Schenectady–Saratoga Springs The oldest part of the Canadian Subdivision is the line south from
Saratoga Springs, New York, towards
Schenectady, New York. The
Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad was incorporated in 1831, making it one of the
oldest railroads in North America. The line between Schenectady and Saratoga Springs via
Ballston Spa, New York, was completed in 1833. The
Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad leased the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad on January 1, 1851; the
Delaware and Hudson Railway leased both companies on May 1, 1871.
Saratoga Springs–Whitehall The
Saratoga and Washington Railroad was chartered in 1834 to build north from Saratoga Springs to
Whitehall, New York. The
Panic of 1837 interrupted the development of the property, and original line was not completed until August 15, 1848. The company was reorganized as the
Saratoga and Whitehall Railroad on June 8, 1855, which was in turn leased by the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad on March 14, 1865.
Whitehall–Plattsburgh The first serious attempt to build a railroad along the west coast of
Lake Champlain was made by the
Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad, incorporated in 1868. That company planned a route via the
Ausable River, most of which was never built. The D&H-backed
New York and Canada Railroad, incorporated in 1873, completed the line between Whitehall and Plattsburgh on November 29, 1875.
Plattsburgh–Canada Junction The
Plattsburgh and Montreal Railroad was incorporated in 1850 to construct, with two Canadian companies, a new route between
Plattsburgh, New York, and
Montreal. The company opened a line between Plattsburgh and
Mooers on July 26, 1852. The line passed to the
New York and Canada Railroad in 1873 and the D&H in 1908. The southern part of the line, between Plattsburgh and Canada Junction, is now part of the Canadian Subdivision. The D&H abandoned the northern part of the line in 1925.
Canada Junction–Rouses Point On the completion of the line to Plattsburgh in 1875, D&H trains used the original Plattsburgh and Montreal Railroad line to Mooers, and then the
Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad to
Rouses Point, New York. The New York and Canada constructed a cutoff from
Chazy, New York, to Rouses Point, which opened on September 18, 1876.
Rouses Point–Canadian border From Rouses Point, trains reached Canada over the tracks of the
Grand Trunk Railway. In 1906 the D&H established a Canadian subsidiary, the
Napierville Junction Railway, to construct a new, shorter route that would connect with the
Canadian Pacific Railway at
Delson. The Napierville Junction Railway built up to the Canadian border, while the New York and Canada built a connecting track up from Rouses Point. This new line opened on May 20, 1907. == Operations ==