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Wed, 16 Mar 2005

Learn Something New Every Day!

I had suspected that there was a northward-heading railroad in Pulaski, but hadn't found any details. I had already noticed the arches to the west of the bridge north of the junction. I also noticed the railbed-ish area in front of people's houses to the north of that. So, I had my suspicions. Did a bit of searching on the aerial photos, and yup, there it is! It's the Syracuse Northern Railroad. Went straight through Pulaski to Sandy Creek. Curved around to the east and met up with the RW&O at Lacona. So, just as I'd always suspected, the curve south of Pulaski used to be a crossing of two competing railroads.

UPDATE: Dick Palmer wrote an article on "Oswego County Railroads" published by the Oswego County Historical Society in 1962. He tells me that the Syracuse Northern line opened 1872, and was abandoned from Pulaski to Lacona in 1882. The engine house was located at Sandy Creek. It's also discussed in Hungerford's History of the RW&O; (1927). One of Sam Sloan's first acts was to get rid of it. The line was considered redundant and was torn up despite protests. There is a birdseye view of Pulaski showing the stone bridge over Salmon River. House in back of courthouse was the depot (if it's still there). There's no listing in Existing Railroad Stations for Pulaski.

posted at: 15:23 | path: /railroads | permanent link to this entry

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