The New York, Ontario, and Western Railway

Description

Postcard History Series: The New York, Ontario, and Western Railway

By: Joe Bux with the Ontario and Western Railway Historical Society

The New York, Ontario and Western Railway was the first class-one railroad in the United States to be abandoned in its entirety. Whereas other rail lines were closed gradually, the federal government closed down the railroad on March 29, 1957, for its failure to pay employee withholding taxes. The railroad went into bankruptcy in 1937 after its main shipping commodity, coal, was rapidly replaced by oil for home heat. As time passed, the interest in this abandoned railroad grew, and much of the company’s records have been recovered and preserved. Today, with 750 members, the Ontario and Western Railway Historical Society Archives Center houses this unique corporate record collection. In addition, there are extensive private collections of everything from locomotives, passenger cars, lanterns, and tools to company passes and railroad police memorabilia.

Joe Bux has had a lifelong interest in trains. He joined the Ontario and Western Railway Historical Society in 1970, became its first archivist, and acquired and catalogued much of the society’s present collection. He has served as the society’s chairman of the board of trustees for the last 10 years.