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The Cars

Brill car #500

​The Oneida Railway Company ordered and received 15 interurban car bodies manufactured by the J.G. Brill Company. The cars – numbered 500 to 528 (even numbers only) – were then shipped to Utica where trucks, electrical gear, and other fittings were applied to complete them at U&MV's Utica Park shop. Because these cars had to run on the ORCo trackage as well as city trackage to reach each terminal, and also the trackage of the Oneida City line, all the cars were equipped with both overhead and third rail power collection systems. Each identical car had a coach area, a smoking compartment, and motorman’s cab at one end and toilet room at the other end. The cars were single-ended; at Utica and Syracuse terminals they had to be turned to make the reverse trip. Each car was 49-feet long, and could attain a top speed of 52mph; four 75hp motors propelled each car. Fourteen of the cars remained in service for the entire life of the Third Rail Line; the #520 was destroyed in a carbarn fire at Oneida in 1922.

By Brill and Kuhlman

Brill express car #406

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In order to provide package and express service along its line, the ORCo purchased two Brill-built cars numbered 406 and 408. These cars were not received in time for the initiation of service on June 16, 1907, so a similar car, #404, was acquired from the Utica & Mohawk Valley Railway. Express/package scheduling called for two round trips between the Utica and Syracuse terminals as well as at Vernon, Sherrill, Oneida, Canastota, and Chittenango where buildings and/or rooms were established for this service. Sometimes during peak season travel, and especially during the State Fair held at Syracuse, express cars were reconfigured and pressed into passenger conveyances.

​Kuhlman's Windsplitter
​​Five years after the Oneida Lines commenced operation of the Third Rail Line, it saw the need to acquire additional rolling stock, and in so doing a new face was brought to the railroad. Two cars were ordered from the G. C. Kuhlman Car Company of Cleveland, Ohio, to be numbered 530 and 532. These cars employed a parabolic – tapered – nose and were nearly six feet longer than the Oneida Railway’s original Brill cars. The front end design of these new cars was theoretically to reduce wind resistance, which gave rise to one of the car’s nicknames; Windsplitters. Other nicknames for the cars were “Bullmoose” – because of their big nose, and “Arrow cars” because of their front end configuration and possibly a connection to the railroad name that was derived from the Oneida Indian tribe. Both cars were equipped with four 70hp motors that - in service - were not enough power to maintain "Limited" service; they were generally used only in "Local" service.

Brill cars on the Road

In Limited and Local service

Block station CV,

Clockville Road

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​Eastward Utica bound car #514 skirts the south side of Block Station CV (Stop 22) and is negotiating the switchwork where 4-tracks are reduced to 2-tracks for the overcrossing of Clockville Road. B.S.CV controlled this junction of trackage where 4-track railroading began and extended westward to Stop 25 at Canastota. Additionally, this block station controlled the west connection of the Third Rail Line’s ex-West Shore trackage with that of the original Oneida Railway Company so that Local service could be instituted into downtown Oneida. The east end connection of these two routes was B.S. YO at Stop 21, Oneida Main Street. Number 514’s signboard tells us it is Utica bound.

​Stop 19, Sherrill

Because all of the ORCo’s transmission towers were situated on the north side of the track we know that this scene at Sherrill, Stop 19, looks east. Further, because car #510’s signboard reads “Oneida” we know that this is one of the interurban line’s “Workingmen’s Specials.” These cars ran to support the employees at Sherrill’s Oneida Community Limited and were scheduled for the various shift changes at both the main plant and knife plant. In both morning and evening, Workingmen’s Specials operated from (downtown) Oneida on city trackage, gained the Third Rail line at Stop 21, and then ran to Sherrill and Vernon. At Vernon, the cars reversed direction to Oneida so as to make a second trip. This all happened, of course, after Oneida city trackage became connected to the ex-West Shore interurban line in 1911. The siding at lower left was a NYCRR team track for Oneida Community Limited.

Hecla Pond

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Although the Third Rail’s 500-series cars were geared for a top speed of 52mph, motormen routinely could get them to zip along at 60+mph when going down Canastota and Vernon Grade hills eastward. And that’s exactly what’s happening here as a 2-car trainset rides high on the embankment above the northern edge of Hecla Pond (lower left). This train will not, however, be stopping at Hecla, Stop 11, which is dead ahead. Many scheduled Limited and Local trains operated with tandem cars mu’ed, but at each changeover point (at Eastwood and South Utica) the multiple units were separated to run independently to their respective terminals via city trackage. In this scene, the photographer is perched atop the abandoned icehouse used to store Hecla Pond ice, at least that was its purpose until trackage here was added to make Vernon Grade a three track section.

Terminals, Depots, and Shelters

City terminals, West Shore depots,and ORCo shelters along the Third Rail's route

Syracuse

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Not including the end terminals of Utica and Syracuse, there were 41 Stops situated along the ORCo’s Third Rail Line. At some locations (Clark Mills, Hecla, Vernon, Oneida Castle, Canastota, Chittenango, Manlius Centre, and Kirkville) existing West Shore Railroad depots were used in conjunction with newly built shelters and platforms. At all the other Stops, new shelters and platforms had to be erected and placed for use.

In Syracuse, after several abortive terminals were considered and used temporarily, the ORCo settled into the Electric Railway Terminal at Clinton Square in 1909. This picture shows that terminal with a 500-series interurban car waiting to make its return run as a Utica Local.


Utica​​
 

Utica’s trolley and interurban terminal was situated on Main Street directly across from the New York Central’s Utica Union Station. The facility was jointly owned and operated by the Utica & Mohawk Valley Railway and the Oneida Railway Company. Prior to 1914, all cars discharged and loaded passengers in front of the building but, after reconstruction, all cars could enter the building and continue on their route and schedule. This 1914 change allowed the ORCo’s single ended cars to be turned rather than having to employ a wye track near Genesee Street. This picture was taken eleven years after the ORCo’s 1930 abandonment; buses are about to bring down the curtain on Utica city trolley operation for all time. Courtesy of Frank Tomaino, at the Oneida County Historical Society.

Clark Mills

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Clark Mills, Stop 6, was the first Stop of consequence for the Third Rail Line after leaving Utica. This was where men worked and businessmen hoped to make sales at the Hind & Harrison Plush Company. Clark Mills was essentially a company town, even before the arrival of the New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railway and the New York, Ontario & Western Railway earlier yet. Just west of the station shown here was the site of Block Station AK, which guarded the crossing at grade of the West Shore-ORCo and the O&W. A steam train seems to be waiting for a Rome Branch train on the O&W, who had right of first crossing because of its being there first. The Rome Branch began service in 1872, the NYWS&B 1884. Piping from AK can be seen at left, while the ORCo's westbound shelter can be seen to the right of the steam locomotive in this view that looks west.

Shelters

Non-Standard and Standard

Non-Standard

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This non-standard enclosed and open air shelter was provided by the ORCo for westbound passengers at Vernon, Stop 16. (Because of strategic placing of Block Stations all of the ORCo’s interurban route was bi-directional. A train going either east or west could use any track.) All of the few non-standard shelters had one thing in common – they were not identical. This building was unique. Other non-standard shelters could be found at Sherrill (Stop 19) and at Wampsville, Stop 24. Most community Stops were provided standard large shelter(s), while rural Stops was where standard small shelters could be found. This shelter, building number 269, still survives, although not in its ORCo location.

​​Standard, small

 

Small shelters, such as the two shown at Dewitt (above, right) and Oneida Castle (above, left) were placed upon wooden platforms at all of the more rural Stops. The ORCo forces built the platforms, while the Roberts & Williams Company of Utica, N.Y. fabricated the wooden shelters at a cost of $83 each. The shelters were then loaded on flatcars and delivered to the appropriate site by the NYC’s West Shore Railroad. All shelters and platforms had building numbers as seen on the Oneida Castle structure at Stop 20. The shelter was #249 (shown), while the platform number was 307. At Dewitt (milepost 273.7), its shelter was #265, and the platform #333. The one spectacle signal light was activated by passengers desiring to have a Local car stop to pick them up. Not all Local cars stopped at all Stops, and Limited cars stopped only at Canastota (Stop 25) and Oneida - Main Street (Stop 21) between end terminals. None of the many small shelters survive.​
 

​Block Stations (Towers)

​​ Block stations were determined to be needed in South Utica where the two entrance/exit tracks merged into the double track West Shore mainline. This location was also where the WSRR crossed the DL&W at grade. The building put up here – at milepost 232.7, which would both protect the DL&W crossing as well as direct cars on to and off of the WSRR, was designated B. S. WU. The next westward block station was positioned at milepost 233.3 in New York Mills. This was where the O&W’s Utica Division crossed the WSRR mainline at grade and was the location for the WSRR’s New York Mills station. This block station was named NF. The next westward block station was CR, which was built east of Clark Mills. Although originally thought to be of need, B. S. CR was taken out of service in 1917 when its purpose was considered to be of little operational value. Clark Mills’ other block station, AK – at milepost 238.2, had a much more important purpose since it sat at the crossing of the WSRR mainline and the O&W’s Rome Branch. Block station AK also controlled the east end of triple track territory that extended westward to B. S. VO at 246.7 in Vernon (shown at top, left). In between AK and VO sat B. S. VG (at milepost 243.4, shown at middle, left) that controlled the switchwork enabling trains to be shunted from one track to another providing operational flexibility on this ruling grade. West of B. S. VO the WSRR returned to two tracks, and the next block station was situated at milepost 252.0, which was immediately west of Castle station in Oneida. This building’s designation was YO, and initially it provided little service other than controlling switchwork so cars could cross from one track to the other safely, as well as controlling the switch that allowed the WS and O&W to utilize the staging area previously mentioned that was of logistical value in 1902 for electrifying the original Oneida Railway Company and would assume a similar role during the West Shore’s conversion. Four years after the West Shore was electrified, however, B. S. YO would gain strategic importance by being the facility that controlled the movement of local service electric cars to and from Oneida city trackage. The next block station was built immediately west of bridge W391 at milepost 253.7, and its call sign was CV. Block station CV was placed at the east end of the 4.582 mile long section containing four tracks that extended to B. S. CD in Canastota. At B. S. CV, a towerman could direct cars on to and off the original Wampsville stub track that had been lengthened to B. S. CD as well as the new track that was added on the north side of the WSRR mainline. Block station CV, in much the same manner as B. S. YO, would have greater importance placed upon it when local electric cars began running into Oneida in 1911, utilizing the original OR right-of-way in Main Street as well as the 1902 extension in Lenox Avenue/Clockville Road. Block station CD, at milepost 257.7, controlled the western limits of the 4-track territory as well as the West Shore’s crossing at grade of the LVRR. Beyond Canastota, North Chittenango’s block station CT (shown at bottom, left) sat just east of the West Shore’s depot at milepost 263.8. Its purpose was to add flexibility by controlling switchwork so that cars and trains could cross from one track to the other within this 2-track territory. All of the block stations from WU to CT were built and equipped by General Railway Signal Company. Block station KR (for Kirkville Road, at milepost 267.5) provided similar flexibility at Kirkville, but its towerman also controlled the movement of steam trains on to and off of the Kirkville Junction connecting track between the WS and NYC mainlines. At milepost 271.8, block station MU at Manlius Centre (Minoa after 1919) controlled crossover switchwork for bidirectional running flexibility, and the last of the thirteen block stations was WX in Eastwood at milepost 275.3. Block stations KR, MU, and WX were built and outfitted by the Union Switch & Signal Company. At B. S. WX, the electrified portion of the WSRR mainline ended and new trackwork was installed to connect the WSRR with the SRT’s Burnet Avenue line. Block stations WX and WU were effectively the western and eastern limits of the WSRR mainline electrification even though new trackage would be installed at the eastern end from B. S. WU to Genesee Street so that cars could gain the U&MV trackage and run to the Utica terminal that was situated across from the Central’s mainline Utica station. At the time of the block station planning, the location of the Syracuse terminal had yet to be decided upon. Still, new trackage had to be installed to connect track at B. S. WX to the Burnet Avenue line of the Syracuse Rapid Transit. 

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The block stations were all of the "armstrong" type, and were not all completed until during the first year of ORCo operation.

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