Predecessors On the west side of
New York, the oldest corporate predecessor of the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway was the
Hudson River West Shore Railroad. This company was incorporated on September 16, 1867. It built no track before being merged into the
West Shore Hudson River Railroad on March 31, 1868. That company had been incorporated on October 28, 1867. It likewise built no track before being merged into the
New York, West Shore and Chicago Railroad on July 21, 1877. New York, West Shore and Chicago Railroad was incorporated on July 13, 1870. Unlike its predecessors, it did undertake some construction work before being sold at foreclosure on February 7, 1879. On the east side of New York, the
Jersey City and Albany Railroad and its successor the
Jersey City and Albany Railway had completed a line between
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, where it connected with the
New Jersey Midland Railway; and
Haverstraw, New York. The
North River Railway, incorporated on April 3, 1880, began building north from the end of the Jersey City and Albany Railway's line. The two companies were consolidated on May 5, 1881, to create the
North River Railroad. That company was leased by the
New York, Ontario and Western Railway.
Construction The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway was incorporated on February 18, 1880. It acquired the New York, West Shore and Chicago Railroad on August 27. The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway was consolidated with the North River Railroad on June 14, 1881; the new company kept the name New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway. Its planned route ran parallel to the main line of the
New York Central and Hudson River Railroad across
Upstate New York. In Buffalo, it would connected with the
Nickel Plate Road. The new company was able to attract powerful investors who were unaffiliated with the New York Central, including
Edward Francis Winslow and
George M. Pullman. Construction proceeded and in total the company built between 1881 and 1883. Starting from Haverstraw, the company built to
Buffalo, New York. West of Schenectady, the line generally followed the south bank of the
Mohawk River and then the
Erie Canal. In
New Jersey, the company built a line south to
Weehawken, on the
Hudson River. This line included the
Weehawken Tunnel, bored through
Bergen Hill. Between
Coxsackie, New York, and
Fullers, New York, the company's line followed the former line of the
Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad, then the Athens Branch of the
New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway leased this line on December 2, 1881. In addition to its main line the company had two branch lines. One, the Kenwood Branch, extended from
Ravena, New York, to
Kenwood, on the south side of Albany, where it connected with the
Delaware and Hudson Railway. The other was a line from
Cornwall, New York, to
Middletown, New York, built under contract by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway.
New York Central control The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad took steps to defend itself against this new competitor. In 1882, it had its
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway subsidiary acquire control of the Nickel Plate, depriving the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway of its connection west of Buffalo. Believing that its rival the
Pennsylvania Railroad was involved with the West Shore, the New York Central also backed the creation of the
Beech Creek Railroad and
South Pennsylvania Railroad, direct competitors to the Pennsylvania Railroad. Concerned by the fractious competition, the financier
J. P. Morgan brokered an agreement between the Pennsylvania and New York Central. The Pennsylvania acquired the Beech Creek and South Pennsylvania, while the New York Central took stock control of the reorganized
West Shore Railroad. The branch line between Cornwall and Middleton was conveyed to the New York, Ontario and Western Railway. == Notes ==