| Manchester Yard Timeline |
| 1891 |
LVRR Geneva to Buffalo mainline built |
| 1892 |
VanEtten Junction to Buffalo mainline open;
2nd track completed |
| 1895 |
Manchester roundhouse damaged by fire, rebuilt,
and new oil house built |
| 1896 |
May 18 - Black Diamond passenger train first run |
| 1912 |
Two 100,000 gallon steel water tanks installed;
Steam pumping plant replaced with electric |
| 1913 |
A concrete and steel transfer facility of 200
car capacity is built; Entire mainline equipped
with telephone train dispatching lines |
| 1916 |
New engine terminal and a 30 stall fireproof engine
house with a 100' turntable built; Machine shop
and power plant installed |
| 1918 |
Locomotive coaling station built, including coal
crushing and mixing plant |
| 1927 |
Additional tracks added to yard |
| 1970 |
Jobs are ended in the classification yard |
| 1976 |
Merger of seven northeast railroads into Conrail |
| 1979 |
Ontario County purchased Manchester to Victor
rights; Leased to Ontario Central RR |
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The Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad began in the coal fields of Mauch
Chunk (later Jim Thorpe), Pennsylvania. Anthracite coal lay
close to the surface and could be mined by hand with pick
and shovels. The nearby Lehigh River offered transportation
downstream to the markets of New York City and Philadelphia.
Development of a good regional network of coal companies,
canals, and railroads led to the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The
desire to reach the western markets of the Great Lakes led
to a mainline stretching 200 miles across upstate New York
and other branches serving central New York and the Southern
Tier.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad in New York State
Using the lands of the Morris Canal Company and other
acquisitions, the LVRR developed many harborfront facilities
in NY Harbor and most of the boroughs. A fleet of tugs serviced
New York City's docks. In 1895, the LVRR-controlled trains
reached Waverly, NY. Coal and freight was transferred to the
wide gauge cars of the Erie Railroad for the trip west to
Buffalo. The arrival of LVRR trains in Buffalo over Erie trackage
in 1876 signaled the start of a significant investment in
lakefront development and the start of a Great Lakes shipping
fleet. The 1870s saw the LVRR grow to include the Southern
Central from Waverly to Owego and Auburn and reaching Lake
Ontario at Fairhaven. Another branch connected Elmira, Ithaca,
Cortland, Cazenovia, and Camden. Rochester, Hemlock, Naples,
and Seneca Falls were served by other branches. In 1918, LVRR
passenger trains began using Penn Station.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad in Manchester
Manchester served as a division point and car classification
yard from the day the New York State mainline opened on September
1, 1892. As a division point, crews and locomotives were exchanged.
Freight cars were switched from track to track, organizing
them for delivery to their destinations. Support services
included the 30-stall roundhouse, the coaling stations, facilities
for ash removal, track maintenance, car repair, a control
tower, the yard office, an ice house, and the bunkhouse-restaurant.
In 1913, a freight transfer facility was build for less-than-carload
(LCL) lots.
The Railworker
Railroading has always been a special kind of dangerous job.
With the prestige of working for a railroad came the daily
dangers. Injuries and death were always feared. The heavy
weight of all railroad items and the speed of the trains created
an atmosphere where all employees had to be alert at all times.
Male and female employees worked at all kinds of jobs. All
kinds of physical and mental skills were needed. There are
nearly 100 job descriptions associated with railroading. A
suitable memorial to the Lehigh Valley railworkers will be
designed and placed at the park in the future.
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