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During the latter half on the nineteenth century Frank Henry Goodyear of Groton,
New York built a corporate empire consisting of sawmills, coal mines, and a
railroad linking the Great Lakes with the forests and mines of Pennsylvania.
In 1872, Goodyear moved to Buffalo, New York to start a coal and lumber business,
building his first mills around the Port Allegheny area. Due to the expansion
of his business, Goodyear began logging in the Freeman Run area of north central
Pennsylvania. Since the existing the Buffalo, New York, and Philadelphia Railroad
was located too far away to service his logging operations, Goodyear decided
to charter his own line, the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad, on May 9, 1885.
The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad Company was formed in 1893 as a result
of the merger of the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad, the Susquehanna Railroad,
the Cherry Springs Railroad, the Cross Fork Railroad, and the Buffalo and Susquehanna
Railroads. The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad extended sixty-two miles from
Keating Summit to Galeton and was served by a Baldwin 2-8-0 locomotive. Upon
reorganization, Frank Goodyear stepped down as president of the railroad and
assumed the positions of first vice president and chairman of the board. Goodyear's
brother, Charles, became second vice president and general manager of the railroad,
while Marlin Olmstead became president.
During the years 1900-1907, the railroad doubled in size as the its main business
shifted from hauling lumber to hauling coal and coke. In 1901, the Buffalo and
Susquehanna Coal and Coke Company was organized to mine coal and coke in Pennsylvania.
In order to get the coal and coke north to Buffalo, the Buffalo and Susquehanna
Railway Company was incorporated in 1902. In July 1907, the new Buffalo and
Susquehanna Railway Company leased the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad line
for 999 years. Although, coal was the foundation of the railroad, the Buffalo
and Susquehanna Railway also began to carry a considerable volume of passenger
traffic, advertising its Grand Scenic Route as a popular Sunday excursion.
The Railway experienced difficulties in the early 1900s when a major customer,
the Buffalo and Susquehanna Iron Company, was taken over by the Rogers-Brown
Iron Company. The railroad also overextended itself financially, running up
substantial debts. When the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railway defaulted on the
interest due on its debts in 1910, both the Railway and the Railroad went into
receivership. The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad was the only property worth
salvaging of the two. Reorganized in 1914, the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad
Corporation continued to operate as a coal carrier until the coal mines it served
closed in 1925. In 1932, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad acquired the Buffalo
and Susquehanna and continued to operate passenger service over the line until
1949.
The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad Corporation records are held at two Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission facilities: The State Archives and the Railroad
Museum of Pennsylvania. Records held in the State Archives at Harrisburg are
primarily concerned with business operations, land transactions, contracts,
stock and tickets sales. The Archives' holdings include the following series,
which are as yet unprocessed:
The records located at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania may be consulted
by appointment. Contact either the site administrator or curator at 300 Gap
Road, Route 741 East, Strasburg, PA 17579, (717) 687-8628. The series in Strasburg
include:
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