West Shore Railroad - Later Years

Later Years

Passenger service on the line ended in 1959, ending direct train service on the west side of the Hudson River to Albany. The line now serves as CSX Transportation's principal freight route from Western points to New Jersey, via the former NYC Selkirk Yard.

Part of the former WS roadbed is used as the of CSX Transportation. West of the Hudson Palisades between North Bergen and Bogota lies a short stretch of the line known as the Bergen Subdivision, where it becomes the River Subdivision. Proceeding north it passess through Bergen County to Rockland County, New York, where, after travelling through a tunnel it travels along west side of the Hudson River.

By 1974, the roadbed was in good condition and there was little evidence of flooding, landslides, or encroachments over the entire length. Portions of the line were slightly overgrown, but visible. Around the village of Solvay in the vicinity of Allied Chemical, the roadbed was not visible because there were so many operating tracks in the area. The right-of-way was evident, however, from Warners, New York west.

Most tracks, ties, signal facilities, bridges and depots have been razed; however, several overpasses remain around Palmyra and Newark that alloweThese were put in by farmers to get to adjacent fields. The right-of-way, however, was still in operation near Newark, Macedon and Egypt in order to serve local customers on the line.

The terrain through which the WS passed is generally flat. This is in part due to the fact that the line parallels the old Erie Canal. The principal land use of abutting properties is varied. From Syracuse to Warners it passes through commercial and residential development in the villages and towns.