West Shore Railroad and Connections

Late 19th century map and timetable of the West Shore Railroad.

The West Shore Railroad was originally envisioned as a competitor to the wildly popular New York Central Railroad, and ran from Jersey City to Albany along the Hudson River at various points starting in the late 1860’s. In 1880, the line was extended to Buffalo and the entire company was re-organized. Finally, in 1885, the New York Central bought the line and incorporated it into the company’s broader network of routes, which can be seen on this map, issued shortly after the purchase in 1886.

The West Shore Railroad comprises only a small fraction of the overall route, which is depicted in a bold red line and stretches from Boston on the Atlantic Coast across much of the Midwest to Chicago and St. Louis. Various stops are crammed along the length of the line, which is actually a combination of several different railroads held by the New York Central. A list at the top of the sheet notes several locations accessible via the West Shore Railway and its connections, while an image of a Wagner Sleeping Car (a main competitor of Pullman) can be seen in the lower right corner.

Numerous timetables and a small inset map of New York City showing the railroad’s ticket offices can be found on the verso of the sheet.