The A&R was chartered on and extended west as far as Rochester by late 1842.Īt the latter city the system connected with the Tonawanda Railroad, interestingly the earliest chartered system of the bunch except for the Mohawk & Hudson. The A&S merged with the Auburn & Rochester in August of 1850 to form the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad. The road was initially horse powered but introduced steam power a little more than a year later when the locomotive Syracuse entered service on June 14, 1839. The next component was the Auburn & Syracuse, chartered on it opened between both cities in January of 1838. New York Central's "Great Steel Fleet": History, Schedule, Consist, & Photos The other early predecessors of the NYC dealt with similar issues, finding it difficult moving freight in the face of state opposition.
In an effort to pay for this public works project, the state restricted railroads from handling the more lucrative freight movements or do so by paying a toll. At first, it primarily handled only passenger traffic since New York had recently opened the Erie Canal.
The M&H holds historical significance as one of the earliest railroads ever chartered and built, opening 16 miles between Albany and Schenectady on August 9, 1831. The M&H was incorporated on April 17, 1826, although as early as Decemthe local public was given word it was soon to be built thanks to a newspaper article (the Schenectady Cabinet) by George Featherstonhaugh. The earliest component was one of the industry's pioneers, the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad. The modern New York Central Railroad map was a collection of predecessor properties which merged or were acquired over many years. The Original New York Central Railroad Is Born