Olean, Oswayo & Eastern Railroad

OLEAN OSWAYO & EASTERN RAILROAD

Some railroads are called short lines, and, well, 57 miles is not what you might call short. The NYP, a short line by some standards, started at a junction with the Erie RR at Canisteo, NY and ran southwest into Pennsylvania, sweeping down into Potter County along the Oswayo Valley and then up again enter NY at Ceres. It there connected with the Pittsburg , Shawmut & Northern. You might wonder what kept this RR in business if you traverse the right of way that the railroad traveled. In it’s infancy it served sawmills, tanneries, barrel head and stave factories, chemical factories, glass works and a fine agricultural region. The area was generous in timber.

Three different enterprises that had laid plans but not track into Potter County . The only penetration into the county was in 1890 when Wellsville interests spread the Wellsville, Coudersport & Pine Creek railroad track.

One of the leading citizens of the Oswayo Valley was William W. Crittenden a lumber operator and land owner. He also had interest in a large tannery at Oswayo and involved in the sawmills at Ellisburg. He knew that a railroad had to be built to prosper all of his enterprises. In 1893 construction started & followed the west branch of the Genesee River out of the village of Genesee to Ellisburg, then on to Rose Lake . The following year the railroad reached Oswayo. Oswayo became a thriving town with about 1500 residents.

The O.O.&E. Railroad had three locomotives over it’s years of life.

In 1895, the backers of the O.O.&E., which now included businessmen from Whitesville and Greenwood , namely the Cobbs, decided to construct their railroad east out of Genesee towards Hornellsville. After much previous disappointment with the short-lived Rochester , Hornellsville & Pine Creek Railroad in the 1870’s which did construct roadbed as far south as Rexville and then died, the area was finally going to see a railroad. Arrive the NYP RR.

FROM BOLIVAR BREEZE:

July 9, 1895

Oswayo - Another railroad rumor is on the wing. This time it concerns the Fall Brook line. The report is that Gen. Magee's line is to be extended from Mills, Potter county, to Olean, via Genesee Forks, Stone Dam, the Honeoye Valley, Shingle House, Ceres and Portville. A man who claimed to know what he was talking about, stated that the engineer corps would start out in a few days.

There is no longer any doubt about the extension of the Olean, Oswayo & Eastern railroad from Genesee Forks to Canisteo, a distance of 30 miles. The right of way is all secured and nine miles of grading is finished. The work of laying ties and iron will begin about July 20.

The extension will be known as the New York & Pennsylvania, with a charter of its own and a separate set of officials. It will be operated in connection with the O.O. & E., Hornellsville, four miles west of Canisteo, wants to be the terminal of the new road, but up to date has not bid high enough.