North River Railroad
| Company type | Railroad company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | New York, West Shore and Chicago Railroad, North River Railroad |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Defunct | 1885 |
| Fate | Reorganized as West Shore Railroad under New York Central control |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | New York, New Jersey |
Key people | Edward Francis Winslow, George M. Pullman |
The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway was an American railroad company founded in 1880 with the objective of establishing a main line connecting New York City and Buffalo, New York via Albany, New York. Covering a distance of , the railway was finalized in 1883. Intended as a direct rival to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, it came under that company's control by 1885 and was reorganized as the West Shore Railroad, with its primary route designated as the West Shore Railroad main line.
Early Origins
On the western side of New York, the earliest corporate antecedent was the Hudson River West Shore Railroad, founded on September 16, 1867; however, it did not lay any track before merging into the West Shore Hudson River Railroad on March 31, 1868. This successor also failed to construct track prior to its merger into the New York, West Shore and Chicago Railroad on July 21, 1877. Established on July 13, 1870, this company began some construction efforts but ultimately underwent foreclosure on February 7, 1879.
On the eastern front, the Jersey City and Albany Railroad along with its successor completed a rail segment extending between Ridgefield Park, New Jersey—which connected to the New Jersey Midland Railway—and Haverstraw, New York. The North River Railway, incorporated April 3, 1880, extended northward from Haverstraw. These two entities merged on May 5, 1881, to form the North River Railroad, which was subsequently leased by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway.
Line Construction
The incorporation of the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway took place on February 18, 1880; later that year it absorbed the New York, West Shore and Chicago Railroad. In 1881, it merged with the North River Railroad but maintained its original name. The company’s strategy involved constructing a route parallel to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad throughout Upstate New York, linking with the Nickel Plate Road at Buffalo. Prominent financiers backing this venture included Edward Francis Winslow and George M. Pullman, neither affiliated with New York Central.
From 1881 through 1883, approximately 435 miles of track were constructed, including about 392 miles stretching from Haverstraw to Buffalo. The railway traced the southern shore of both the Mohawk River and Erie Canal westward from Schenectady. In New Jersey, a branch spanning 5.8 miles extended southward to Weehawken on the Hudson River waterfront and incorporated the Weehawken Tunnel piercing Bergen Hill.
Between Coxsackie and Fullers, operations utilized leased tracks from the former Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad starting in 1881. Additionally, two branch lines were operated: a 12-mile Kenwood Branch connecting Ravena to Albany’s Delaware and Hudson Railway network, and a 26-mile line running from Cornwall to Middletown that was constructed under contract by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway.
Acquisition by New York Central
To neutralize this developing competitor, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad arranged for its subsidiary Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway to gain control of the Nickel Plate Road in 1882, effectively severing West Shore’s western link. Believing that Pennsylvania Railroad had ties with West Shore, New York Central backed rival projects—the Beech Creek Railroad and South Pennsylvania Railroad—to counterbalance.
A settlement brokered by financier J. P. Morgan resulted in Pennsylvania acquiring control over Beech Creek and South Pennsylvania railroads while New York Central secured stock ownership of the reorganized West Shore Railroad. Meanwhile, ownership of the Cornwall-Middletown branch transferred to the New York, Ontario and Western Railway.
This calculated consolidation reinforced New York Central’s dominance in market share and enhanced its competitive position within the northeastern railroad sector.