Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad
| Company type | Railroad company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | March 20, 1868 |
| Defunct | 1873 |
| Fate | Merged into New York and Canada Railroad |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Upstate New York |
The Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad was a railway enterprise from the 19th century that constructed two separate rail lines in Upstate New York but never operated them. Its objective to establish a connection between Whitehall, New York and Plattsburgh, New York was eventually fulfilled by its successor, the New York and Canada Railroad, albeit along a different path between Port Henry, New York and Plattsburgh. The northern stretch, running from Plattsburgh to Ausable, New York, was designated as the Ausable Branch under the Delaware and Hudson Railway until it was abandoned in 1981. Meanwhile, the southern portion extending from Port Henry to Ticonderoga, New York became part of the New York and Canada Railroad’s main line and currently belongs to the Canadian Pacific Kansas City's Canadian Subdivision.
History
Established on March 20, 1868, the Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad sought to link Plattsburgh—then the terminus of the Montreal and Plattsburgh Railroad—with Whitehall, which served as the northern endpoint of the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad. The intended route proceeded northward from Whitehall to Port Henry on Lake Champlain, then veered inland following the course of the Ausable River. Initial backing came from Clinton County Assemblyman Smith Mead Weed, although attempts to obtain public financing were unsuccessful.
By 1869, the company had completed construction of approximately from Plattsburgh to Ausable; this segment was leased to Montreal and Plattsburgh in 1870. Independently, it built about from Port Henry to Addison Junction near Ticonderoga in 1870. In an effort to prevent competition along Lake Champlain’s western side, the Rutland Railroad leased this southern line in 1871; later that year, control of the lease passed to the Vermont Central Railroad. The Rutland-controlled Addison Railroad (Vermont) established a connection across Lake Champlain near Ticonderoga in December 1871, linking with the southern portion of the Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad.
The initiative to develop a western Lake Champlain route was revived with the formation of the New York and Canada Railroad in March 1872, supported by the Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H), which had leased the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad in 1871. By early 1873, D&H secured leases for both Whitehall and Plattsburgh lines via New York and Canada, merging them alongside Montreal and Plattsburgh Railroad into a consolidated New York and Canada Railroad.
Due to engineering difficulties along Lake Champlain’s shoreline, D&H decided against following the original route along the Ausable River. The Ausable Branch remained under D&H control until its abandonment in 1981. The section between Ticonderoga and Port Henry continues to operate as part of Canadian Pacific Kansas City's Canadian Subdivision.
References
- Interstate Commerce Commission, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports., U.S. Government Printing Office, 1927, vol. 116
- Roberts, Earl and Stremes, David (eds.), Canadian Trackside Guide, Bytown Railroad Society, Ottawa, Ontario, 2023
- Shaughnessy, Jim, The Rutland Road, Howell-North Books, Berkeley, California, 1964
- Waller, Altina, "The Perils of Capitalism: Smith Weed and Entrepreneurship in Northern New York, 1864–1902," New York History, vol. 75, no. 2, 1994, pp. 173–208