Unadilla Valley

Company History: The UVRR was established in 1887 with the goal of building a railroad from a connection with the Delaware Lackawanna & Western in Richfield Springs, New York to a connection with the New York Ontario & Western in New Berlin, a distance of 20 miles. Construction proceeded from the Lackawanna end and DL&W trains served UVRR points. In 1895, the name was shortened to Unadilla Valley Railway, the first UV locomotives arrived allowing them to run their own trains, and the line to New Berlin was completed. Dairy products and hops were early sources of traffic. In addition, the Babcock Shops cast iron stove factory in Leonardsville was served. Hops farming eventually moved west and in the 1920s the passenger business became unprofitable. H.E. Salzburg Company (whose main business was scrapping railroads) bought the UVRR in 1936. However, rather than scrap it, Salzburg made a go at running it. Two years later, the UVRR was again running in the black. In 1941, UVRR bought NYO&W’s New Berlin branch and their branch to Edmeston. This increased the size of UVRR to 55 miles. Service to a large Dairyman’s League milk processing plant in Mt. Upton was included in the acquisition. After the war, UVRR dieselized with a pair of GE 70-tonners painted in the orange and cream used by other Salzman holdings.

In 1956, the plant in Mt. Upton closed, taking a third of all UVRR traffic with it. A year later, the NYO&W shut down, costing the UVRR their second interchange partner. The line struggled on for three more years before being abandoned in 1960.

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