New York Central Railroad Memorial Train Rides

Geneva, NY - The Finger Lakes Railway will operate special train excursions on Saturday, May 17, 2008, and Sunday, May 18, 2008, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last passenger train run by the New York Central Railroad that was on May 18, 1958. Saturday's train will travel along the historic “Auburn Road” from Geneva to Solvay and return. Sunday's train will travel from Geneva to Canandaigua and return. Both trains will make stops at historic freight and passenger stations in communities along the line.

A vintage New York Central Alco RS-3 diesel locomotive #8223 on loan from the Central New York Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society will power the trains. The passenger train will feature 1950’s era coaches decorated in the New York Central two-tone gray paint scheme. Passengers will have opportunities to photograph the train at various times during the memorial train rides.

Saturday's train boards in Geneva at 10am, with alternate boarding in Seneca Falls, Cayuga, and Auburn. Stops will be made at railroad depots in Seneca Falls, Cayuga, and Skaneateles Junction, and the 1870 Martisco. Trip will continue on to the end of the line in Solvay before heading back west. The train will return non-stop to Geneva, except to drop off passengers at their original boarding locations. Round trip length is seven hours.

Sunday’s train boards in Geneva and travels west through Ontario County. The train will depart Geneva at 11:00 a.m. Stops include stops in Clifton Springs and a lunch layover in Shortsville at the Depot 25 Restaurant, where railroad and baseball historical memorabilia line the walls of this former passenger depot. Just across the tracks in Shortsville, passengers can visit the Lehigh Valley Railroad Historical Society museum in the former freight depot. The train will then continue on to Canandaigua and stop at the former passenger depot before heading back east. The train will return non-stop to Geneva, except to drop off passengers at their original boarding locations. Round trip length is six hours.

Fares for the train ride on Saturday are Adult (Age 14+) $45, Senior (Age 62+ or retired) $40, Child (Ages 3-13) $25. Fares for the train ride on Sunday $40, $35, $20, and Child under age 3 are free. Passengers who board at locations other than Geneva will receive a reduced rate. Box Lunch will be available both days.

AUBURN ROAD HISTORY - The New York Central “Auburn Road” line is one of the oldest and most historic railroads in New York State. Today’s Finger Lakes Railway line between Canandaigua, Geneva, Auburn, and Solvay started existence in the 19th Century as the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad and the Auburn and Rochester Railroad. They were chartered in 1834 and 1836 respectively. The two original railroads were conceived as links in the chain of eight railroads that eventually joined Albany and Buffalo.

In 1850, a new company named the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad merged the Auburn and Rochester and the Auburn and Syracuse Railroads and work began on a new main line called the Direct between Syracuse and Rochester. The eight individual railroads between Albany and Buffalo were consolidated into the New York Central Railroad in 1853. The “Auburn Road” was then relegated to branch line status, although it continued as an important feeder to the main line for more than a century. Timetables showed that at its peak in the early 20th Century, seven passenger trains in each direction operated over the line daily. Many sections were double tracked, thus allowing for easy passing of trains.

Scores of freight trains served a multitude of local industries along the line. Regular passenger service on the “Auburn Road” was discontinued on May 18, 1958. The line between Victor and Pittsford was abandoned by the New York Central Railroad in 1960. The New York Central Railroad merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad on February 1, 1968, to form the Penn Central Railroad, which declared bankruptcy on June 21, 1970. The Penn Central Railroad was folded into the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) on April 1, 1976.

Subsequently the “Auburn Road” was abandoned between Canandaigua and Victor by Conrail in 1979. The section between Pittsford and Rochester was abandoned by Conrail in 1982. On July 23, 1995, Conrail sold the line between Canandaigua and Solvay to the Finger Lakes Railway.

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