Auburn and Northern Electric Railroad

Auburn and Northern Electric Railroad
Overview
Locale	New York, USA
Dates of operation	1904 (chartered); 1908–1931
Predecessor	Auburn and Syracuse Electric Railroad
Successor	Empire United Railways; Rochester and Syracuse Railroad

Chartered in 1904^[1] by the Beebe Syndicate,^[2] the Auburn and Northern Electric Railroad connected the city of Auburn, New York with the Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern Railroad at Port Byron, New York to the north. The New York Board of Railroad Commissioners authorized construction and a $1 million mortgage to the A&N in 1905 so it could build 12 miles (19 km) of track between Auburn and Port Byron.^[3]^[4] Lease of the line to be used by A&N was negotiated at an Auburn and Syracuse Electric Railroad stockholders' meeting in May 1907.^[5]

Construction of the line was contested by the Lehigh Valley Railroad who initiated a frog war when the A&N tried to build a crossing at its tracks; the A&N obtained an injunction and continued building.^[6] The railroad began operation in 1908.^[7]^[8] Lehigh Valley Railroad kept the crossing as a point of contention with an order from the railroad commission in 1909 requiring the A&N to install and operate derails at the crossing.^[9]

In 1913, it was consolidated with the RS&E and the Syracuse, Lake Shore and Northern Railroad to form Empire United Railways.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]

A short-lived union, the new company encountered financial trouble in 1916 and the RS&E was reorganized as the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad. The A&N and the SLS&N were reorganized as the Empire State Railway in 1917 after Beebe Syndicate control came to an end. The A&N entered receivership in 1928.^[14]^[15] The R&S leased the former A&N starting in 1931 until the end of all service that June.^[16]

References

^ "Notes of Electrical Lines". Buffalo Evening News (Main ed.). Buffalo, NY. November 8, 1904. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "New Auburn Electric Road". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY. September 15, 1904. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "New Electric Road". Buffalo Courier. Buffalo, NY. March 2, 1905. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Roads Can Issue Necessary Mortgage Bonds By Consent". Buffalo Times. Buffalo, NY. May 28, 1905. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "To the Stockholders of the Auburn & Syracuse Electric Railroad". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. May 24, 1907. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lehigh Valley Blocked Auburn & Northern". Buffalo Evening News (Main ed.). Buffalo, NY. October 28, 1907. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
^ MacFarlane 2010, p. 149.
^ "(untitled)". Star-Gazette. Elmira, NY. April 16, 1908. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "(untitled)". The Buffalo Enquirer. Buffalo, NY. May 29, 1909. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Application Made for Traction Combine". Dunkirk Evening Observer. Dunkirk, NY. January 23, 1913. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "(untitled)". Wall Street Journal. New York, NY. February 19, 1913. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Trolley Consolidation". The Buffalo Commercial. January 23, 1913. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Up-State Traction Merger". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 23, 1913. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Ask Receiver for A.&N". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, NY. June 29, 1928. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bank Would Take Over Rail Lines". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY. June 28, 1928. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
^ MacFarlane 2010, pp. 152–153.

MacFarlane, James R. (2010). Travelectric: The Story of the Rochester, Syracuse & Eastern Railroad and Associated Lines. Chicago, Illinois: Central Electric Railfans Association. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-915348-43-5.