Delaware Otsego Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Delaware Otsego Corporation is an American
railway holding company
which owns the subsidiary
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
as well as other, smaller branch line
railroads
, collectively known as the DO System. It is headquartered in Cooperstown, New York
in Otsego County
.
line out of Oneonta, NY as a tourist hauler, using a former Virginia Blue Ridge Railway/U.S. Army Lima steam locomotive 0-6-0 type. Rides were offered between the passenger station, located near the interchange with Delaware and Hudson Railway
(D&H), and end of track at Mickle Bridge, roughly three miles to the east. Arrangements for additional trackage could not be worked out.
With the construction of Interstate 88
, and the state demanding for money for an overpass, the highway threatened to doom the line's future. At about the same time, the D&H was looking to abandon its Cooperstown branch, which ran 16 miles from Cooperstown Junction (near Colliersville, NY) to Cooperstown. After successful negotiations, the DO Corp. purchased the line and used an old name, the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad
. A former D&H RS-2 was purchased (#4022), and repainted and renumbered as #100. Diesel and steam excursions were operated for about five years, along with freight service. The last regular freight service was in the mid 1980s, and the line was embargoed afterwards. It was used for freight car storage before being sold to the Leatherstocking Chapter, NRHS
, which has since rebuilt portions of the line and offers seasonal tourist service.
Shortly after the move to Cooperstown, the line purchased its second line, the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
, née Erie-Lackawanna Richfield Springs Branch. This line split off from the Utica Branch. Before the NYS&W created new shops in Utica, New York
, Richfield Springs was used as a maintenance base for its excursion fleet. Many passenger cars, including their “super domes”, traveled over the line: reminiscent of Richfield Springs being a destination point back in the Lackawanna days. This line was abandoned in 1998 after years of disuse.
(NYS&W), after a court earlier that year granted DO control of the bankrupt rail company. The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway became their largest operation and offers local services to over 80 customers along 400 route miles in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
between Syracuse University and the Carousel Mall, which has since been discontinued. Occasional runs are made in conjunction with special events.
of $22 per share.
This deal essentially brought the DO System of Railroads, including the subsidiary New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W), under control of the much larger Norfolk Southern and CSX rail systems, because the new owner DOCP Acquisition LLC is owned 40% by Norfolk Southern, 40% by CSX and 20% by Walter G. Rich of the Delaware Otsego Corporation.
On 9 August 2007, Rich died after an eight-month struggle against pancreatic cancer, at the age of 61.
, a former interurban and freight line in Central New York that was completed in 1870. The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville line was abandoned in the mid 1980s.
The DO System was an operator of Stourbridge Line, a former Erie Railroad
line, located in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania in northeastern Pennsylvania. They provided freight and excursions service. Although the DO does not operate this line anymore, the railroad is intact and used for excursions, which are operated by the Wayne County (Pennsylvania) Chamber of Commerce.
The DO System owned the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway
for a period of ten years from 1989 to 1999. It is a regional rail line stretching from Ohio to Illinois.
The DO System was also behind the Kingston Terminal Railroad, which was created in 1980 to serve the Kingston, NY, waterfront but dissolved within the same year when no customers materialized.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railway holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
which owns the subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway , also known as the Susie-Q, or simply the Susquehanna, is a Class II American freight railway operating over 500 miles of track in the northeastern states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It was formed in 1881 from the merger of several...
as well as other, smaller branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
railroads
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
, collectively known as the DO System. It is headquartered in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
in Otsego County
Otsego County, New York
Otsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...
.
History
The "DO Line", as it is often called, was formed when a Syracuse University law school student named Walter G. Rich started operating a former New York Central RailroadNew York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
line out of Oneonta, NY as a tourist hauler, using a former Virginia Blue Ridge Railway/U.S. Army Lima steam locomotive 0-6-0 type. Rides were offered between the passenger station, located near the interchange with Delaware and Hudson Railway
Delaware and Hudson Railway
The Delaware and Hudson Railway is a railroad that operates in the northeastern United States. Since 1991 it has been a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, although CPR has assumed all operations and the D&H does not maintain any locomotives or rolling stock.It was formerly an important...
(D&H), and end of track at Mickle Bridge, roughly three miles to the east. Arrangements for additional trackage could not be worked out.
With the construction of Interstate 88
Interstate 88 (east)
Interstate 88 is an intrastate Interstate Highway entirely within the U.S. state of New York. Its western end is at Interstate 81 in Binghamton and its eastern end is at Interstate 90 in Schenectady. It serves as an important connector route from Albany to Binghamton, Elmira , and...
, and the state demanding for money for an overpass, the highway threatened to doom the line's future. At about the same time, the D&H was looking to abandon its Cooperstown branch, which ran 16 miles from Cooperstown Junction (near Colliersville, NY) to Cooperstown. After successful negotiations, the DO Corp. purchased the line and used an old name, the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad
Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad
The Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad Company is a heritage railroad in New York operated by the Leatherstocking Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society since 1996.-History:...
. A former D&H RS-2 was purchased (#4022), and repainted and renumbered as #100. Diesel and steam excursions were operated for about five years, along with freight service. The last regular freight service was in the mid 1980s, and the line was embargoed afterwards. It was used for freight car storage before being sold to the Leatherstocking Chapter, NRHS
National Railway Historical Society
The National Railway Historical Society is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for, the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and organized into 16 regions and...
, which has since rebuilt portions of the line and offers seasonal tourist service.
Shortly after the move to Cooperstown, the line purchased its second line, the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
, née Erie-Lackawanna Richfield Springs Branch. This line split off from the Utica Branch. Before the NYS&W created new shops in Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
, Richfield Springs was used as a maintenance base for its excursion fleet. Many passenger cars, including their “super domes”, traveled over the line: reminiscent of Richfield Springs being a destination point back in the Lackawanna days. This line was abandoned in 1998 after years of disuse.
New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway
On September 1, 1980 the Delaware Otsego Corporation started operation of the New York, Susquehanna and Western RailwayNew York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway , also known as the Susie-Q, or simply the Susquehanna, is a Class II American freight railway operating over 500 miles of track in the northeastern states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It was formed in 1881 from the merger of several...
(NYS&W), after a court earlier that year granted DO control of the bankrupt rail company. The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway became their largest operation and offers local services to over 80 customers along 400 route miles in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Syracuse On-Track Service
For several years the NYS&W offered a commuter train service called OnTrackOnTrack
OnTrack was a regional rail line that operated in Syracuse, New York from 1994 to 2007. During its operation, Syracuse was the smallest city in the United States to have regional train service. The line ran from Colvin Street on the city's south side via Syracuse University and Armory Square to the...
between Syracuse University and the Carousel Mall, which has since been discontinued. Occasional runs are made in conjunction with special events.
DOCP Acquisition LLC Takeover
On October 3, 1997, DOCP Acquisition LLC announced it had completed the short-form merger of Delaware Otsego Corporation (NASDAQ:DOCP) with a wholly owned subsidiary via a stock tender offerTender offer
Tender offer is a corporate finance term denoting a type of takeover bid. The tender offer is a public, open offer or invitation by a prospective acquirer to all stockholders of a publicly traded corporation to tender their stock for sale at a specified price during a specified time, subject to...
of $22 per share.
This deal essentially brought the DO System of Railroads, including the subsidiary New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W), under control of the much larger Norfolk Southern and CSX rail systems, because the new owner DOCP Acquisition LLC is owned 40% by Norfolk Southern, 40% by CSX and 20% by Walter G. Rich of the Delaware Otsego Corporation.
On 9 August 2007, Rich died after an eight-month struggle against pancreatic cancer, at the age of 61.
Other DO System lines
The DO System purchased the Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville RailroadFonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad
The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad was at one point a 132 mile steam engine and electric interurban railroad that connected its namesake towns in east central New York State to Schenectady, New York...
, a former interurban and freight line in Central New York that was completed in 1870. The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville line was abandoned in the mid 1980s.
The DO System was an operator of Stourbridge Line, a former Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
line, located in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania in northeastern Pennsylvania. They provided freight and excursions service. Although the DO does not operate this line anymore, the railroad is intact and used for excursions, which are operated by the Wayne County (Pennsylvania) Chamber of Commerce.
The DO System owned the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway
Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway
The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway is a short-line railroad that operates of track from Mapleton, Illinois, through Peoria across Illinois to Logansport, Indiana, and includes a branch line between Logansport to Winamac, Indiana...
for a period of ten years from 1989 to 1999. It is a regional rail line stretching from Ohio to Illinois.
The DO System was also behind the Kingston Terminal Railroad, which was created in 1980 to serve the Kingston, NY, waterfront but dissolved within the same year when no customers materialized.