Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | New York |
| Dates of operation | 1842–1891 |
The Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad, commonly known as The Hojack Line, operated along the south shore of Lake Ontario, from Niagara Falls, New York to Oswego, New York. Different segments of the line were abandoned at different times. In various areas the defunct railroad's right of way is in use by other railroads, such as the Somerset Railroad.
History
That part known as the Hojack was started by the Lake Ontario Shore Rail Road (LOSRR). The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg (RW&O) starded out in 1842 as the Watertown & Rome. The Watertown & Rome was built to link Watertown with Rome, New York on the Utica and Syracuse Railroad (U&S). The U&S was one of the original roads to consolidate into the New York Central in 1853.
Around the time of the NYC conoalidation another railroad came into being, the Watertown and Potsdam Railroad. This obviously was to link Watertown with Potsdam, New York in St. Lawrence County near Massena. In 1861 these two railroads mergred into the Rome, Watertown & Ogdenburg.
A branch line from DeKalb Junction (near Canton, New York) to Ogdensburg was laid. In 1864 the RW&O laid a line from Pulaski to Oswego and mergred the Syracuse and Northern Railroad. In 1858 the Lake Ontario Shore Rail Road was charterd from Oswego to Suspension Bridge, then an independent village in Niagara County, New York, but now part of the City of Niagara Falls, New York.
In 1870 this company was only running from Oswego to a nearby community called Hannibal. This was nearly considerd a disaster in potential on-line communties. For example the township of Newfane, in Niagara County, invested $100,000 in bonds in the LOSRR. The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg ever-seeking expansion mergred the LOSRR and finished the line to Suspension Bridge by 1875.
Eventually existing towns like Sodus in Wayne County would prosper and towns like Barker, New York, in eastern Niagara County would be born. But it had driven the RW&O to bankruptcy.
The RW&O earned the name, according to Spike System's Webville & Hypertext RR, "Rotten Wood & Old Rusty Rails". Intrestingly in 1872 the RW&O took over the Black River and Utica Railroad. The Black River flows from the Adirondack Mountains through Watertown to Sackets Harbor, New York. By 1878 the RW&O ended up in the hands of the management of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The DL&W's management only cared about the DL&W and left the RW&O to die, so to speak.
By 1882 the RW&O was in good hands. The new owners built the Ontario Secondary (Beebee line) from Charlotte, New York (where the Genesee River flows into Lake Ontario) to Rochester, New York which the Hojack missed. But the new management wasn't enough to save the RW&O. In 1891 the RW&O became a subsidary of the New York Central. On April 12, 1913 the RW&O was formally mergred into the NYC.
Infrastructure
The RW&O had terminals in Suspension Bridge, Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Natural Bridge, Massena, Ogdensburg, Clayton, Cape Vincent and Sacket's Harbour. Today, former RW&O trackage is operated by CSX (CSXT), Ontario Midland Railroad (OMID), and the Mohawk, Adirondack and Northern Railroad (MHWA).
Origin of the name Hojack
Hojack originated from the engineer of the first train, who was named Jack Welch (often called "Big Jack"). Welch used to be a farmer and was more familliar with horses than steam locomotives. When he stopped the trains he would shout "Whoa Jack!". This became Hojack over time.