Elmira and Seneca Lake Railway
The Elmira & Seneca Lake Railway Co. operated from June 19, 1900 in New York State an overland tram line from Horseheads (north of Elmira ) to Seneca Lake . The connection was shut down again in 1923.
route
The line ran from the terminus of the Elmira & Horseheads Railway in Horseheads via Main Street from Horseheads to the Chenuing Canal , which had been decommissioned a few years before the construction of the overland tram, so that the towpath could be used as a route for the railway line. The route ran in a densely populated area through the villages of Pine Valley , Millport and Croton and ran on public roads through Montour Falls and along the country road to Watkins and from there to the northern terminus on the lake. The route ran through Chemung and Schuyler Counties, directly past the entrances to Watkins Glen near Watkins and Havana Glen near Montour. The northern terminus was on the beach of Seneca Lake next to the Northern Central Railroad Co. depot and provided a connection for the steamships of the Seneca Lake Transportation Co.
Seneca Lake is a 40-mile long lake with several vacation villages and vacation homes that were hit by the steamers. When the railway line was designed, there were doubts whether it would ever be completed, as three meter wide cuttings with generous embankments and drainage ditches were required. The Catharine River had to be diverted in four places and its banks had to be paved with wickerwork and oak stakes 1.5 m apart. Steel bridges were built by Berlin Bridge Co. and Havana Bridge Co on hewn natural stone foundations walled with Portland cement.
Rail vehicles
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The fleet consisted of twelve cars. They each had four General Electric 1,000 motors, K-11 regulators, Christenson automatic air pressure brakes, and neck arc front lights. The interior was made of cherry and mahogany wood, the seats of rattan. Six cars had Westinghouse engines with General Electric K-11 governors and interchangeable front lights from Syracuse. They were painted Pullman green with gold stripes and had the names of the places along the route and a number.
Individual evidence
- ^ Charles R. Mitchell; Kirk W. House: Around Watkins Glen (NY) . Arcadia Publishing, 2006, ISBN 978-0-7385-4525-7 , pp. 10 .
- ^ A b Elmira & Seneca Lake Railway Co. In: The Street Railway Review. Volume 10, No. 9, September 15, 1900, pp. 515-518.