Charlotte – Manitou Beach Tramway
| Charlotte – Manitou Beach Tramway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Trestle Bridge
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 USGS map from 1912
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| Route length: | 13 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed: | 19 km / h (12 mph) km / h | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Charlotte – Manitou Beach tram route was a scenic electric overland tram route along the shores of Lake Ontario from Charlotte , a suburb of Rochester, New York , to Manitou Beach . The route, which is mainly used for tourism, was operated from 1891 to 1924, mainly in the summer months.
history
Grand View Beach Railroad
By the 1880s, the shores of Lake Ontario had become a popular destination for the people of Rochester. The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad and the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad ended at Ontario Beach Park . Many weekend and vacation homes and hotels had been built along the coastline west of Charlotte. However, the roads and paths were in poor condition. By 1888, the tram routes from Rochester had reached Charlotte. As early as 1881, the Rochester, Lakeside and Braddocks Bay Railroad received the concession to build a corresponding railway line, but this was never used. On January 30, 1889, the Grand View Beach Railroad was finally founded to build a steam-powered railway line between Charlotte and Long Pond. The original share capital was $ 40,000. After spending 12,500 US dollars on the purchase of the land, the construction of the bridges and the alignment of the route by the summer of 1889, the company decided to use electricity instead of steam and to extend the route to Manitou Beach. For this, the share capital was increased to $ 100,000. In addition, the construction of the route was financed by a mortgage of 200,000 dollars. In 1890 the line to Grand View Beach was completed and on June 1, 1891, the tram line began operating the entire route. In total, around 304 thousand dollars were spent on its construction.
HH Craig was President of the Society.
On May 11, 1893, at the beginning of the operating season, the power plant and the vehicle hall burned down. Six of the seven railcars were destroyed. In 1894 the new power plant was put into operation.
In the first year of operation, the total income amounted to 17,976.08 US dollars , the cost of 8,500.06 US dollars, interest and taxes 4,010.34 US dollars, earnings 4,465.14 US dollars. According to the company, the total number of passengers carried was 150,000. In the following years, despite the constant number of passengers (approx. 120–130 thousand), the loss rose to 27,196 US dollars. Due to the additional investment costs that were also necessary, the loans could no longer be serviced.
The company was sold to the lenders for $ 31,000 in March 1895. These founded the Rochester, Charlotte and Manitou Beach Railroad to continue operating the tram.
Rochester, Charlotte and Manitou Beach Railroad
President of the company, which was founded on March 14, 1895, was the former treasurer of the Grand View Beach Railroad Michael Doyle. There were initially 22 shareholders.
In 1898 the company announced that it would extend the route to Hilton (New York). However, this project was never realized, just like the extension planned around 1900 to Devils Nose, west of Hamlin Beach State Park .
The number of passengers was regularly around 100,000. This society also initially wrote loss. In 1899 a profit could be reported for the first time. This year over 150,000 passengers were carried. In 1901, despite 189,000 passengers, a deficit of around $ 2,000 was entered. In 1902 over 230,000 passengers were carried. However, losses were incurred again and the interest on loans to the shareholders could not be paid. In 1905 there was again a loss of over $ 11,000.
In 1907, winter storms destroyed the long Trestle Bridge over Braddocks Bay. In addition, there were severe washouts and landslides on Rigney Bluff. The repair costs exceeded the company's financial resources. As a result, the company went bankrupt and was sold to Kendall B. Castle on July 21, 1908.
Rochester and Manitou Railroad
Kendall B. Castle transferred the acquired property to the Rochester and Manitou Railroad founded on August 12, 1908. President was D. Hyman and later Henry W. Wedel. In 1909 the new bridge over Braddocks Bay was completed. It also had a central part that could be opened.
From 1913 the tram was operated by the New York State Railways .
With the emergence of car traffic and improved roads, demand fell sharply. The last tram trips took place in autumn 1924. In 1925 operations were not resumed. It sold for $ 40,000 on August 25, 1925. From July 1925 a bus line went to Manitou Beach.
Route
The route was 13 kilometers long. From Ontario Beach it ran for a few kilometers on Rigney Bluff on a cliff about 5 m above the water level with a view of Lake Ontario. The route then led on the sandy beach and on wooden bridges over several bays westwards to Manitou Beach. A 4.5 meter long wooden bridge and nine wooden trestle bridges totaling 1,200 meters long were built. On the last section, the route led over an approximately 800 m long trestle bridge over Braddocks Bay. The bridges at Long Pond were 80 meters and at Buck Pond 40 meters long.
The individual stops and alternative points were adapted to the location of the hotels and changed if necessary.
Infrastructure and rolling stock
The standard-gauge overland tram ran on Vignol steel rails with a weight of 22.5 kg / m. It had modern buildings and equipment. From the start of operations, the Grand View Beach Railroad had seven railcars, six of which were open and one closed, and seven open sidecars, which could comfortably accommodate 60 to 70 people. Rae engines with 40 hp were used and the proven, reliable McGuire chassis. They were made by Thomas Murray and Company in New York.
Furthermore, the company initially had one, later three, freight wagons for transporting coal. From 1895 nine vehicles were available. From 1901 16 cars (including six railcars) were used. In 1902 eight and in 1903 nine railcars were available. In 1905 new vehicles were purchased. In 1909 the number of vehicles was 14 (of which eleven were open and three were closed). In 1912 four more vehicles were added. These were manufactured by GC Kuhlman Car Co.
The power plant was 3 km from the eastern terminus at Rigneys Bluff. It was equipped with two Thompson-Houston generators with 8000 watts, two motors from McIntosh-Seymour and three 100 hp boilers from Pierce & Thomas. From 1895 onwards, it was also used to generate electrical energy for the nearby hotels and electrical street lighting. From 19 .. the power supply came from the Rochester Railway & Light Company network.
The tram depot near the power station had parking spaces for 20 cars.
Trestle Bridge over Braddocks Bay
Trestle Bridge over Braddocks Bay 1905
Terminus
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business
The first carriages ran on June 1, 1891, but the railway was in an unfinished condition until around August 1, 1891. The operation usually took place from the beginning of April to the end of November. The railcars ran every 25 to 40 minutes. The maximum speed was 20 km / h. On the Braddocks-Bays-Trestle, the speed had to be reduced significantly later due to the condition of the bridge. At peak times, a railcar with two sidecars drove and another railcar followed at a short distance. At each meeting point, the wagon drivers had to find out for themselves whether the following section of the route was free. A dispatcher could be reached by phone from every meeting point.
The railway companies regularly employed over 20 people. Five crews were deployed. In addition, two extra crews were available.
On May 29, 1896, two railcars collided. The two drivers died in the process. Three passengers were injured. On August 25, 1900, a railcar derailed in a curve and overturned with 36 passengers. Seven passengers were injured. The cause was the widening of the tracks.
In 1899 and 1900, non-stop services were offered from Rochester city center.
literature
- William Reed Gordon: Manitou Beach trolley days, 1891-1925. Rochester, NY, 1957.
- Annual report of the Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York
Individual evidence
- ^ Annual report of the Public Service Commission, Second District. 7th v.2 1913. Retrieved March 26, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d e Grand View Beach Railway. In: The Street Railway Review. Volume 1, 1891, pp. 555-556.
- ^ Richard "Dick" Chait: Rails in Rochester and Monroe Counties. Arcadia Publishing, 2015, p. 103.