Looking for Route Info/Connections - Can Anyone Help?

[Hiernst]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and absolutely new to researching the history of railroads. I'm not certain if this is the correct place to be posting my question, but I thought it might be a good start.

I am looking to find if there was an intact route between cities around the time of 1900-1915. I want to find what lines/connections served between:

Wellsville, NY
Bolivar, NY
Olean, NY
Bradford, PA
Warren, PA
Titusville, PA
Franklin, PA
Lima, OH
Muskogee, OK
Beaumont, TX

I've searched through various antique railroad maps and I've found some information connecting some of these cities, but I am very curious to confirm whether or not someone in Wellsville, NY could use the railroad (with any necessary connections) to get down to Beaumont, TX around the turn of the century (1900-1915 era).

If anyone has any information or suggestions for me I would sincerely appreciate it.

Thanks so much!

[Otto Vondrak]

Welcome.

Do you have access to a public library in a major city? The publication you need that will answer all of your questions is called "The Official Guide to the Railways" and was published monthly for the last 100 years or so. Contains route information and schedules for every railroad in North America (including Mexico and Cuba). The station listing in the back would tell you what railroads served what city, and then you would be able to determine your connections. The New York Public Library has a complete collection of The Official Guide, including the time period you seek, and could aid in your research if you're willing to make a trip. You'd have to inquire at other major city libraries to see if they have similar resources.

Another resource would be a good old-fashioned Rand McNally Railroad Atlas, though modern editions might not show the track routes you seek from 1900-1915.

Another resource is to check railroad maps from the time period you seek. These maps are often available on line if you search for them.

May I ask why you are looking for routes connecting Oklahoma and Texas to the New York/Pennyslvania region?

-otto-

[Hiernst]

Thanks Otto.

I can definitely get over to the NYPL to check for railway guides. Thanks for the advice.

I've looked over several maps I found online - the problem I've been having is that most of them are partial/regional maps. I managed to connect the dots (cities) from all the individual maps from different years, I'm just not certain if my navigation of the maps was actually a viable travel route.

I can view a partial map, but I really have no idea if you could transfer from the Pennsylvania Railway to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, or the Sabine and East Texas Railway. I definitely thought it would be better to consult people that have a greater knowledge of the subject than myself.

In answer to your question about why I'm interested in NY to TX, its part of some research I'm doing into postcards from oil-producing cities. I found very similar images from all of those different cities and I wanted to see if there were literal connections between them, ie. via railroad. It's sort of a vague hypothesis concerning the dissemination of the image.

Any other suggestions or information would always be welcome.

-Victoria

[Otto Vondrak]

I can definitely get over to the NYPL to check for railway guides. Thanks for the advice.

Hi Victoria- I think NYPL will be your best bet! You'll want to go to the reference section, of course. The Official Guide was published monthly, so you should be able to find several specimens from the time period you're looking for... If you need specific instructions on how to use the Guide, I can help you out, but in a matter of minutes you should have the answers you seek.

In answer to your question about why I'm interested in NY to TX, its part of some research I'm doing into postcards from oil-producing cities. I found very similar images from all of those different cities and I wanted to see if there were literal connections between them, ie. via railroad. It's sort of a vague hypothesis concerning the dissemination of the image.

The railroads of America make up a single network of interconnected lines, but there was no one company that had a direct route from New York to Texas. You'll find that the railroads that served New York and Pennsylvania generally did not cross the Mississippi River, Chicago, St. Louis, were their westernmost reach- where they would connect with other lines to continue service west.

-otto-

[JimBoylan]

I really have no idea if you could transfer from the Pennsylvania Railway to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad.
In answer to your question about why I'm interested in NY to TX, its part of some research I'm doing into postcards from oil-producing cities. I found very similar images from all of those different cities and I wanted to see if there were literal connections between them, ie. via railroad. It's sort of a vague hypothesis concerning the dissemination of the image.

In some years, probably a bit more recent than 1915, there were even through passenger cars on Pennsylvania Railroad trains to St. Louis that would be put on Missouri - Kansas - Texas trains from St. Louis. Most times, however, passengers has to change cars and trains there. Now you know part of why the Pennsylvania Railroad had a train to St. Louis called the "Penn - Texas"!
Post card publishers did sometimes use "stock" images that had already been used in another place.

[Station Aficionado]

I really have no idea if you could transfer from the Pennsylvania Railway to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad.
In answer to your question about why I'm interested in NY to TX, its part of some research I'm doing into postcards from oil-producing cities. I found very similar images from all of those different cities and I wanted to see if there were literal connections between them, ie. via railroad. It's sort of a vague hypothesis concerning the dissemination of the image.

In some years, probably a bit more recent than 1915, there were even through passenger cars on Pennsylvania Railroad trains to St. Louis that would be put on Missouri - Kansas - Texas trains from St. Louis. Most times, however, passengers has to change cars and trains there. Now you know part of why the Pennsylvania Railroad had a train to St. Louis called the "Penn - Texas"!
Post card publishers did sometimes use "stock" images that had already been used in another place.

In fact, the Penn Texas was still listed in the OG as of Oct. 1961, albeit it looks like you had to make a connection in St. Louis (no through cars).

[timz]

Before you make the trip to the library--

No doubt lots of us have the 1910 and 1916 Guide reprints and can answer your question, if you can clarify it. If you're asking, did some sort of passenger service exist between any two towns on your list, the answer is likely yes. If you're asking, did some train run thru all your towns, we assume not. So if you want to try to spell out just what routes you're inquiring about, we can maybe save you the trip.