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Rochester and Sodus Bay Railway

Rochester and Sodus Bay Railway
Rochester and Sodus Bay Railway Logo.png
Dates of operation 1889–1933
Predecessor Rochester and Glen Haven Railroad
Irondequoit Park Railroad
Successor New York State Railways
Track gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm)
Previous gauge 3 ft (914 mm)
Electrification 620v DC
Length 39 miles
Headquarters Rochester, New York

The Rochester and Sodus Bay Railway was an electric interurban railway connecting Rochester, with the shores of Lake Ontario at Sodus Point. The line was leased to the Rochester Railway Company in 1902 and later merged into New York State Railways in 1909. Ridership dropped off in the 1920s, and the railway east of Glen Haven was abandoned in 1929. The remaining local streetcar service ended in 1933.

The Rochester and Glen Haven Railroad was chartered in 1887 to build a narrow gauge steam-powered railroad to connect Rochester with the resort area of Glen Haven on Irondequoit Bay. The Rochester and Glen Haven Railroad connected to the horse car line of the Rochester City and Brighton Railroad at East Main and Chamberlain streets. When the railroad opened for service in 1889, it was still under construction. The full length of the line was completed in 1891. The Glen Haven Hotel opened on the western shores of Irondequoit Bay in 1889, and in the years following many other developments and attractions were built in the area including the Glen Haven Park amusement park. In 1893 the line was foreclosed and reorganized as the Glen Haven Railroad.

Both the railroad and the hotel fell on hard times and two years later the line suspended service. The receiver was Chauncey C. Woodworth, who previously became a partner in Rochester Railway Company in 1868. The Rochester and Glen Haven Railroad was sold at auction to Woodworth and Frank P. Crouch (original vice president of the railroad) and reorganized as the Irondequoit Park Railroad. The route was converted to standard gauge and the electrification process began. On May 30, 1896, electric trolleys began service between East Main Street Station in Rochester and Glen Haven. Rebuilding the line eliminated the need for city passengers to transfer to continue their ride to Glen Haven. Service was operated every 20 minutes, and the railroad continued to invest in the betterment of Glen Haven Park.


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