Wellsville, Addison and Galeton Railroad
| Reporting mark | WAG |
|---|---|
| Locale |
Pennsylvania New York |
| Dates of operation | 1954–1979 |
| Predecessor | Baltimore & Ohio Railroad |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Wellsville, Addison & Galeton Railroad (reporting mark WAG) was formed in 1954 to operate a section of Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) trackage which had been isolated from the rest of the system by a 1942 flood. This trackage was acquired by the B&O as part of the purchase of the Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad (B&S) in 1932. It is known as the operator of a set of GE centercab diesels supplemented by F7 locomotives in later years.
The original Wellsville, Addison & Galeton Railroad (WA&G) consisted of two main lines originating from Galeton, Pennsylvania. One ran northwest to Wellsville, New York, where it connected to the Erie Railroad; the other ran northeast to Addison, New York and also connected to the Erie. Two short segments completed the trackage, one running east to Ansonia, Pennsylvania and a connection with the New York Central Railroad, and another southwest to Burrows, representing the stub end of the former connection to the B&O. This totalled 91 miles of trackage and was sold for $250,000, along with six ex-B&S steam locomotives, four cabooses, and a miscellany of work equipment, to the H. E. Salzberg Company, which operated a number of other short lines. Operations began in 1956.
The future of the line was driven by line conditions and traffic. Major customers included a Sinclair refinery in Wellsville and tanneries in Elkland and Westfield. These latter supplied the sobriquet of "The Sole Leather Line", which was painted on some equipment.
The Burrows branch was abandoned soon after WA&G began operations began. The Elkland-Addison portion followed in 1960. In 1964 the line expanded to include the Coudersport & Port Allegany Railroad (C&PA), which crossed at Newfield Junction on the Wellsville line. The CP&A was abandoned in 1973.
By the time Hurricane Agnes hit the northeast in 1972, WA&G was reduced to a 40-mile operation between Galeton to Elkland, with a branch (and its only outside connection) to Ansonia. A fire destroyed the Elkland tannery in 1973; and after more floods the railroad filed for abandonment in 1975. Approval to abandon was granted by the ICC in 1978, and the final freight ran on March 13, 1979. The line remained open until November to retrieve equipment and ship locomotives to various buyers.
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