The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad was a railroad company that formerly operated in western and north central Pennsylvania and western New York. It was created in 1893 by the merger and consolidation of several smaller logging railroads. It operated independently until 1929, when a majority of its capital stock was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. At the same time, the B&O also purchased control of the neighboring Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway. The Baltimore and Ohio officially took over operations of both roads in 1932.Western New York Railroad Archive – Roehm, Pete. 1985. "The Last Buffalo and Susquehanna Steamer", Railpace magazine, Piscataway, New Jersey: Railpace Company, Inc. http://wnyrails.org/railroads/bs/bs_last_steamer.htm
In 1954, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad and its remaining subsidiaries were formally merged into the Baltimore and Ohio system.WELLSVILLE, ADDISON AND GALETON RAILROAD – Ed Lewis – copyright 1971 Then in 1956, the Baltimore and Ohio sold the remaining of former Buffalo and Susquehanna track to the H. E. Salzberg Company, who organized the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton Railroad to operate the line. The line was finally abandoned in 1979.
The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad was created and constructed by Frank H. Goodyear, a Buffalo fuel dealer, to move his lumber and coal from north central Pennsylvania to his businesses and companies in Buffalo. The line was started in Keating Summit, and extended into Galeton, where it branched off to Wellsville, Addison, and Ansonia. The Wellsville branch was briefly extended to Buffalo. Near Keating Summit, the line was extended south from Wharton through Du Bois terminating south at Sagamore. At its peak, the railroad ran from Buffalo to Sagamore and had more than of track.
Initial acquisitions
In 1885 Frank H. Goodyear, a Buffalo lumber and fuel dealer, bought thousands of acres of virgin Hemlock timberland in north-central Pennsylvania. Up until the 1880s, the lumber industries mostly avoided Hemlock, due to its ring shaking and high knot content,US Forest Service – Association of ring shake in eastern hemlock with tree attributes. instead choosing to go after the more solid Pine and Spruce forests. But with most of the other local competing softwoods forests already denuded, there was now a growing local demand for the cheaper Hemlock. At the same time, the lack of good waterways to float the lumber to the mills made this location less than ideal for standard operations by experienced lumber operators of the time.
To extract the lumber from his new investment, Goodyear first organized the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad. This line ran from Keating Summit, Pennsylvania, on the Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia Railroad (later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad) to his sawmill in Austin, Pennsylvania. The Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad ran from Keating Summit (Forest House) east to a switchback and then south down the north branch of Freeman Run toward Austin.Allegany County, NY - Local History & Genealogy Site - SINNEMAHONING VALLEY RAILROAD
The Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad opened officially as a common carrier on December 14, 1885. Although most of the lumber railroads of the time and area were 3-footers (narrow gauge), Goodyear used his foresight in building his logging railroads of permanent quality to a standard gauge and laid with 70 pound rail, which really paid off in the future. In Austin, Goodyear built a huge sawmill, and brought all his timber here by rail to get cut. Then in 1886 he extended the line south to Costello, Pennsylvania, where there was a large sole leather tannery. The leather tanneries used the hemlock bark, which was a by-product of the saw mills, to create tannin.Western North Carolina Nature Center – Eastern Hemlock This allowed him to benefit greatly by supplying one industry with the waste product of another.
In 1887 he joined with his brother to create the firm of F. H. & C. W. Goodyear. In the end, it was this firm that owned most of the properties, mills, railroads, locomotives and multiple other assets. Starting in 1891, the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad was extended north west up past Galeton, all the way to Ansonia, where it connected with the Fall Brook Railway. To get here, the railroad had to cross a large ridge. To accomplish this, the railroad built four large switchbacks, instead of tunnels. This may have been acceptable thinking at the time, as the line was still primarily a logging railroad, where switchbacks were quite common. These switchbacks limited trains to 15 cars.Western New York Railroad Archive http://wnyrails.org/railroads/bs/bs_home.htm
Starting in the early 1890s, an initiative was started to build a number of smaller lines linking the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad at Costello, up to Galeton and east to Ansonia. At this point that there already was a narrow-gauge line running from Galeton north east up to Addison. The Addison and Pennsylvania Railway was started in 1882 from Addison, reaching Gaines and Galeton by 1885.
In 1891, The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad Company (of 1891) was started in Galeton and headed south west to Cherry Springs, Pennsylvania. Cherry Springs is at the top of the hill, between both sets of switchbacks.
At the same time, in 1891, the Susquehanna Railroad Company connected the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad at Costello, heading north east to Hull, away. This line went from Costello, south to Wharton, then north east up to Conrad. Conrad was Hull Station.
Both of those lines were completed by 1893, when the Cherry Springs Railroad Company was created and completed the connection of from Hull to about from Cherry Springs, Pennsylvania. The Cherry Springs Railroad literally connected the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad (of 1891) with the Susquehanna Railroad. This connecting line proceeded north west from Conrad, up the hill, to just past the first switchback, to the top of the hill, at Cross Fork Junction.
The Cross Fork Railroad Company connected here at the top of the hill, and proceeded back down the hill, south, to the logging boom town of Cross Fork. Cross Fork grew quickly to have 2500 residents at its peak.
Started in 1892, the Coudersport and Wellsboro Railroad Company (not to be confused with the Wellsville, Coudersport, and Pine Creek) was now finished in 1893, building east from Galeton to Ansonia, Pennsylvania, where it connected with the Fall Brook Railway.
In 1893, now that all the little lines were finished, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad (of 1893) was created as a result of the merger of the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad Company (of 1891), the Susquehanna Railroad, the Cherry Springs Railroad, and the Cross Fork Railroad.
At this point, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad's main line now started with a connection with the Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia Railroad at Keating Summit, utilizing a small switchback it proceeded south east, past Austin and Costello, where at Wharton the line proceeded northeast up the grade. About south of Galeton, four large switchbacks were required to get over the ridge and into Galeton. The mainline continued past Galeton and made a connection with the Fall Brook Railroad at Ansonia. The main offices for the Buffalo and Susquehanna assumed the old offices of the Sinnemahoning Valley in Austin, Pennsylvania.
Construction and expansion
The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad now extended from Keating Summit to Ansonia, with a branch to the booming logging town of Cross Fork.
By 1893, it is reported that Frank Goodyear owned ten locomotives.
The line was served by a number of Shay logging locomotives, based out of Austin, Pennsylvania,On-Line Reference and Research Site for Shay Locomotives as well as a Baldwin 2-8-0 locomotive. With the expansion into Galeton, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad now needed more locomotives, and purchased eleven new locomotives in 1894 and 1895. (probably from Baldwin)Allegany County, NY - Local History & Genealogy Site - Buffalo and Susquehanna Expands North
Many construction railroads and temporary lines were being built by the B&S, or the F. H. & C. W. Goodyear company, or the lumber companies themselves, to service the timber transport in the area. The Lackawanna Lumber Company, Emporium Lumber and Central Pennsylvania Lumber company all used the main lines of the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad tracks with their equipment. Most of these companies were owned or partnered with the Goodyear brothers.
As the lumber and tanning business expanded, Frank Goodyear was joined by his brother Charles W. Goodyear. Upon reorganization, Frank Goodyear stepped down as president of the railroad and assumed the positions of first vice president and chairman of the board. Goodyear's brother, Charles, became second vice president and general manager of the railroad, while Marlin Olmsted became president.
In 1895–1896 the B&S RR Company built a extension north-west from Galeton to Wellsville, New York, where the B&S now connected with the New York, Lake Erie & Western (Erie Railroad). The Goodyear's had purchased timber lands along the Pine Creek, north of Galeton, a few years previous, and now it was time to start logging those properties. Very soon the Goodyear brothers built a large lumber mill in Galeton, also.
At Wellsville, there operated a short line called the Wellsville, Coudersport and Pine Creek Railroad. It ran south about from Wellsville to Hickox (just south of Genesee). It was a small operation with plans of eventually extending south to Coudersport. The WCPC was forced to lease their railroad to the B&S under threat of a parallel track. (the B&S actually started grading a parallel ROW to force the issue) It was leased on January 1, 1896, for 85 years at $8250 a year. The B&S acquired their only locomotive.
As of 1896 the B&S had sixteen locomotives, fourteen passenger cars and almost seven hundred sixty freight cars.
Along this north-western line to Wellsville, about halfway from Galeton to Genesee, there existed a stretch of very severe grades, with a peak grade of 2.84 percent. Curves and twists were used to get over the hill, requiring the B&S to use multiple engines on even average sized trains.
In 1895, the original narrow-gauge line that ran from Galeton to Addison, the Addison and Pennsylvania Railroad, converted from narrow gauge to standard gauge. This simplified interchange and operations in the Galeton area, as the B&S was driving a lot of business in the area, and the Addison and Pennsylvania Railroad was hoping to get a bigger share of the traffic. This would not be the case, as Frank Goodyear had other plans.
Starting on March 18, 1896, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad had extended from Ansonia, Pennsylvania, into Corning, New York, via trackage rights over the Fall Brook Railroad. The Buffalo and Susquehanna railroad paid the Fall Brook Railroad 14 cents per ton for the to get to Corning, New York. At Corning the B&S could interchange with the New York, Lake Erie & Western (Erie Railroad), for markets east (like New York City). This implies that the Buffalo and Susquehanna did not use the Addison and Pennsylvania Railroad to reach the New York, Lake Erie & Western (Erie Railroad) at Addison, New York, and from there, Corning, instead having a trackage agreement with the Fall Brook Railroad from Ansonia.
Eventually, in 1898, the Goodyear brothers purchased the Addison and Pennsylvania Railroad (from New York Senator Thomas C. Platt) running from Galeton, Pennsylvania, to Addison, New York. At this time, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad built the half mile connector track at Gaines Junction to link this new line with their existing line from Galeton to Ansonia, and abandoning the of parallel track that ran from Gaines to Galeton.