The Route of the Orange Limiteds
By LLOYD E. KLOS
All photo's from Stephen D. Maguire
ONE of the fastest interurban lines ever to operate in New York State, was the Rochester & Eastern Rapid Railway, an electric trolley route which connected the Flower City on the banks of the Genesee River with Geneva, "Queen City of the Finger Lakes," on the shores of Seneca Lake.
In order to better acquaint the reader with the complete history of this line, an inclusion of the history of allied traction companies is necessary. On May 24, 1886 in the village of Canandaigua, New York, at the head of the lake of the same name, the Canandaigua Street Railway Company was chartered. The principal route was on Main Street. The line was 2½ miles in length, and was opened for service on October 1, 1887. A second route was built in 1889 when a &fac12;-mile branch was constructed out Mechanic and North Pleasant Streets to the fairgrounds. With 4 open cars for summer use, 4 closed cars, and 25 horses and mules, the lines served the village quite adequately. Of course, the rails were light—only 25 to 38 lbs. per yard, but the cars were not heavy either. A car barn was built on Phoenix Street, one block south of the Auburn and Northern Central Railroad Station.
At a 5¢ fare, the lines did a good business, hauling 172,565 passengers by July 1, 1890, and taking in $5,523.38, but expenses were $5,155.66 for a meager profit. Construction and cars had cost $32,700. The company suspended operations in July 1892, and on July 21, 1893, the franchise and rolling stock were sold for $33,000 to the Canandaigua Electric Light and Railroad Company. The next year, George C. Hull became trustee, and the company bought electric street cars and allied equipment. The track was replaced by 40-lb. rail, and on August 4, 1894, the trolleys began operating. There were 2 motor cars, 1 box car, 1 open bench car, and several trailers. The power plant was at Littleville, 5 miles from town.
By July 1, 1899, the electric cars had done better for the company, earning it a cash surplus of $1,292. A feature introduced by the company about this time, was a 15¢ pass, good for riding the cars all day on Sundays only. The company spent $38,749 on grading, new rails, and renovation of rolling stock. Also, the firm sold $29,000 in stock at $100 per share. Mr. T. H. Treary of Buffalo was president, and John H. Pardee of Canandaigua was treasurer and superintendent. The latter, as time proved, became an almost permanent fixture in the company, and later with the R & E as well.
On June 1, 1900, after several sales to individuals, the property was taken over by the Ontario Light and Traction Company. The Ontario Co. also owned the village gas company. The stage was now set for the entrance into the picture of the Rochester & Eastern Rapid Railway.
The R & E was organized on April 26, 1900. It was chartered on January 21, 1901. The road was capitalized for 500,000 shares. This was later raised to 1,500,000, all issued and delivered to the contractors. Most of the money was raised by Detroit capitalists and O. N. Crane of Canandaigua. A certificate of necessity was granted by the State Railroad Commission on October 1, 1901. Final approval to construct and operate was granted October 30, 1901 after much opposition, from the steam railroads.
Construction was begun in 1902, first grading being done north of Canandaigua on the Emerson farm, and on October 17, 1902, the road was finished as far as Victor. Passenger traffic was begun at this time, serving the territory between the two points. Building and equipment of the road was estimated at this time to cost about $2,000,000. Of this, the private right-of-way, with the exception of about ½ mile at Bushnell's Basin and in villages, cost $100,000.
Nothing was spared in the use of good materials in construction. The initial roadbed consisted of 80-lb. rail laid on 8-foot ties in gravel. Later, creosoted ties were used. For the wire-support system, cedar poles of 30 to 50 feet in height were used, with yellow pine crossarms and iron braces. A transmission line of 40,000 volts with Lock glass insulators tapped the feeder line every half-mile. Niagara power was purchased and distributed to sub-stations at Pittsford, Victor, Canandaigua, and Gates. A telephone line with twelve copper circuits paralleled the railway. Two bridges with approaches, each about 123 feet in length and New York State Railways Steel Car 157 at Rochester of the steel truss type were built over the Erie Canal east of Pittsford and at Bushnell's Basin. Placed on concrete foundations, another single span was erected over the canal at Rowlands, which is today the eastern terminus of the Rochester subway. The concrete abutments are still visible. Another bridge was built over the double-track Lehigh Valley Railroad near Victor.
In 1902, the R & E applied to the city of Canandaigua for a franchise to lay car tracks along the side of North Main Street from the railroad crossing to the city limits at the orphans' home to accommodate that portion of its route. The city refused, and haggled with the Eastern for some time as they didn't want the beautiful elms which shaded the street to be removed. Some folks objected to the electric cars, because they thought that the "current from the rails would kill the trees." Evidentally, some informer had spread vague rumor of the destructive power of electrolysis.
As a result of this, the Ontario Light and Traction Co. was leased to the R & E on October 17, 1903. The Canandaigua franchise to the R & E was not granted until 1904, with a clause that freight service should be confined to the hours of 9 P.M. to 9 A.M. However, the inter-urban abandoned its idea of side-of-the-street operation, and replaced the existing rails with heavier ones. The city service in Canandaigua declined soon after. In 1905, the fairgrounds line was abandoned, and the track to the city pier removed after that. A "franchise service" on Main Street was operated by the R & E, using one city car, and on July 31, 1930, this remaining city line was abandoned.
Early in 1903 when track-laying and grading was going on, the Comstock-Haight-Walker outfit was building the power house and shop at the foot of Main Street in Canandaigua. Mr. Comstock can be remembered as the builder of the famous Lake Shore Electric, the high speed interurban, running between Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio. The R & E powerhouse and 12-car barn adjoining was of red brick and steel construction. The former was 117 x 65 feet in length and width, and was 44 feet in height. The coal engine was built by the Quincy works of Quincy, Illinois. The electric converters, generators, etc. were built by Westinghouse which also equipped the four sub-stations.
Cars in the spring of 1903 ran between Victor and Canandaigua with passengers, and after some time, was extended to Fishers. Urban population served in 1903 totaled 189,000, and those in rural areas approximated 29,000. The contractors operated the line until July 1, 1904. They had carried to that date 396,468 passengers, and 4,802 tons of freight. Fare was 5¢ between Victor and Canandaigua. The section between Rochester and Victor was opened on November 15, 1903.
Among the few danger spots along the line were 5 railroad crossings, but there were only two sharp curves on the entire route, a factor which contributed greatly to the line's high speed. The company owned 13 acres of gravel pits at various locations along the road. The R & E had a total of 44.51 miles of track of which 2.98 were double-tracked. Only 3.5 miles of the entire route were not on its own right-of-way. The Rochester terminal was located at Court and Exchange Streets.
Following the work at Canandaigua and its attendant controversies, construction of the road continued southeastward, and on June 15, 1904, the road was completed as the first cars entered Geneva, rolled past the Agricultural Station, down Castle Street to the small station at Exchange Street. It was a great day in Geneva's history, as the completion of the road made the "big city" of Rochester much closer.
The initial rolling stock of the R & E was a group of 6 Stephenson cars, built in 1903. They were the latest in construction, and a pride to any road. They weighed 71,700 lbs.; were 50 feet, 9 inches in length; had four GE 75 HP motors; a gear ratio of 26:49, and a top speed of 55 MPH. The cars were painted dark green with gold piping. The letterboard bore the name "Rochester & Eastern Rapid Railway." Below the belt rail were names of cities and larger towns along the route. Beneath the center window, framed in gold, was the word "Interurban." While in their original state, the cars had a passenger entrance on each side at the rear, while the operator's door was on the right side in front. Each car had a smoking compartment. Inside, each car was finished with Mexican mahogany, and furnished with toilet rooms, water coolers, electric heaters, plush seats, and lights. The road numbers were 1 through 6.
In 1904, a famous event occurred which covered the R & E with much glory. For a considerable distance, the electric line paralleled the Auburn branch of the New York Central & Hudson River RR. Many people had wondered which was the faster means of travel. Therefore, a race was staged between a three-car passenger train on the Central, and an interurban on the R & E. Electricity proved the faster means of travel on that memorable day.
Six more cars were added to the fleet when patronage became heavier. They were numbered 150 through 155. They were easily distinguished from the earlier lot, as the new models had square windows all around, while the older ones had arch windows.
In 1909, the Rochester & Eastern Rapid Railway merged with other traction companies throughout the state to become the New York State Railways. As is customary when a new outfit takes control, changes took place on the R & E. The NYS Rwys. continued the lease of the Ontario Light & Traction in Canandaigua. The interurbans were repainted a bright orange with green piping. The lettering on the sides was changed.
Beneath the center window, and framed by an inverted triangle, appeared the words "New York State Rwys." The new road numbers appeared in lieu of the names of the cities and towns. The cars were reshopped, and among major changes was the elimination of the operator's door on the right side, and cutting of one on the left side.
In 1914, block signals were installed. As a result, the cars could easily make the run from Rochester to Geneva in 1 hour and 45 minutes. An unusual feature of the road was its maintenance of freight interchanges with steam railroads for carload freight traffic. The R & E connected with the New York Central at Pittsford, the Lehigh Valley at Victor, and the Pennsylvania at Seneca Castle. These facilities were never used to their full potential, due to lack of terminal locations and industrial sites.
Before the advent of the automobile and delivery truck, much package freight, perishable express, and fruit were handled by the R & E. The vineyards around Naples, and the Finger Lakes near the rail line provided much revenue during the harvest season. Of course, the big revenue came from the excursions which were promoted with feverish activity in both Rochester and Geneva. The promoters in Geneva proclaimed the beauties of the region, the recreational facilities; and steamboat rides. People flocked to Geneva by the thousands on weekends. Promoters in Rochester advertised the city's park system, its "miniature Coney Island" at Charlotte on Lake Ontario, the steamboat rides of that great excursion impressario, J. D. Scott. Space on the front dash of the interurban cars was even devoted to advertising, and one of the places in the Rochester area which was mentioned was the famous Natatorium at Sea Breeze Park which was a public swimming pool featuring violet-ray-treated salt water. This facility disappeared after the depression of the early 1930's set in.
In 1927, the Rochester subway was opened. This was a rapid transit route, which ran northwest to southeast across Rochester, and utilized the bed of the former Erie Canal. One of the reasons for building the subway was to get the heavy "interurban juggernauts" off the streets. However, it was not until October 1928 that the Rochester & Eastern cars began to use the subway, and only for a portion of the route. The eastern end of the subway ended at Elmwood Avenue in Brighton which was a considerable distance from the point where the R & E. crossed the old Erie Canal at Rowlands. Therefore, the Rochester terminus of the R & E became the City Hall Subway Station, and from there, the cars traveled the subway as far as Monroe Avenue, emerging from the underground on a ramp, and traveling over their original route for the remainder of the trip. When the subway was extended to the present Rowland loop, the cars stayed in the subway, and connected with the R & E tracks over an earthen incline beyond Rowlands. Incidentally, those connecting tracks with wire and supports are still in place, due to a land dispute. Also, the old R & E station at Rowlands is still there but never used.
When the automobile came into prominent use in the late 1920's and the depression reared its ugly head, traffic on the R & E fell off alarmingly. Two Sodus Bay cars, converted to one-man operation, were tried out on the R & E early in 1930 as an economy measure, but without success. The handwriting was already on the wall.
On July 31, 1930, after the last two-car train with passengers arrived at City Hall Subway station in Rochester, John Hope with another conductor and motorman left Rochester via the subway in an otherwise empty passenger car for Canandaigua where they arrived about 1 A.M., coupled onto the only remaining trolley on the line, and soon started back to Rochester. They stopped at Victor station for a short farewell celebration with the ticket agent who was closing up his books and station for the last time. They moved to Pittsford where the dispatcher was awake and waiting to say "good night" and "good-bye." Then the two cars rolled into Rochester, took the subway to Oak Street, turned, climbed the ramp to the surface, and then rolled out East Main Street to the car barns. Thus the last run of the Rochester & Eastern Rapid Railway had become history.
Bodies of the big interurban cars sold for $25 and $30 each, and some were moved to Creek Street in Penfield from the Blossom Road scrap yards of the New York State Railways. Two of the relics are still in use today—for other purposes than those for which they were intended. No. 151 is on the Dodd farm where it doubles as a laundry and storehouse. No. 162 is reposing on the Redder farm where it is used as a chicken coop. Others had dotted the nearby landscape for ten years or more until they were desecrated or burned by pranksters.
Some car bodies were burned at the Blossom Road yard in the spring of 1932. The track and overhead were not removed for two more years. Some parties became interested in reopening the line, using one-man lightweight cars, but lacked financial backing. The trolley, therefore, became a dead issue in the Finger Lake Region of New York State.
Author's Note: Much of the information appearing in this history was obtained from "Toonervilles of the Empire State" and "Interurbans of the Empire State" both by Felix E. Reifschneider, and from Electric Railway Journals. ERA members are advised that a new text is in preparation, dealing with the R & E. The author is William R. Gordon of Rochester, who was co-author of the "Royal Blue Line." The new book, to be ready for sale in a few months, will be as complete a text on the R & E that could be done by anyone. It will contain a history, map, intimate stories, timetable, pictures—just about everything a rail fan could want in a book of this kind. News of its sale will be announced as soon as it is ready.
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