Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad

The Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad was founded in 1849 as the Northern Railroad running from Ogdensburg to Rouses Point, New York. The 118-mile (190 km) railroad was leased by rival, Central Vermont Railroad for several decades, ending in 1896. It was purchased in 1901 by the Rutland Railroad and became the Ogdensburg Division.

Ogdensburg NY– Maquam VT
Technical
Line length	211
Track gauge	1435
0,0 Ogdensburg Anschluss Riverview-Gefängnis 13,7 Lisbon NY Hague Crossing NY 27,4 Madrid NY Grass River Raquette River to Syracuse 39,9 Norwood NY (( Potsdam Junction) to Waddington to Massena 44,6 Knapps 56,8 Winthrop NY Saint Regis River 65,5 North Lawrence Deer River to Ottawa 75,5 Moira nach Bombay nach Tupper Lake 79,3 Brushton 88,4 Bangor 97,8 Malone Salmon River Verbindung nach Montréal 99,5 Malone Junction NY Montréal–Herkimer Verbindung von Herkimer Little Trout River 109,6 Burke Chateaugay River 117,2 Chateaugay 129,1 Churubusco Anschlussgleis Steinbruch 133,4 Clinton Mills 142,7 Ellenburg 147,3 Forest 151,8 Irona 155,8 Altona Great Chazy River ? Woods Falls NY Great Chazy River 165,1 Mooers Forks Lachine–Canada Junction 169,9 Mooers ? Perry Mills NY Great Chazy River (2×) Interstate 87 181,7 Champlain NY 187,6 Rouses Point Junction NY nach Troy und St.-Lambert 188,1 Rouses Point nach Burlington Verbindung nach St.-Lambert Verbindungsgleis Burlington–St.-Lambert Lake Champlain (New York/Vermont) Burlington–Rouses Point Essex Jct.–Rouses Point Burlington–Rouses Point 194 Alburgh 200 East Alburgh Lake Champlain 201 West Swanton to Lunenburg 211 Maquam

History

Chartering and Construction

Stock certificate issued in 1849 near the founding of the Northern Railroad Company

The Northern Railroad was incorporated on May 14, 1845 for the purpose of connecting Ogdensburg on the St. Lawrence River to Rouses Point on Lake Champlain. An organizational meeting held in Ogdensburg in June, 1845 elected George Parish (later Baron von Senftenburg) as president, S. S. Walley as treasurer, James G. Hopkins as secretary, and Col. Charles L. Schiatter as chief engineer-superintendent. George Parish was allegedly upset that the route would not go through Parishville, named after his uncle David Parish, and resigned a few months that. He was replaced by Boston financier T.P. Chandler.[1]

The railroad completed construction to Rouses Point on October 1, 1850. A connection was shortly after made to the Vermont and Canada Railroad in the State of Vermont when the railroads opened a floating bridge across lake Champlain on September 1, 1851.[2] This gave the Northern Railroad access to the markets in the growing New England cities. The shipment of agricultural products , especially butter, from New York Farms to cities such as Boston was an sizeable part of the line's traffic. The company is alleged to have built and operated the first refrigerator car on an American railroad, starting operation in June, 1851 for shipping butter.[3] Along with the rail line the company invested in docks and a grain elevator in Ogdensburg to serve steamship traffic.[4]

Later History

Elevator erected by the Ogdens­burgh & Lake Champlain Rail Road Company at Ogdensburg, New York

The Ogdensburg Division represented the Rutland Railroad's expansion across the top of New York state, to the St. Lawrence River and a connection with ships to Great Lakes ports. The colorful rural route remained "the outpost" throughout its existence. A final strike, staged by unionized crewmen, led to the last revenue train in the fall of 1961. The dormant rails gathered rust until 1964, when the easternmost 93 miles (150 km)—Rouses Point to Norwood Junction, NY., were removed. The state of New York and Ogdensburg Port Authority assumed control of the remaining 25 miles (40 km) to Ogdensburg grain elevators, sea port, and coal furnace for a state hospital. Several shortline operators leased the line through the second half of the 1960s until the dawn of the 21st century. Vermont Rail System has operated the line for the past decade.

The remaining portion of the O&LC is seeing growing business, with many track improvements during the summers of 2012 and 2013. Two veteran EMD diesels are the usual power for the average two or three trains a week.

Meanwhile, the lengthy wooden trestle crossing Lake Champlain from Alburgh to Rouses Point suffered severe damage in 2011, reducing the once mile-long behemoth to little more than match-sticks. Scarred landscape crosses the top of New York state, where trainless depots remain at Mooers Junction (lovingly restored by Larry Marnes and Chris Trombley), Mooers Forks (a thrift store), Ellenburgh Depot (animal rendering facility), Chateaugay (brick, but decaying quickly), Malone (twin brick turrets remain, overhead walkway gone since 1949, now an Elm Street bank), Brushton (storage), Moira (church), and Lisbon (museum). Freighthouses remain at Winthrop and Champlain.

Route and Station listing

Milepost	Town	Station	Image	Opened	Closed	Notes	Position
	Ogdensburg	Ogdensburg
	Lisbon	Lisbon				Operating as Lisbon town Museum
	Madrid	Madrid
	Norwood	Norwood				Also known as Potsdam Junction. Junction with Rome, Watertown, and Ogdensburg Railroad
		Knapps				Also known as North Stockholm
	Stockholm	Winthrop and Brasher
	Lawrence	North Lawrence				Also known as Lawrence
	Moira	Moira
		Brushton
	Bangor	Bangor
	Malone	Malone				Vice President William A. Wheeler worked on the construction of the original station[1]
		Morton Siding
		Malone Junction
	Burke	Burke
	Chateaugay	Chateaugay
	Clinton	Churubusco
	Ellenburgh	Brandy Brook
		Ellenburgh
	Altona	Forest
		Irona
		Altona
	Mooers	Woods Falls
		Mooers Forks
		Mooers Junction
	Champlain	Champlain
		Rouses Point				Junction with the Delaware and Hudson Railway and Vermont Central

References

1. Lyman, Susan (1976). Rails into Racquettesville. Massena, N.Y.: Massena Printing.
2. Barranco, Peter (May 1995). "Ticonderoga's Floating Drawbridge; 1871-1920" (PDF). Lake Champlain Basin Program. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
3. Rutland Railroad Company (1949). Historical sketch of the Rutland Railroad Company 1849-1949. Rutland, VT : Rutland Railroad Company.
4. Shaughnessy, Jim (1997-03-01). The Rutland Road: Second Edition. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-0456-3.