Albany and Susquehanna Railroad
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The Albany and Susquehanna Railroad (A&S) was a
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
railroad from Albany to
Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
, operating 1851 to 1870. It was subsequently leased by the
Delaware and Hudson Canal Company The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP operates D&H ...
and later merged into the
Delaware and Hudson Railroad The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP operates D&H ...
.


History

Construction began on April 19, 1851, from Albany to
Schoharie Junction, New York Schoharie may refer to: *Schoharie County, New York, USA **Schoharie (town), New York, in the above county *** Schoharie (village), New York, in the above town *Schoharie Creek, a stream in upstate New York, USA **Schoharie Valley The Schoharie Va ...
, a stretch that required 12 years to complete. In 1869, the line was extended to Binghamton, lengthening the railroad to .


A&S vs. Erie railroad war

A relatively small road, the A&S connected with four larger ones heading south to the Pennsylvania coal mines. One of these was the
Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
, owned by financier
Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made hi ...
, who realized that the A&S might be used to bring coal to
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
markets. He decided to add the A&S line to the Erie. In the summer of 1869, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk began to buy up shares in A&S, aiming to accumulate a controlling interest and install their own people to the board and take over. A&S president
Joseph H. Ramsey Joseph Henry Ramsey (January 29, 1816 – May 12, 1894) was an American lawyer, railroad executive and politician from New York (state), New York. Life Joseph H. Ramsey was born in Sharon, New York on January 29, 1816, the son of Rev. Frederick ...
reacted by issuing to his supporters thousands of shares that had been sitting on the company's books. Ramsey then had the books spirited from his office and buried in the Albany Cemetery. Incensed, Gould and Fisk had him suspended as president of the A&S by a judge they controlled on the New York State Supreme Court,
George G. Barnard George Gardner Barnard (c. 1829 Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York – April 27, 1879 New York City) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was one of only four people ever tried by the New York Court for the Trial of Impe ...
. Gould and Fisk also conspired to falsely arrest Ramsey, Henry Smith, William L. M. Phelps, and
Robert H. Pruyn Robert Hewson Pruyn (February 14, 1815 – February 26, 1882) was an American lawyer, militia general, diplomat, and politician from Albany, New York. He was most notable for his service as Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Adjutant Gene ...
, the latter three of whom were also executives associated with the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad. Ramsey applied to Albany judge
Rufus W. Peckham Rufus W. Peckham (November 8, 1838 – October 24, 1909) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1895 to 1909, and is the mo ...
, both sides trying to force the A&S into the control of a partisan recipient. Peckham succeeded, getting his order in first by a matter of minutes. Fisk stormed the office of the A&S in Albany with hired thugs; he was taken to a police station by an A&S employee masquerading as a policeman. As soon as he was free from jail, Fisk returned to the A&S headquarters with a restraining order signed by Judge Barnard and a new set of thugs. They took over the A&S station at Binghamton, stole a train, and set off down the line to Albany, seizing stations as they went. A&S men flipped a switch to derail the cars. Fisk and his recruits met their adversaries, the men of the A&S, in a tunnel near Harpursville, where they attacked each other with all manner of weapons until the governor ordered state militia to take charge of the road.
John Pierpont Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became kno ...
, who had arranged a $500,000 mortgage for the road and been appointed a trustee, arrived in New York on September 1 and was recruited by Ramsey's supporters. In the name of Dabney, Morgan bought six hundred shares of A&S and made contact with all the shareholders loyal to Ramsey, ensuring that they or their proxies would be present at the annual meeting held in Albany on September 7. Personally supervising the voting, Morgan was elected a vice-president and director of the road. Gould and Fisk counteracted by voting in their own men in separate elections. The case reached the New York State Supreme Court which ruled in favour of the Ramsey group's elections. On February 24, 1870, Morgan leased the A&S to the
Delaware and Hudson Canal Company The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP operates D&H ...
for 99 years, taking the company out of play. On July 2, 1945, the company was merged into the
Delaware and Hudson Railroad The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP operates D&H ...
. In 2003, Canadian Pacific proposed to abandon the 9.8-mile branch section from
Voorheesville, New York Voorheesville is a village within the town of New Scotland in Albany County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany and part of the city's historic metropolitan area. The population was 2,789 at the 2010 census. The village is named ...
, to Albany. Albany County filed a
railbanking Railbanking is the act of preserving railroad rights-of-way for possible future use. Railbanking leaves the rail corridor, railbed, bridges or bridge right-of-way, and other infrastructure intact. This relieves the railroad's operator from the res ...
application, and purchased the right-of-way in 2009.


See also

*
Erie War The Erie War was a 19th-century conflict between American financiers for control of the Erie Railway Company, which owned and operated the Erie Railroad. Built with public funds raised by taxation and on land donated by public officials and priva ...
* Railroad Wars


References

* * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Albany and Susquehanna Railroad Defunct New York (state) railroads House of Morgan Predecessors of the Delaware and Hudson Railway Railway companies established in 1851 Railway companies disestablished in 1945 Railroad Wars 6 ft gauge railways in the United States 1851 establishments in New York (state)