New York and Ogdensburg Railway summary
The New York and Ogdensburg Railway (NYOG) is a short line railroad that operates in northern New York. Though the line is owned by the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority, the railroad is an operating subsidiary to the Vermont Rail System, a privately held firm that is owned by the Wulfson family for more than 50 years. Between Norfolk and Ogdensburg, the NYOG operates 31.2 miles of standard-gauge track.
History
The New York and Ogdensburg Railway was once part of the 400-mile former Rutland Railroad that provided freight and passenger service for Vermont and northern New York until the early 1960s. With a rapid decline in business, the ex-railroad filed for abandonment of its entire rail network in 1962. The Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority became owners of the Norfolk-Ogdensburg section, now renamed the New York and Ogdensburg Railway. When Jay L. Wulfson and his team began operating the Vermont Railway on the section between Burlington, Vermont, and Hoosick Junction, N.Y., his goal was to acquire the NYOG and retain the entire surviving system of the Rutland. That goal was realized in April 2002 when operations of the railroad were transferred to Vermont Railway’s parent company, Vermont Rail System.
Operations
The New York and Ogdensburg Railway provides freight traffic for a variety of bulk and non-bulk commodities including plastic pellets, resins, oils, lubricants, fuels, adhesives, chemicals, feed, grain, fertilizers, and minerals. Transloading facility are used to transfer freight from the NYOG to trucks for shipment to plants in southeastern Ontario and western Quebec. Inbound grain and animal feed products serve the agricultural industry in northern New York. The railroad also offers on-dock rail, freight handling, and storage-in-transit services through the Port of Ogdensburg.
The diesel locomotive fleet on the NYOG comes from Vermont Rail System’s roster pool ranging from EMD GP38-2s to GP40FH-2s. The motive power rotates among the railroad and its five affiliates. Since 2022, repainting of the units has taken place in the scheme of Vermont Railway’s bright red with white stylized mountain peaks logo reading “Vermont Rail System.”
Interchange is made with CSX Transportation in Norwood.
Read more about the New York and Ogdensburg Railway in Trains’ June 2013 issue.
