Passenger trains to Rochester, New York

I have yet to come across a folder for this service, but I understand that the PRR provided service on the Rochester, NY branch until 1941 (not talking about the through Pullman route to Canandaigua via the Elmira Branch and NYC connection to Rochester). Did this route have its own folder, or were these services combined with other route folders? From what I understand, the service consisted of a single gas-electric round trip towards the end of service...

Any details would be appreciated.

-otto-

The PRRT&HS chronology shows the last run was April 26, 1941. Based on what I have seen of PRR TTs of that period they would probably have found a spot for it in the Harrisburg-Buffalo folder. Based on the termination date the last folder to have it would very likely have been that of September 29, 1940.

So I need to find a Buffalo-Harrisburg folder from 1940 or before... That makes sense! Thanks for the reference...

-otto-

I'm not sure just when the gas-electrics came off the Rochester branch but it was before 1938. The last few years it was a mixed train. I'd have to look it up but as I recall, it left Rochester around 5pm and got to Olean around midnight or so. Its counter part left Olean about midnight and was scheduled to arrive in Rochester about 7AM. All stops were flag stops. As for folders, if I had to guess, it was probably in the same folder as the line from Buffalo to Williamsport because I think they were together in the Official Guide. Ted

erie2521 wrote:I'm not sure just when the gas-electrics came off the Rochester branch but it was before 1938. The last few years it was a mixed train.

No indication what it was, but the 4/40 Guide shows some sort of train Olean to Rochester.

Was it a connection to and from the overnight train Buffalo-Harrisburg?

Like he said, it left Rochester 1700 and got back there 0700-- so it was a reasonable connection to the Buffalo-Harrisburg train, but not to the northbound, which left Olean 0555.

With regard to these being mixed trains, I should have added that I had seen one in the flesh. It was at the Rochester depot, I think in 1939. It was after 5pm and a truck had just arrived with either some express of LCL, I would guess. Don't know when it finally left. I don't know how many cars it had or what its motive power was. At age 14, I wasn't about to walk all the way up to the front. My main regret is that I should have talked my Dad into letting me ride it down to Mt. Morris or so and had him pick me up. Ted

Just browsing the internet and found a list of Pennsy freight schedules for May 1, 1931. It included a pair of trains between Rochester and Oil City.
RH4, Lv. Rochester 530pm, Ar. Olean 1201am, Lv Olean 2am and Ar. Oil City 10am.
RH5, Lv. Oil City 1201pm, Ar. Olean 8pm, Lv. Olean 1230am and Ar. Rochester 730am.
It would appear that when the took off the doodlebugs between Rochester and Olean, they just hooked a coach on the back of RH4&5 between these two points. That would also explain why all of the stations were flag stops. Ted

Ted, thanks very much for the information!

-otto-