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Private company

Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad

American railroad company

The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad was a railroad company that formerly operated in western and north central Pennsylvania and western New York. It was created in 1893 by the merger and consolidation of several smaller logging railroads. It operated independently until 1929, when a majority of its capital stock was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1893Founded1

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St. Nicholas (serial) (1873) (14597288698)
Photo: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad was a railroad company that formerly operated in western and north central Pennsylvania and western New York. It was created in 1893 by the merger and consolidation of several smaller logging railroads. It operated independently until 1929, when a majority of its capital stock was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. At the same time, the B&O also purchased control of the neighboring Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway. The Baltimore and Ohio officially took over operations of both roads in 1932.2

Acquisitions

In 1885 Frank H. Goodyear, a Buffalo lumber and fuel dealer, bought thousands of acres of virgin Hemlock timberland in north-central Pennsylvania. Up until the 1880s, the lumber industries mostly avoided Hemlock, due to its ring shaking and high knot content, instead choosing to go after the more solid Pine and Spruce forests. But with most of the other local competing softwoods forests already denuded, there was now a growing local demand for the cheaper Hemlock. At the same time, the lack of good waterways to float the lumber to the mills made this location less than ideal for standard operations by experienced lumber operators of the time.

To extract the lumber from his new investment, Goodyear first organized the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad. This line ran from Keating Summit, Pennsylvania, on the Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia Railroad (later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad) to his sawmill in Austin, Pennsylvania. The Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad ran from Keating Summit (Forest House) east to a switchback and then south down the north branch of Freeman Run toward Austin.

The Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad opened officially as a common carrier on December 14, 1885. Although most of the lumber railroads of the time and area were 3-footers (narrow gauge), Goodyear used his foresight in building his logging railroads of permanent quality to a standard gauge and laid with 70 pound rail, which really paid off in the future. In Austin, Goodyear built a huge sawmill, and brought all his timber here by rail to get cut. Then in 1886 he extended the line 13 miles (21 km) south to Costello, Pennsylvania, where there was a large sole leather tannery. The leather tanneries used the hemlock bark, which was a by-product of the saw mills, to create tannin. This allowed him to benefit greatly by supplying one industry with the waste product of another.

In 1887 he joined with his brother to create the firm of F. H. & C. W. Goodyear. In the end, it was this firm that owned most of the properties, mills, railroads, locomotives and multiple other assets. Starting in 1891, the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad was extended north west up past Galeton, all the way to Ansonia, where it connected with the Fall Brook Railway. To get here, the railroad had to cross a large ridge. To accomplish this, the railroad built four large switchbacks, instead of tunnels. This may have been acceptable thinking at the time, as the line was still primarily a logging railroad, where switchbacks were quite common. These switchbacks limited trains to 15 cars.

Read the full text

Starting in the early 1890s, an initiative was started to build a number of smaller lines linking the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad at Costello, up to Galeton and east to Ansonia. At this point that there already was a narrow-gauge line running from Galeton north east up to Addison. The Addison and Pennsylvania Railway was started in 1882 from Addison, reaching Gaines and Galeton by 1885.

In 1891, The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad Company (of 1891) was started in Galeton and headed south west 14 miles (23 km) to Cherry Springs, Pennsylvania. Cherry Springs is at the top of the hill, between both sets of switchbacks.

At the same time, in 1891, the Susquehanna Railroad Company connected the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad at Costello, heading north east to Hull, 14 miles (23 km) away. This line went from Costello, south to Wharton, then north east up to Conrad. Conrad was Hull Station.

Both of those lines were completed by 1893, when the Cherry Springs Railroad Company was created and completed the connection of 9 miles (14 km) from Hull to about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Cherry Springs, Pennsylvania. The Cherry Springs Railroad literally connected the 14-mile (23 km) Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad (of 1891) with the 14-mile (23 km) Susquehanna Railroad. This connecting line proceeded north west from Conrad, up the hill, to just past the first switchback, to the top of the hill, at Cross Fork Junction.

The Cross Fork Railroad Company connected here at the top of the hill, and proceeded 13 miles (21 km) back down the hill, south, to the logging boom town of Cross Fork. Cross Fork grew quickly to have 2500 residents at its peak.

Started in 1892, the Coudersport and Wellsboro Railroad Company (not to be confused with the Wellsville, Coudersport, and Pine Creek) was now finished in 1893, building east from Galeton to Ansonia, Pennsylvania, where it connected with the Fall Brook Railway.

In 1893, now that all the little lines were finished, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad (of 1893) was created as a result of the merger of the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad Company (of 1891), the Susquehanna Railroad, the Cherry Springs Railroad, and the Cross Fork Railroad.

At this point, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad's main line now started with a connection with the Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia Railroad at Keating Summit, utilizing a small switchback it proceeded south east, past Austin and Costello, where at Wharton the line proceeded northeast up the grade. About 14 miles (23 km) south of Galeton, four large switchbacks were required to get over the ridge and into Galeton. The mainline continued past Galeton and made a connection with the Fall Brook Railroad at Ansonia. The main offices for the Buffalo and Susquehanna assumed the old offices of the Sinnemahoning Valley in Austin, Pennsylvania.

From Wikipedia’s article on Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1893Founded Founded1

Sources

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