Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh Railroad is a historic railroad company that operated in Pennsylvania
and New York
.
Chartered in 1867, its first passenger train ran in 1871. After several mergers and name changes, it was leased to the New York Central and Hudson River RR in 1873 for a term of 501 years. It was later wholly absorbed by the New York Central. Passenger service ceased in 1937. Only a few structures built by the company are extant.
about 1833 to build a railway following the Conewango River valley north toward Lake Erie. The idea produced no action until 1853, when 1700 shares of stock were sold, but it wasn't until the winter of 1866 that several influential men of Chautauqua County, New York
started stoking the fires of progress. By April 1867, the New York State Legislature issued a charter for the Dunkirk, Warren & Pittsburgh Railroad Company to sell stock, and on June 17, 1867 that actual work began. The first passenger train ran over the line on June 22, 1871, from Dunkirk, New York to at least Falconer, New York
.
The Dunkirk, Allegheny (sometimes spelled "Allegany") and Pittsburgh incorporated on December 31, 1872 as a merger of the Dunkirk Warren and Pittsburgh Railway Company, and the Warren and Venango Railroad Company. Four days after incorporation, on January 3, 1873, the DAV&P was leased to the New York Central and Hudson River RR for a term of 501 years.
Regular Annual Report to the State Railroad Commission
Bureau of The Journal
467 Broadway
Albany, Sept. 16, 1897
The regular annual report of the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburg railroad company for the year ending June 10, has been filed with the state railroad commission. The report shows
Gross earnings: $206,851 50
Operating expenses: 199,105 42
Net earnings: 7,746 08
Other income: 221 25
Gross income: 7,967 33
Fixed charges: 13,307 34
Net deficit: 5,339 91
The general balance sheet shows assets of $4,577,006.67, including $4,541,486.67, for cost of road and equipment; $10,562.74 cash on hand. The liabilities include $1,300,000 capital stock; $2,900,00 funded debt and $49,628.80 profit and loss surplus.
(later a part of the New York Central System); the New York, Chicago and Saint Louis Railroad (aka "Nickel Plate") in Dunkirk; the Erie Railroad
in Jamestown, New York
; the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad in Warren, Pennsylvania (later the Pennsylvania Railroad) and the Pennsylvania Railroad
in Titusville, Pennsylvania
.
At some point, the DAV&P became wholly owned by the NYC, and though it was still known as the "DAV&P Line" or "Dolly Varden", it was NYC equipment on the rails, and at the end, Penn Central.
Passenger service was dropped in 1937, and the rail line was abandoned from Fredonia to Falconer due to an economic last straw: a bridge washout just west of the village of Sinclairville, New York
in the wake of the torrential rains brought by Hurricane Agnes
of 1972, with the line south of Falconer abandoned in 1976 with the formation of Conrail.
Most rails were removed from the line in the late 1970s. A few small portions of the line still exist, including a short spur off the Dunkirk mainline of the former Michican & Lake Shore / NYC (Penn Central/Conrail, now Norfolk Southern) to Fredonia to serve the Carriage House Foods manufacturing plant just north of U.S. Route 20
in Fredonia, as well as a small spur less than a mile long to serve a plastics company in Warren, Pennsylvania.
The DAV&P Fredonia Depot and freight house sit just south of Route 20, but are suffering from neglect, the freight house being in better shape, having been used as a warehouse for a few years by a local business. North Warren Station (Pennsylvania) along the east side of U.S. Route 62
, just north of the City of Warren, was a restaurant as of the spring of 2007. Two smaller stations which were once the stations for Cassadaga and Lily Dale are now combined to be one building, hardly recognizable, in Cassadaga, New York, part of a campground. A former DAVP freight station still exists in Warren, Pennsylvania as well, though a freight station in Falconer, New York
was torn down in 2006.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Chartered in 1867, its first passenger train ran in 1871. After several mergers and name changes, it was leased to the New York Central and Hudson River RR in 1873 for a term of 501 years. It was later wholly absorbed by the New York Central. Passenger service ceased in 1937. Only a few structures built by the company are extant.
Early history
Begun as an idea of the businessmen of Warren, PennsylvaniaWarren, Pennsylvania
Warren is a city in Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Allegheny River. The population was 9,710 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. It is home to the headquarters of the Allegheny National Forest and the Cornplanter State Forest...
about 1833 to build a railway following the Conewango River valley north toward Lake Erie. The idea produced no action until 1853, when 1700 shares of stock were sold, but it wasn't until the winter of 1866 that several influential men of Chautauqua County, New York
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
started stoking the fires of progress. By April 1867, the New York State Legislature issued a charter for the Dunkirk, Warren & Pittsburgh Railroad Company to sell stock, and on June 17, 1867 that actual work began. The first passenger train ran over the line on June 22, 1871, from Dunkirk, New York to at least Falconer, New York
Falconer, New York
Falconer is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,540 at the 2000 census.The Village of Falconer is within the Town of Ellicott. Falconer is on the eastern edge of the City of Jamestown, New York.- History :...
.
The Dunkirk, Allegheny (sometimes spelled "Allegany") and Pittsburgh incorporated on December 31, 1872 as a merger of the Dunkirk Warren and Pittsburgh Railway Company, and the Warren and Venango Railroad Company. Four days after incorporation, on January 3, 1873, the DAV&P was leased to the New York Central and Hudson River RR for a term of 501 years.
1897 Financial Statement
D. A. V. & P. RAILROAD COMPANYRegular Annual Report to the State Railroad Commission
Bureau of The Journal
467 Broadway
Albany, Sept. 16, 1897
The regular annual report of the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburg railroad company for the year ending June 10, has been filed with the state railroad commission. The report shows
Gross earnings: $206,851 50
Operating expenses: 199,105 42
Net earnings: 7,746 08
Other income: 221 25
Gross income: 7,967 33
Fixed charges: 13,307 34
Net deficit: 5,339 91
The general balance sheet shows assets of $4,577,006.67, including $4,541,486.67, for cost of road and equipment; $10,562.74 cash on hand. The liabilities include $1,300,000 capital stock; $2,900,00 funded debt and $49,628.80 profit and loss surplus.
Service history
The DAV&P railroad connected with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern RailwayLake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, NY to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana...
(later a part of the New York Central System); the New York, Chicago and Saint Louis Railroad (aka "Nickel Plate") in Dunkirk; the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
in Jamestown, New York
Jamestown, New York
Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
; the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad in Warren, Pennsylvania (later the Pennsylvania Railroad) and the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in Titusville, Pennsylvania
Titusville, Pennsylvania
Titusville is a city in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,146 at the 2000 census. In 1859, oil was successfully drilled in Titusville, resulting in the birth of the modern oil industry.-History:...
.
At some point, the DAV&P became wholly owned by the NYC, and though it was still known as the "DAV&P Line" or "Dolly Varden", it was NYC equipment on the rails, and at the end, Penn Central.
Passenger service was dropped in 1937, and the rail line was abandoned from Fredonia to Falconer due to an economic last straw: a bridge washout just west of the village of Sinclairville, New York
Sinclairville, New York
Sinclairville is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 665 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Samuel Sinclear, its founder....
in the wake of the torrential rains brought by Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
of 1972, with the line south of Falconer abandoned in 1976 with the formation of Conrail.
Most rails were removed from the line in the late 1970s. A few small portions of the line still exist, including a short spur off the Dunkirk mainline of the former Michican & Lake Shore / NYC (Penn Central/Conrail, now Norfolk Southern) to Fredonia to serve the Carriage House Foods manufacturing plant just north of U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20 is an east–west United States highway. As the "0" in its route number implies, US 20 is a coast-to-coast route. Spanning , it is the longest road in the United States, and the route sparsely parallels Interstate 90...
in Fredonia, as well as a small spur less than a mile long to serve a plastics company in Warren, Pennsylvania.
The DAV&P Fredonia Depot and freight house sit just south of Route 20, but are suffering from neglect, the freight house being in better shape, having been used as a warehouse for a few years by a local business. North Warren Station (Pennsylvania) along the east side of U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62 runs from the US-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas to Niagara Falls, New York, near the United States-Canada border. It is the only east-west US Route that connects Mexico and Canada.Parts of U.S...
, just north of the City of Warren, was a restaurant as of the spring of 2007. Two smaller stations which were once the stations for Cassadaga and Lily Dale are now combined to be one building, hardly recognizable, in Cassadaga, New York, part of a campground. A former DAVP freight station still exists in Warren, Pennsylvania as well, though a freight station in Falconer, New York
Falconer, New York
Falconer is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,540 at the 2000 census.The Village of Falconer is within the Town of Ellicott. Falconer is on the eastern edge of the City of Jamestown, New York.- History :...
was torn down in 2006.