Geneva and Lyons Railroad

Chartered on October 5, 1877, the Geneva and Lyons was built to improve the connections between the New York Central and the Syracuse, Geneva and Corning Railroad. The latter line was leased by the Fall Brook Coal Company, a major supplier of coal to the New York Central. The Fall Brook already connected to the Auburn Road of the New York Central at Geneva, but the new railroad allowed trains to run through Geneva directly to the main line of the New York Central at Lyons. This allowed the rerouting of coal traffic which was overloading the single track of the Auburn Road. Construction of the Geneva and Lyons was underway by the spring of 1878. The first passenger train over the railroad ran on November 11, 1878, and was operated by the Fall Brook, continuing south to Corning. and the Northern Central Railway also arranged for trackage rights over the railroad in 1878. The Geneva and Lyons was absorbed by the New York Central, which had operated it as a branch. The line was leased by the Fall Brook in 1893, but was itself taken over by the New York Central in 1899. ==References==