What happened to all the old DO lines?

What happened to all the lines that DO picked up over the years? All seem to have vanished over the years... result of customers leaving? FJG, CACV, CNY, LASB... others I missed? Seems like DO's shortline empire has retreated back to just the NYSW (and the leased trackage they call the CNY)...

Otto,

I think it is a combination of things. All those lines mentioned were in tough shape physically and suffering low traffic volumes when the DO took them over. Some were spun off by Conrail. To me the DO was the last doctor trying to nurse the terminal patient. The NYS&W was in the same boat too. It was a terminal operation with the western portion abandoned and left for dead. It just happened the Mr. Rich was able to use it to piece together a route through NJ. He also saw the value in the real estate that the NYS&W owned(s).

The LASB is still hanging on by a thread, with the State of PA first owning it and then turning it over to the Shippers Association within the last 5 years.

I was waiting for someone else to start this, thanks, Chris. I think Mr. Rich has been very adept at securing funding for these ventures, whether in operating subsidies or direct grants for improvements. That was probably the incentive to keep a lot of these operations running after their operators decided to seek other opportunities. A combination of economic incentives (tax breaks) in an area that had an industrial base, plus rail access might have made any sites along these lines viable. Unfortunately, I think the economic dip in the early '90's sealed this fate. I believed in the model, I owned some DO stock in the '80's. But the secret still is subsidizing a rail operator has to be part of an overall economic development program that has a long-term vision.
Anyway, I believe the original Central New York was folded into the Northern Division in the early'90's, I have no idea whether the quarry that was this line's basis for existence is still operating or not. FJG had the rails pulled, we know the Rahway Valley story, and Staten Island died with Proctor and Gamble's operation there. And don't forget, there have been good strategic moves as well, the purchase of the stem of the LHR, the continuing operations in Cortland, the transfer sites all along the original NYSW here in New Jersey... and of course, getting a ton of federal and state money to rebuild the line over Sparta Mountain down here as well.

Chris & Rich, I felt the same way! Thanks to you both for speaking out. Here's some info from my little piece of the world.

The quarry that fed the CNYK is still in existance and has loading facilities near Babcock Hill Road on the Richfield Branch of the DL&W. That portion of the line is still intact. Some of the line south of the first Rt 8 crossing is still intact too. The stone quarry is called Litchfield Quarry and of course it's located in Litchfield, NY. It's owned and operated by Barrett Paving Materials Inc. Walter Rich still owns the ROW between Richfield Junction and Richfield Springs.

The CNY just dried up and died. The IL Richer feed supplier in Richfield Springs NY closed, Suburban propane switched to trucks and the Titan Homes plant never really required rail shipments of lumber as hoped. There was a short ray of hope when a proposed plastics or insulation manufacturer moved into the old Titan building but that petered out almost as fast as it started. While there may still be a continuous ROW, All the crossings past the quarry have been pulled and paved over.