Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad

The Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad, commonly known as The Hojack Line, operated along the south shore of Lake Ontario, from Niagara Falls, New York to Oswego, New York. Different segments of the line were abandoned at different times. In various areas the defunct railroad's right of way is in use by other railroads, such as the Somerset Railroad. That part known as the Hojack was started by the Lake Ontario Shore Rail Roal (L.O.S.R.R.). The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg (RW&O) starded out in 1842 as the Watertown & Rome. The Watertown & Rome was built to link Watertown with Rome on the Utica & Syracuse. The U&S in 1853 was one the original roads to consalidate into the New York Central in 1853. Around the time of the NYC consalidation another railroad came into the bloom, the Watertown & Potsdam. This obviously was to link Watertown with Potsdam in St.Lawernce County near Massena. In 1861 these two railroads mergred into the Rome, Watertown & Ogdenburg. A branch line from DeKalb Jc. to Ogdensburg was laid (DeKalb Jc. is near Canton,NY & Potsdam). In 1864 the RW&O laid a line from Pulaski to Oswego & mergred the Syracuse & Northern. This where they should have stopped. But in 1858 the Lake Ontario Shore Rail Road was charterd from Oswego to Suspension Bridge. Then an independent village in Niagara County,NY but now part of the City of Niagara Falls,NY. In 1870 this company only running from Oswego to a nearby community as mentioned called Hannibal. This was nearly considerd a disaster in potential on-line communties. For example the township of Newfane in Niagara County,NY invested $100,000.00 in bonds in the LOSRR. The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg ever-seeking expansion mergred the LOSRR and finished the line to Suspension Bridge by 1875. Eventully existing town like Sodus in Wayne County would prosper & towns like Barker,NY in eastern Niagara County would be born. But it had driven the RW&O to bankruptcy. The RW&O earned the name according to Spike System's Webville & Hypertext RR "Rotten Wood & Old Rusty Rails". Intrestingly in 1872 the RW&O took over the Black River & Utica. The Black River flows from the Adirondack Mountains through Watertown to Sacket's Harbour,NY. By 1878 the RW&O ended up the hands of the Management of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western (DL&W). The DL&W's management only cared about the DL&W & left it to die, so to speak. By 1882 the RW&O was in good hands. The new owners built the Ontario Secondary (Beebee line) from Charlotte,NY (where the Genesee River flows into Lake Ontario) to Rochester,NY which the Hojack missed. But the new management wasn't enough to save the RW&O. In 1891 the RW&O became a subsidary of the New York Central. On April, 12 1913 the RW&O was formerly mergred into the NYC. The RW&O had termini in Suspension Bridge, Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Natural Bridge, Massena, Ogdensburg, Clayton, Cape Vincint & Sacket's Harbour. Today Ex.RW&O trackage is operated by CSX (CSXT), Ontario Midland (OMID), Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern (MHWA) & that's it. Anyuway about the name Hojack. Hojack originated from the engineer of the first train on the hojack was called Big Jack Welch. Welch used to be a farmer & was more familliar with Horses than Locmoitves. So when he stopped the Trains he would shout "Whoa Jack!". This became Hojack over time.