The NSL
Three Railfan Visits - 100 Years of Railroad History
| The Norwood & St. Lawrence RR had its official opening in 1902. It was built to serve paper mills located in the New York state communities of Norwood, Norfolk and Raymonville, by 1908 it reached the St. Lawrence river at Waddington NY. As the N&SL operated, with its engine house located in Norfolk, activities transpired on the Rutland Railroad, which extended from Ogdensburg, through Norwood, and onto Vermont, which would be important to NSL's railroading future. |
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In 1967 the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority (OBPA), owners of the then abandoned Rutland line between Ogdensburg and Norwood, created the Ogdensburg & Norwood Railway, see maps. Maintaining an operating rail line was important to the OBPA as it connected the St. Lawrence Seaway/Great Lakes marine port at Ogdensburg with the overland rail system at Norwood which was served by the Penn Central, later Conrail and now CSX. A more complete history of this rail lines can be found in Rails to Racquetteville, by Susan Lyman. |
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In 1973 the Norwood & St. Lawrence RR applied for abandonment and in 1975 the assets of the N&SL were donated to
the OBPA as it was to the benefit of the St. Regis Paper Co., owners of the N&SL, to help continue rail operations
between Ogdensburg and Norwood. Since then a number of different railroads have operated under lease
from the OBPA, the line between Ogdensburg and Norwood with engine facilities at Norfolk.
In 2002 the line has be acquired from
the OBPA by the Vermont Rail System, one hundred years after the opening of the NSL. |
Norwood & St. Lawrence
1975 Railfan Visitstory and photos by Brian Nicholson
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On a hot & humid day in July 1975 I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Bob Wagner of the little Norwood & St Lawrence RR.
He was the Engineer, freight agent, dispatcher.... well you get the picture. Very proud of his RR, I got the tour of
the enginehouse and an invitation to ride GE 70T #11 from Norfolk to the Conrail interchange at Norwood, NY. After
switching the Simplicity Pattern Co (main on-line customer) we trundled off to the interchange. |
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When my cab ride had finished on the N&StL, the crew fired up the Alco and ran it out of the enginehouse in Norfolk
so I could photograph it!! Now that's pride. I am one lucky railfan to have been treated so well by hard working
railroaders who went out of there busy day to accommodate me. The OBPA Alco S4 was; I believe; an ex D&H unit.
Although the paint scheme looks like the Vermont RR; it was patterned after the old Rutland scheme using red
instead of green. Mr Wagner swears he hadn't seen a VTR unit! |
St. Lawrence Railroad
National Railway Utilization Corporation1980 Railfan Visit
story and photos Paul Charland
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St. Lawrence Railroad No. 1 switches the Conrail interchange in Norwood NY on a muggy afternoon in June 1980.
Meanwhile, with the Johnstown Ontario elevator on the left and the international bridge over the St. Lawrence River on the
right, NSL #11 spends a quiet afternoon on the waterfront in Ogdensburg NY. |
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After her switching chores were complete, Alco S-4 No. 1 picked up GE 70 tonner No. 10 and headed back to the shops
in Norfolk NY. This Alco S-4 was originally Delaware and Hudson 3048 before being sold in 1966 to the
Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority, it would later work on the Norwood and St. Lawrence Railroad. |
St. Lawrence & Racquette River
1997 Railfan Visit
story and photos Mark Laundry
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Another hot July day but the year is 1997. The enginehouse in Norfolk is now home to the St. Lawrence and Racquette
River RR. In the cool of the enginehouse I found the friendly crew of the SL&RR. Just after I arrived #12, an EMD SW9,
was started up and backed out of the enginehouse and into the yard, it had to be boosted with an arc welder as
it was having battery problems. |
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The crew at the enginehouse described the current SL&RR roster as "two runners and two
scrappers". The runners were #12 the SW9 and #14 an EMD SW900 which was under repair in the enginehouse. Also in the
enginehouse was one the "scrappers", #10, former Norwood & St. Lawrence GE 70 Tonner. The other "scrapper" was parked
out in the yard among the weeds and brush, #1 the former OBPA Alco S4 with the National Railway Utilization
Corporation logo from the days when the then St. Lawrence Railroad, a NRUC owned railroad, operated the line. |
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Back tracking down the line from the enginehouse and towards the station I found a former CPR plow painted a faded
baby blue. At the time of this visit the freighthouse and station were still in existence but the silo, shown
in Brian's 1975 photos, was gone. |
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The SL&RR ceased operations on September 14th, 1998. The Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority, owners of the line, then leased operation
to The New York & Ogdensburg Railway Company, Inc. (NYOG) |
2004 Update
update and photo Russell Nelson
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As of September 2004 #1 was been moved along the ROW 400 ft. north of the engine house next to the power lines. |
Roster
OBPA #1 - Alco S4ex. Delaware & Hudson #3048, sold to the OBPA 5/1966.
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photo by Brian Nicholson Norfolk NY. 1975 |
photo by Brian Nicholson Norfolk NY. 1975 |
photo by Mark Laundry Norfolk NY. 1997 |
NSL #10 - GE 70 Ton
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photo by Brian Nicholson Norfolk NY. 1975 |
photo by Paul Charland Norwod NY. 1980 |
NSL #11 - GE 70 Ton
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photo by Brian Nicholson Norfolk NY. 1975 |
photo by Brian Nicholson CP Yard, St. Luc, Montreal, 1985 |
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St. Lawrence #12 - SW9 ex. SCL 185, nee ACL 703  photo by Mark Laundry Norfolk NY. 1997 |
St. Lawrence #14 - SW900 ex. RI #908, acquired by the SLRR 1987.  photo by Doug Boyd, collection of Bill Phillips Chicago IL. 09/06/87 |