew takes time out to make connections with an O&W train. Again the exchange of cars, and once again, the UV heads back and finally is in New Berlin by 4 p.m. 

   This is the seven-day operation over the line. The payload comprises feed, grain, coal, milk, general merchandise, and agricultural machinery.

   The Edmeston and New Berlin Junction (East Guilford) branches were acquired by the UV in 1941 from the O&W.  The responsibility of keeping the 29 miles of track in repair is that of George Moore, who during the days of the steam locomotive, fired the iron horses. Speaking  of the steam locomotives, the UV still owns two of them, No. 6 and No. 7, both of the Prairie Type. They are kept in the engine house at New Berlin and are used only in times of emergency.

   When they are pressed into service, Moore again proves he has not lost the art of keeping up steam. With the Unadilla Valley in the grip of Winter, the steamers are used for snowplow service. The company owns two plows, both acquired from other roads.

   The only other rolling stock is the Diesel acquired in 1947, a couple of work train cars, and two cabooses. Incidentally, the locomotives were purchased back in 1914, one from a short line in Florida, and the other from the O&W. Steamers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were scrapped by the UV.

   As for the two four-wheeled cabooses, one was bought from the Jamestown, Westfield & Northwestern Railroad, the other from the O&W. The line once provided passenger service, two round trips a day. This service was discontinued in 1929 and the coaches, after standing on siding for many years, finally were scrapped.

   The story of the UV gets its start in 1885 when some rails were laid into the southern part of New Berlin. Col. N. N. Pierce of Bridgewater got  Thomas W. Spencer of Utica to survey the proposed line and to submit an estimate of cost. The project was undertaken with the idea that the DL&W would build and operate it. The plan fell through.

   Two years later the Unadilla Valley Railroad Club was formed at West Edmeston, with Hollum Langworthy as president and H. D. Babcock, Leonardsville, as treasurer. Meetings were conducted and between $40,000 and $50,000 was subscribed. Again the plan failed to materialized. 

   In 1892 F. F. Culver said he would build if the people would give the right of way. This was done and immediately $32,000 was subscribed. The railroad was to have been completed by April, 1893, but progress was slow. During 1893 the railroad was completed to Leonardsville and on Christmas Day thee was an excursion train from Utica. In 1894 the track was extended to South Edmeston and on July 17, 1895 the line fro  Bridgewater was completed with a ceremony which included the driving of a silver spike at New Berlin.

   The feature of the celebration was speeches which stressed the fact that it no longer was necessary to travel 100 miles to reach Utica and the New York Central main line which was only 38 miles away. The speakers included Congressman James S. Sherman, later vice president, and Mayor Gibson of Utica. 

   The Unadilla Valley Railroad is a standard gauge single track line which follows a course along the eastern rim of Chenango and Madison Counties. The single track winds its way through the fertile heart of the Unadilla Valley. It crosses Route 8 five times. In addition, the steel ribbons pass over 34 farm crossings.

   The UV is a grass-root road. It has no new stations, no automatic block signals, no streamline trains. The old passenger station at Sweet’s Crossing has been boarded up. The only markers along the pike are whistle boards and snow boards, announcing a switch or a crossing where the plow must raise the flanger. The familiar cross-bars mark all highway crossings except two, those at Grecian Bend and South New Berlin, where a flash signal and wigwag have been installed, respectively.

   The right of way is a narrow strip about 34 feet wide. The fence bounding it is none too secure and frequently during the summer months, the train  crew first must shoo a cow or two from the track before proceeding.

   During winter there are times when snow banks are head-high and more than once a train crew as spent the night on the rails. Paul Stillman, now dispatcher at New Berlin Junction, recalls when he left Leonardsville on a Tuesday noon and arrived at New Berlin, 15 miles away, Thursday night.

   The U.V. is an internal part in the lives of the farmers and villagers in the area. During the course of a year it brings many thousand of tons of coal from the Pennsylvania mines. at one time it transported thousands of head of livestock. 

   The line starts several hundred carloads each year of manufactured goods made in the Unadilla Valley’s communities. Among the top shippers are the Babcock-Eureka farm implement company at Leonardsville; the Flint Motor Sales, Charles Mitchell, Floyd Wilbur, the Kraft-Phoenix Company which makes Philadelphia Brands Cream Cheese, and many others.

   Engineer of the road is Bruce Harshbarger who succeeded Fred Clark, now retired. With the changeover to diesel power, Moore was promoted from fireman to section foreman. The conductor is Howard Caldwell who served the line many years as brakeman. The present brakeman is John Hoxie.

   The line has only one woman serving as station agent, Mrs. Ralph Gustin at Leonardsville. She succeeded Stillman when hen was promoted to dispatcher. Joseph Graham is shop foreman  and C. E. Harris is superintendent of diesel power. Howard Conley, another veteran UV station agent, now serves the D.L. & W. at Utica.

   It is interesting to note that during the depression years the UV enjoyed a 25 percent increase in revenue.The history of the railroad,  however, shows that right from the start the UV seemed to share the prejudices of the valley people. Until 1938 the D.L. & W. was favored for connections, although the O.&W. was 50 miles closer to New York. The O&W then was counted a strictly competitive line. 

    The first locomotives were the “Merlyn” and the “Pendragon.”  These engines received more publicity than the president of the railroad, Frederick De Copper, whose only mention was “He has been in Europe for some time.”

   All has not been smooth sailing for the UV. back in1904 the line went into receivership. Eight miles away in Butternut Valley lived a retired doctor, Lewis R. Morris. His wife was the daughter of Montana’s rich senator, William Andrews Clark.

   Dr. Morris was not particularly a railroad fan, but his father-in-law was, so  Dr. Morris bought the railroad and owned it until his death. The senator used to ride over the railroad in his private car. The doctor’s investment proved excellent. He also received $15,000 annually from his stock.

   When passengers service started falling off in 1924 Dr. Morris purchased a gasoline-powered combination baggage and passenger unit. It was an unlucky move for less than a month after its inaugural run, the car crashed into a northbound freight and two persons were killed.

   Passenger service finally was discontinued in 1929. Dr. Morris died in 1936 and the UV was sold to a junk nearing firm from New York.

   It turned out, however, that the H. F. Salsberg Company didn’t plan to junk the railroad after all. Although the firm bought and dismantled many other short lines, including the Niagara Gorge Railroad, trolley lines on Long Island and the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad in Maine, it saw possibilities in the UV.

   Salsberg became president and in 1937 the railroad showed a net loss of $19,000 which included $17,000 paid in interest. Of this amount $9,000 represented interest on a gravel pit purchased some years previous  by Dr. Morris.

   The first moved for Salsberg was to pay the Morris Estate at least $75,000 for the railroad. The deal did not include the gravel pit which was the “anchor around the tiny line’s neck.” Thus the railroad got rid of more than half of its fixed charges.  In 1938 the railroad earned $3.400 from operation s and $2,800  from rentals. Under the reorganization Reidenbach was made general manager. He has served since, and the railroad continues to pay its way.

Pot bellied stoves like this are found in stations along the 49-mile line, and between trains agents like Van Fleet at Mt. Upton, fire up to provide warmth for the crew during the winter months.

                             Conductor for many years has been Howard Caldwell.

                    Sole brakeman on the line is John Hoxie, preparing to couple a milk car at Mt. Upton.

Another relic is this combination caboose and express car being loaded by Agent Van Fleet, who is in charge of the Mt. Upton office. 

Old faithful Number 6, is one of two Prairie type steam locomotives still owned by the tiny railroad. Sheltered in the engine house at new Berlin, they are pressed into service  during busy seasons, emergencies and for snow removal work. 

                           Jack of all trades is Joseph Graham, shop fireman who keeps equipment in repair.

Chief dispatcher at the important New Berlin terminal is Paul Stillman, who worked his way up from agent.

                        Foreman of section crew is George Moore who can fire No. 6 if necessary.

              Only woman employed by the UV as station agent, is Doris (Mrs. Ralph)

              Gustin at Leonardsville. She succeeded Paul Stillman.

Mixed freight, milk and coal comprise the pay loads for the single for the single Unadilla Valley’s freight as it works its way daily for one complete round trip over every foot of track and thus provides a valuable tributary  to the D.L. & W. at Bridgewater and the N.Y. O. & W. at Mt. Upton. Diesel locomotive, which replaced the iron horse, is serving the Dairymen’s League plant at Mt. Upton.

All set for winter is the sharp bladed snow plow which will keep the single track open and traffic moving, despite drifts which sometimes range from six to seven feet in depth.

                                        

          Notes

Norwich Sun,  April 29, 1930

   Mail and Passenger Service  Discontinued on O&W in Edmeston

               ___

   Edmeston - April 20 - With the discontinuing of mail service by train, Saturday marked the end of a 40-year service since the railroad came to Edmeston.  The mail is now brought in by truck from Sidney, arriving here at 10:30 and 5.

   The passenger service by train is also discontinued, there being no coach to the train leaving Edmeston  in the morning and returning in the afternoon.

Norwich Sun, May 17, 1930

   The Unadilla Valley Railroad has discontinued all passenger service beginning May 1. The bus which goes to Bridgewater twice a day takes the passenger traffic the north. It is a very pleasant  ride up the valley and there is quite a good deal of traffic.