Trains
The first train arrived in Elmira on October 2, 1849 along the New York & Erie Railroad. A second line, the Williamsport & Elmira Railroad, opened in 1854. During the Civil War, Elmira was a railroad hub designated to serve as a military rendezvous and supply depot. For nearly 100 years until the 1950s, trains to and from New York, Buffalo, and Philadelphia ran multiple times daily, allowing for the easy movement of people and goods. During the 1960s and 1970s, the national railroad industry collapsed. Elmira lost passenger service in 1970. Norfolk Southern Railroad continues to run freight trains through the city.
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Lehigh Valley Railroad train at a crossing in Van Etten, c. 1900
In 1900, there were five different railroads running through Chemung County: Lehigh Valley Railroad; Erie Railroad; Tioga Railroad; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad; and Northern Central Railroad. By the 1960s, most of them had merged or gone out of business.
Workers at the Northern Central railyard in Southport, c. 1900
At the height of their popularity around the turn of the 20th century, the railroads employed more people in Elmira and Southport than any other single industry.
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Station in Lowman, c. 1920s
By the early 1900s, there were train stations in Chemung, Southport, Big Flats, Erin, Horseheads, Veteran, and Van Etten making it easy for people in even the most rural areas to travel or ship goods to major cities.
Grand opening of the newly-elevated Erie Railroad tracks in Elmira, October 26, 1934
Prior to the construction of the Erie viaduct, trains ran down Railroad Avenue, often blocking traffic and killing pedestrians. The viaduct was constructed as part of a New Deal infrastructure project.
Factory floor of CAF USA, c. 2000
CAF USA currently manufactures and repairs railroad cars in Elmira Heights. Historically, there have been four other companies, Pullman Palace Car Co. (1868-1886), Sumirail (1986-1989), ABB Traction Inc. (1991-1996), and Adtranz (1996-2000), that also made railroad cars in Chemung County.