Volume I of The Syracuse Branch examines a century of history of the predecessor lines as well as the
eventual control by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, in the period from the 1830’s
through the 1930’s, that eventually resulted in the creation of the DL&W/EL’s Syracuse Branch. As such,
volume I is filled with text, maps, newspaper articles, government reports, court cases, advertisements,
time tables, post cards and other items of the sort one would expect in an historical text covering the
construction and operation of the line as well as the customers and their diverse traffic which supported
the enterprise. .
The development of the line between Binghamton and Syracuse and on to Oswego is described
through the activities of the Syracuse, Cortland & Binghamton, the Syracuse & Binghamton, the Syracuse
& Southern, Syracuse, Binghamton & New York, Oswego & Syracuse and Union Railroad. And then
there was the DL&W seeking a Great Lakes outlet for its branded “Scranton Coal” with a focus on the
closest lake port to its anthracite properties, the Port of Oswego, as well as an outlet to the Erie Canal and
the salt producing industry of Syracuse. To that purpose, DL&W assembled and controlled a route from
Binghamton to Syracuse and on to the Port of Oswego.
Along the way were connections with the Port Dickinson & Chenango River, Lehigh Valley, Erie &
Central New York, Syracuse & Baldwinsville, New York Central and NYO&W.
The presence of Syracuse supported a passenger service offering Pullman sleeper service to Hoboken
and Philadelphia. The Interstate Express operated over the line for decades.
For almost half a century, the Syracuse Branch and the neighboring Utica Branch formed the bedrock
of DL&W’s milk business. Eventually, the Sheffield creamery at Homer was both the largest creamery on
the railroad and the longest lasting with piggyback flats carrying trailer loads of milk to Hoboken.
(Described in volume II.).
Steam power was camelback 4-4-0’s and 4-6-0’s succeeded by small 2-6-0’s and 2-8-0’s until various
classes of 4-6-2’s took over the passenger service while demoted 2100 class 2-8-2’s took over the through
freight assignments and were soon joined by displaced 2200 class 2-8-2’s...
But the history of the Syracuse Branch is not a totally “dry affair”. There were incidents of humor and
notoriety as well and they serve to periodically disrupt the stream of historical facts and enliven the
narrative.
There was the time on the Erie & Central New York Railway in 1901 (The line was sold to DL&W in
1904 and became the Cincinnatus Branch) when a creamery employee inadvertently filled the railroad’s
water tank at the Cincinnatus terminal of the branch with sour milk. One can appreciate the difficulty the
engine crew experienced making the subsequent 19-mile run from Cincinnatus to Cortland Jct.
Then there was the DL&W camelback engineer who detected a problem with his locomotive and
decided to deal with the problem out on the road. He disappeared from his usual post between two
stations and when he showed up, the fireman learned he had been underneath the engine while they were
running at speed.
Of course there was the little brouhaha between DL&W and the Common Council of the City of
Oswego. Seems the Council had given DL&W permission to lay track on a city street to reach its coal
terminal but with the proviso that said permission could be withdrawn at the pleasure of the Council.
DL&W had accepted the terms and everything was fine for about three decades until the blocking of
traffic by coal trains became a nuisance. So, in 1901, the Council exerted its authority and declared the
