Looking Back

Ann O’Hara
Posted 8/21/12

The Scranton Branch of the New York, Ontario & Western (O&W) Railway was completed in 1890 and changed the lives of farmers in Northern Wayne County. Pictured is a crew as it attempts to raise an O&W …

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Looking Back

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The Scranton Branch of the New York, Ontario & Western (O&W) Railway was completed in 1890 and changed the lives of farmers in Northern Wayne County. Pictured is a crew as it attempts to raise an O&W engine that hit a snow bank and went off the rails near Orson, PA. Although the railroad’s primary purpose was to transport coal from Scranton to Cadosia, NY (near Hancock), it also provided a way for dairy farmers to get their products to market, and the transition from subsistence farming to dairy farming was rapid. Large new barns were built, herds expanded and houses enlarged to entice tourists to the area. The 55-mile Scranton Branch passed through Pleasant Mount, Orson, Poyntelle, Lakewood, Preston Park and Starlight in Wayne County and picked up milk and other products along the way. The route was mountainous and difficult, especially in winter. In its later years, the line became known as the “Old & Weary” and was abandoned for good in the 1950s.

From the collection of the Wayne County Historical Society, 810 Main St., Honesdale. The museum and research library are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p. m. and museum only 12 noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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