Trackage to Oil City & Franklin and beyond

Anyone have any sources of info or photos of the NYC between Jamestown, PA and east towards Franklin, Oil City and beyond?
I am intersted in what the "connector" was all about between Franklin and East Sandy and how the trackage wound through the Borough of Franklin for one and how long rhis track existed. I don't see it on the 1901 LS&MS map and it is gone apparently by the 1950's.

This seems like a forgotten corner of the NYC.

I don't know if this is the type of map you are looking for.
LS&MS 1876
http://www.railsandtrails.com/PTT/LS&MS ... nt-150.jpg

Well, no as this predates much of the trackage I am really wondering about in the Sandy Lake / Franklin / East Sandy area and east.

The towns you are mentioning are on the Franklin Division of the LS&MS. I have attached a 1913 map of the Jamestown, Franklin & Clearfield RR which apparently was the Pennsylvania part of the Franklin Division which terminated at Ashtabula, OH. The map is from the 1913 NYC Annual Report.

Here is a website with a description of the Franklin Division.
http://www.abandonedrails.com/NYC_Franklin_Division

I have found that library and genealogy websites often have historic railroad photos. Check these for the towns you are interested in.

Thanks !

I never realized this was a RDG-NYC route to compete for traffic Chicago-Cleveland-Philadelphia.

This is what I was looking for, especially the reference to the Belmar Cut-Off and the original main through Franklin.

Fascinating.

Now how about a lilttle more info on the low grade and high grade lines mentioned. I am not too clear on all this and the whys of how it came about. I suspect these are the lines that crosses/ed the ERIE _ EL_CR_ connects to NS at Latimer ? I have seen the abandoned parallel roadbed but was not sure what I was looking at.

There are track charts for sale currently on eBay for Jamestown, Reidsburg & Sutton.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-TRACK-DIAG ... 1c2b65b8e4
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-TRACK-DIAG ... 257576d8cd
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-TRACK-DIAG ... 257576d8cc