The New York, Susquehanna &amp; Western Railroad arose in 1881 through the merger of several smaller railway companies that linked the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania to the industrial centers of the New York–New Jersey metropolitan area. Immediately successful in the coal business, the NYS&amp;W also attracted tourists by promoting the beauty and rural charm of the Delaware Water Gap and building picnic facilities for same-day excursions from both ends of the line. The company's fortunes rose through the 1920s, fell in the 1930s, surged in the 1940s as it became one of the region's busiest and most innovative passenger lines, and slowly declined from the 1950s until finally passing into bankruptcy in 1976 and reorganization into a regional freight hauler.
As expertly and engagingly told in this heavily illustrated book―the first in-depth history of the line―the story of the NYS&amp;W vividly illustrates the challenges faced by the many smaller railroad companies that contributed to America's industrial growth and the inventive solutions their directors devised to surmount these difficulties in the service of local and regional needs. Robert E. Mohowski traces the company's tangled history from the founding of its direct ancestor―the New Jersey, Hudson, and Delaware Railroad―in 1832 through its acquisition by the Erie Railroad in 1898, its reemergence as an independent entity in 1940, and its thirty-six-year-long struggle to keep the railroad in business.
As Mohowski accounts, the NYS&amp;W throughout its history aggressively sought out new sources of revenue, particularly as the traffic in coal dwindled. Commuter service became the most successful of these activities, and the line's management invested heavily in upgrading its locomotive and passenger car fleets. The company introduced streamlined, self-propelled cars that provided fast, comfortable travel in northeast New Jersey (a prototype for New Jersey Transit's present-day Midtown Direct service). These efforts, however, proved insufficient to prevent the company's demise. Beloved by railroad enthusiasts, the New York, Susquehanna &amp; Western serves as a case study in technological innovation and creative management and stands as an important chapter in the history of American railroads.

The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad

History

Mohowski, Robert E.

Americas

Johns Hopkins University Press

Interesting and well-done history of the "Old Woman," the New York, Ontario &amp; Western Railroad, followed by an examination of the period before and after World War II when the O&amp;W adopted diesels in the hope that it would save the line from financial ruin. Although the O&amp;W did go under in 1957, the author argues that the diesels extended its life by about a decade. Many of the diesels went on to serve on the New York Central, Conrail, and the New York, Susquehanna and Western. Illustrated throughout with a mixture of black and white and color photos of the O&amp;W and its locomotives, both steam and diesel. With maps, bibliography, and locomotive dispositions. 96 pages.

New York, Ontario and Western in the Diesel Age

Andover Junction Pubns

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mohowski, Robert E.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Mohowski, Robert E.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mohowski, Robert E.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad

New York, Ontario and Western in the Diesel Age