Skaneateles Short Line Railroad

Skaneateles Short Line Railroad

Company type	Private
Industry	Railroad
Founded	1836
Defunct	1981
Fate	Abandoned
Headquarters	Skaneateles , United States
Area served	Skaneateles Junction to Skaneateles, New York
Products	Freight and passenger rail transport

The Skaneateles Short Line Railroad operated from 1840 through 1981, serving the route between Skaneateles Junction and Skaneateles, New York under multiple corporate identities.

History

Initially chartered in 1836 as the Skaneateles Railroad, the line was designed to link Skaneateles with the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad, an antecedent of the New York Central Railroad, which had bypassed the village. Commencing service on September 30, 1840, the railroad utilized rudimentary wooden rails and horse-drawn carriages. Financial difficulties led to bankruptcy by August 24, 1850; subsequently, the tracks were dismantled and rails repurposed.

After the Civil War, local entrepreneur Joel Thayer spearheaded a revival effort. The second incarnation of the Skaneateles Railroad was established on April 17, 1866, and began operations on October 1, 1867. This line extended northward to connect with the New York Central at Skaneateles Junction. The railroad leveraged tourist traffic to Skaneateles Lake, acquiring steamboat holdings in 1871 and later managing boat services before transferring ownership to the Auburn and Syracuse Electric Railroad. During the 1920s, both freight and passenger volumes diminished; passenger operations terminated in 1932. The shutdown of the US Gypsum facility in Skaneateles Falls precipitated the cessation of service on February 7, 1940.

Community members resurrected the railway as the Skaneateles Short Line Railroad, incorporated on October 15, 1940, with service resuming April 17, 1941. Diesel locomotives were introduced in 1950 following procurement of GE 44-ton and GE 45-ton switcher units. The closure of a mill in Skaneateles in 1969 resulted in abandonment of track segments between the village and Skaneateles Falls, leaving Stauffer Chemical Company as the sole remaining customer. Stauffer acquired ownership of the railroad in 1974. Operations ended on July 15, 1981, after which the line was abandoned. Sections of the former railway corridor have since been converted into part of the Charlie Major Nature Trail.

External links

• Charlie Major Nature Trail