Rochester subway

Planning for the construction of a subway in Rochester began around 1910 as the Erie Canal was re-routed from downtown Rochester to pass south of the city. The plans were supported by a feasibility study from engineer George F. Swain and promoted by Mayor Hiram Edgerton and other civic leaders. In 1918, the new canal route was completed, and in 1919 the abandoned portion of the canal was bought by the city to serve as the route of the subway.[2] It was believed the subway would provide several benefits to the city. In addition to providing a cross-town commute to residents in the northwest and southeast of the city, the railroad would double as a belt line connecting the five freight railroads that then ran through Rochester, which were previously disconnected. Interurban trolleys would also be routed into the subway to reduce traffic congestion on the surface streets.[3] Construction was approved by the city council on November 22, 1921, and began in May 1922.[4]^: 11 The project had universal approval from Rochester's newspapers, chamber of commerce, and labor unions.[3]

Excavation of the subway bed in 1925

In the city center, a tunnel was dug with a new street, Broad Street, located above. Only 2 miles (3.2 km) were in the tunnel, with the rest of the route in open cut. The term "subway" did not refer to the tunnel, but to the route being grade-separated and operated as rapid transit. The segment over the Genesee River utilized the former Second Genesee Aqueduct.[5] The subway's construction encountered several delays as more rock needed to be excavated than anticipated, and it was not completed until 1927. The construction bonds would not be paid off until 1960, after the subway had closed, at a cost of over $19 million to the city.[6]

Rochester subway entrance Court Street postcard

Operations began on December 1, 1927 under contract with New York State Railways.[4]^: 40[7] Ten former Utica and Mohawk Valley Railway 2000-series cars were transferred from the Utica Lines to provide dedicated service in the Rochester subway. Freight service was provided by an electric locomotive purchased from General Electric.[4]^: 90

Interurban railways began using the new subway almost immediately, and were later joined by freight railroads. Starting on the first day of operations in 1927, the Rochester and Eastern Rapid Railway connected at Rowlands and terminated at City Hall station. The Rochester and Syracuse Railroad began using the subway in 1928, using a new connection established just east of Winton Road station. The Rochester, Lockport and Buffalo Railroad entered from the west side starting in 1928 using a ramp constructed at Lyell Avenue.[4]^: 41–44 These latter two ramps were also used by the New York Central Railroad for freight traffic. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad connected to the subway with a ramp along Broad Street, and the Lehigh Valley Railroad connected at the Court Street Station.[4]^: 89

In 1929, a special subway–surface operation began using a ramp at Emerson station to connect with the Dewey Avenue line to provide rush-hour service to Kodak Park, a major employer in the city. On June 1, 1929, local service on the Rochester subway was extended from Winton Road to Rowlands loop.[4]^: 45

In the aftermath of the Great Depression, New York State Railways fell into bankruptcy along with other railroads that operated interurban lines in the area. By 1931, all of the connecting interurban railways had ceased operation leaving the subway as an east–west line with no rail connections outside the line.[6] While the company was in receivership, New York State Railways continued to operate the subway on a contract basis with the city of Rochester. Public opinion of the subway turned negative due to low ridership.[6]

The former Rochester Lines of New York State Railways were reorganized as the Rochester Transit Corporation on August 2, 1938, and operation of the subway was transferred to the new company. On the same day, the 2000-series cars were replaced with newer and faster 46-series steel cars acquired from the abandoned Utica & Mohawk Valley Railway in 1937.[4]^: 47–50 Harold S. W. MacFarlin, the city commerce commissioner, believed that the subway could be saved by faster and expanded service and promoted plans to extend the subway line.[4]^: 48, 61

During World War II, wartime rationing made the subway popular once again, and annual ridership peaked at over 5 million in 1946 and 1947. Proposals to extend the line were briefly considered in the press, but ridership began declining again in 1948, and the city council made plans to abandon the subway and use its route for a connecting highway to the New York State Thruway instead.[8]

In an effort to cut costs, weekday service was reduced and Sunday service was eliminated in 1952.[4]^: 76 The service contract was awarded on a month-to-month basis until the city council voted in 1955 to end all subway service on June 30, 1956.[4]^: 83–87 Freight service was operated by RTC until September 1, 1957, when the remaining rail operations were turned over to the connecting New York Central (NYC) and Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) railroads.[4]^: 94

The subway bed from Court Street to Winton Road was used for the construction of a portion of the Eastern Expressway (I-490) in 1959, with the section from Winton Road to Rowlands used for I-590. Limited freight service operated by connecting railroads lasted on the western portion of the subway route from Court Street to General Motors until 1976, when the city of Rochester elected to fill the cut to eliminate maintenance on the numerous bridges. Rail freight deliveries in the subway tunnel continued until 1996, when Gannett Newspapers moved its printing operations from the Gannett Building which the subway ran under to another location. Capelli Sport Stadium was constructed on a portion of the filled-in cut in 2006.

• L-1 locomotive 1200V General Electric electric locomotive – 1928
• L-2 locomotive – Plymouth Locomotive Works of Plymouth, Ohio – 1937
• 46–70* Cincinnati Car Company SE Interurban Cars 1916 – all steel cars; acquired 1937
• 2000–2018* J.G. Brill SE Interurban Cars 1902 – wood cars built as trailers and converted to motors; acquired 1927

* Even numbers only.

• 014 Single-truck rotary plow
• 0105 Jackson & Sharp Line car
• 0200 Single-cab motor Differential flat-car
• 0205 locomotive – Jewett Car Company of Newark, Ohio – 1903
• 0214 Single-cab flat motor car
• 0220 Single-cab Differential dump car
• 0330 Differential dump car trailer
• 0331 Differential dump car trailer
• 0343 Work and tool car
• 2002 Flatcar trailer
• 2006 Flatcar trailer