Rochester Horsecars


(1833-1838) (1862-1895)

According to traction historian extraordinare Shelden S. King, "The horse railway system of Rochester was always unified, giving the city a better than average transit system during the latter decades of the nineteenth century."*

That system, the comparatively praiseworthy and successful Rochester City and Brighton Railroad, has been the subject of much research, which will be expanded upon here. The RC&BRR was not, however, the first horse railroad to operate in the Rochester area.

Between 1833 and 1838, a primitive strap rail line ran from Rochesterville to the Village of Carthage, long ago annexed by the city of Rochester. Traction purists may wince, but it is my feeling that no history of Rochester's street railroads can be called truly complete without an account of the Carthage Railroad--Rochester's First horsecar line .

*(see THE NEW YORK STATE RAILWAYS, self-published, 1970: p.11)

Links to other sites on the Web

The Carthage Railroad (1833-1838)
The Rochester City and Brighton Railroad (1862-1889)
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