The Ontario Central Railroad is an American

class III railroad In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$5 ...

company operating in

Ontario County, New York Ontario County is a county in the U.S. State of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua. Ontario County is part of the Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2006, ''Progressive ...

. As of 2007, the ONCT has been under the ownership of the

Finger Lakes Railway The Finger Lakes Railway is a Class III railroad in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The company began operations on July 23, 1995, and operates in Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Ontario, Schuyler and Yates counties. The FGLK operates 18 diesel l ...

which is based in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake; all land portions of the city are within Ontario County; the water portions are in Seneca County. The population was 13, ...

.STB Decision 10/05/2007 - FD_35062_0
/ref>Finger Lakes Railway System Map
Retrieved Mar. 17, 2018.Bloomberg - Company Overview of Ontario Central Railroad Corporation
Retrieved Mar. 17, 2018. The ONCT was formed from an approximate 13 mile section of the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

mainline from

Shortsville, New York Shortsville, officially the Village of Shortsville, is a village in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 1,439 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census. Shortsville encompasses the southwestern part of the Town of Manchester and ...

Victor, New York Victor is an incorporated town in Ontario County, New York. The population was 15,969 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Claudius Victor Boughton, an American hero of the War of 1812. The Town of Victor contains a village, ...

as well as a short section of the New York Central's Auburn Road in Victor.The Greater Rochester Railfan Page - Ontario Central Railroad
Retrieved Mar. 17, 2018. This trackage was saved by the actions of the communities it serves. The plan for forming Conrail involved the abandonment of all the trackage that became the ONCT; but several rail customers wanted to keep rail service. With the building of a short connection from the LV to NYC trackage in Victor and an interchange in Shortsville, the ONCT began operating the rail lines in 1979; before which Conrail was obligated to do so as the designated operator. Throughout the years, the ONCT has had a number of customers; but Victor Insulators, Inc. has been there from the beginning and was still receiving service as of 2019. This particular section in the Victor area may eventually be removed, though, per recent meetings between the Village of Victor, Town of Victor, Ontario County and Finger Lakes Railway.Village of Victor, Board of Trustees, August 19, 2019 meeting minutes
Retrieved Apr. 2, 2022. Other customers include, or have been, Ryan Homes, Iron City Sash & Door and others. The sole interchange for the ONCT has been in Shortsville, where Conrail constructed an interchange with the former Auburn Road of the NYC. From the beginning the ONCT was a member of the "Ontario Lines" family of shorts lines in New York State until 1993. Other members included the Ontario Midland Railroad and the Ontario Eastern Railroad. In 1998, the

Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad The Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad is a short line railroad that operates in Livingston County and Monroe County in New York, United States. The railroad interchanges with CSX at Genesee Junction in Chili, New York, the Rochester and Sou ...

bought a controlling interest in the ONCT. Then, in October 2007, the LAL sold the ONCT to the

Locomotive roster

Below is a list of locomotives that were operated by the Ontario Central Railroad, all

Alco The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

. * #14 was an Alco S-2 built in 1947, formerly Buffalo Creek (BCK) #46. It was transferred to Ontario Central (ONCT) by RSA Leasing (a lineside community based in Syracuse, New York) after being leased to the New York & Lake Erie Railroad. The locomotive was renumbered Engine #14.RR Picture Archives, Photo of OMID #46, December 31, 1985
Retrieved Mar. 21, 2022.RR Picture Archives, Photo of ONCT #14, June 4, 1984
Retrieved Mar. 24, 2022. * #86 (later #418) was an Alco RS-36 built in 1962, formerly

Norfolk & Western The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisi ...

(N&W) #2865. It was originally owned by the New York, Chicago & St.Louis (Nickel Plate Road (NKP)) as Engine #865.RR Picture Archives, Photo of ONCT #418, July 1, 2002
Retrieved Apr. 2, 2022. Note: Some locomotives of the Ontario Lines may have been operated by other affiliates for a short period of time. What is generally listed are the primary operators during their ownerships.

Ontario Lines Affiliated Companies

* Ontario Midland Railroad (OMID) * Ontario Central Railroad (ONCT) * Ontario Eastern Railroad (ONER) * Jersey Southern Railway (JSRW) * Allegheny Southern Railway (ASRW) * Rail Services Associates, Inc. (later Rail Management Services, Inc.)

References

External links

Rochester-Railfan.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ontario Central Railroad New York (state) railroads Spin-offs of Conrail