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noticed recently in an Oswego paper there was some doubt as to the origin of the word 'Hojack' as applied to the R, W. & O. division of the New York
Central railroad. There are a few persons on the railroad who know how the name came to be applied, but I happen to know the exact circumstances. Along in the early 70's a man named Royal and one John Tobin were employed by the R., W. & O. railroad in running trains between Lewiston and Suspension Bridge. Royal was a gruff, genial fellow and was well liked by the railroad men at the bridge. It was his habit, when after having delivered his cars at the bridge, he was ready to return, to stand at the officer door and call out to his partner in stentorian tones. 'Ho, Jack, time to be going back.' The man and the voice became inseparably connected with the railroad and when his train appeared the men would say, 'Here comes the hojack.' The name sticks to the road and the R., W. & O., is now better known among railroad men as the 'Hojack' than it is by its corporate name."
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reported, "hile the Hojack was backing down to the depot
Wednesday afternoon a horse in a team attached to a wagon from the country got its foot fast between the rail and the bed of the track in a manner similar to that which a horse belonging to Thomas Cuddeback was ruined some time ago. It was with
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Many people fondly called the RW&O by its nickname, "Hojack." In the early days of the railroad, a farmer in his buckboard drawn by a bulky mule was caught on a crossing at train time. When the mule was halfway across the tracks, he stopped. The train was fast approaching and the farmer naturally
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Considerable mystery has always surrounded the origin of the nickname "Hojack" applied to the R. W. & O. division. Railroad men, when asked, seemed to have but a vague idea of the reason of the term. In a letter to the Oswego
Bulletin, a writer who signs himself as an "Old Engineer," writes: "I
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A subsequent story in the same newspaper supports that explanation, saying "he name Hojack, which the
Gazette gave to the way train leaving here for the west at 1:30 in the afternoon, sticks closer than a brother, and the train is now generally known by that name." NYC attempted to ban the name by
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In 20th century timetables for the New York
Central Railroad (NYC), the line was referred to as the St. Lawrence Division. Revenue passenger service was operated from the NYC's "Water Level Route" mainline. Coach passengers for the route to Watertown, Potsdam and on to Massena changed trains at
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passengers would be able to take a continuous through-car ride. The last sleeping cars to and from New York City operated along the route in 1961, discontinued with the
October schedule. The local coach service to Ogdensburg ended by October, 1961 as well. The remaining local coach service for
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originated from the engineer of the first train, who was named Jack Welch (often called "Big Jack"). Welch used to be a farmer and was more familiar with horses than steam locomotives. When he stopped the trains he would shout "Whoa Jack!". This became Hojack over
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The RW&O was nicknamed "Rotten Wood & Old Rusty Rails" due to its crumbling infrastructure. By 1878, the RW&O had been merged into the
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great difficulty that the horse
Wednesday was saved from a similar fate. The foot was got out just in time to get out of the way of the train."
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235:). RW&O merged with the LOS in 1875; by that time the LOS was bankrupt. Branch lines reached what became resort towns along the
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and
Ogdensburg. At the first two towns, ferries were available to Ontario towns on the opposite side of the river, as well as the
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got excited and began shouting, "Ho-Jack, Ho-Jack." Amused by the incident, the trainmen began calling their line the "Ho-Jack."
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270:. By 1891, RW&O became a subsidiary of NYC. On April 12, 1913, the RW&O was formally merged into the NYC.
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Author
Richard Palmer attributes it to a slang term for a slow local passenger train or way freight. The
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began in 1842 as the Watertown & Rome Railroad (W&R) to link
231:(LOS) was chartered from Oswego to Suspension Bridge, New York (now
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in 1913, the RW&O line was known as the St. Lawrence Division.
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for example: June 1928 New York Central timetable, Tables 35, 36
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Syracuse. Passengers for the branch splitting off the route at
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The RW&O had terminals in Suspension Bridge, Rochester,
1049:"Edict Against Hojack". Syracuse Post Standard. 1906-01-12.
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Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad system map, 1889
141:. The original Rome and Watertown Railroad terminated in
1072:
The Story of the Rome, Watertown, and Ogdensburg RailRoad
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http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/images/tt-0464.pdf
959:
http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/images/tt-1061.pdf
926:(7). National Railway Publication Company. December 1954.
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http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/images/tt-0628.pdf
986:. Footprint Press. pp. 38–44, 80–83, 101, 107–109.
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Massena was dropped from the timetable by April, 1964.
208:. In 1861, these two railroads merged as the RW&O.
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Former buildings and structures in Watertown, New York
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Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad (RW&O)
984:Take Your Bike: Family Rides in the Rochester Area
957:October 1961 New York Central timetable, Table 18
907:http://streamlinermemories.info/NYC/NYC47-12TT.pdf
1039:The Port Jervis Evening Gazette, February 5, 1880
1030:The Port Jervis Evening Gazette, October 28, 1879
1447:
940:, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989, p. 41.
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239:at the end of the 19th century: Cape Vincent,
1496:Subdivisions of the New York Central Railroad
1486:Railroads controlled by the Vanderbilt family
1461:Predecessors of the New York Central Railroad
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1021:Rome Daily Sentinel March 1, 1904 page 5
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918:"New York Central Railroad, Table 60".
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123:Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad
20:Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad
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969:April 1964 New York Central timetable
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225:Syracuse & Northern Railroad
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1007:Batzing, Dick (20 March 2018).
377:The RW&O was nicknamed the
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982:Freeman, Rich and Sue (2003).
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920:Official Guide of the Railways
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229:Lake Ontario Shore Railroad
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1179:Rochester and Lake Ontario
278:for Ogdensburg changed at
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860:Ontario Midland Railroad
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1414:New York State Railways
1009:"The Hojack Line Story"
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163:Niagara Falls, New York
1139:Albany and Schenectady
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1149:Schenectady and Troy
309:Webster Hojack Trail
223:and merged with the
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313:Cayuga Hojack Trail
268:Rochester, New York
256:Charlotte, New York
206:St. Lawrence County
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1419:Pine Creek Railway
586:Richland Junction
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149:. A branch of the
147:St. Lawrence River
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53:Dates of operation
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360:Cape Vincent
329:
294:
284:Sleeping car
272:
264:Lake Ontario
249:
210:
181:
179:
167:
155:Lake Ontario
150:
133:and then to
122:
120:
1363:Gardenville
1134:Auburn Road
691:Evans Mill
616:Mannsville
262:flows into
258:(where the
77:Track gauge
1450:Categories
1302:West Shore
1261:Lake Shore
1144:Falls Road
871:References
766:Richville
751:Gouveneur
676:Watertown
432:Main Line
414:System map
352:Ogdensburg
481:Humaston
452:Position
437:Milepost
186:Watertown
131:Watertown
71:Technical
61:Successor
1256:ca. 1877
1164:Lewiston
854:See also
811:Potsdam
721:Antwerp
443:Station
373:nickname
332:Syracuse
299:(CSXT),
280:Syracuse
96: in
47:New York
38:Overview
1394:Rutland
796:Canton
736:Keenes
601:Lacona
571:Albion
556:Kasoag
511:Camden
496:Taberg
356:Clayton
348:Massena
241:Clayton
217:Pulaski
192:on the
176:History
157:, from
145:on the
91:⁄
1353:Putnam
1251:Harlem
990:
944:
646:Adams
449:Notes
446:Image
386:Hojack
379:Hojack
371:Hojack
321:Hilton
317:Hamlin
291:Legacy
221:Oswego
43:Locale
1372:1900s
1321:1890s
1280:1880s
1219:1870s
1198:1860s
1122:1850s
389:time.
340:Utica
266:) to
188:with
1409:1909
1399:1905
1389:1904
1379:1900
1358:1898
1348:1894
1338:1893
1328:1891
1307:1889
1297:1885
1287:1882
1266:1878
1246:1873
1226:1871
1205:1869
1184:1858
1169:1855
1159:1854
1129:1853
988:ISBN
942:ISBN
465:Rome
460:Rome
362:and
336:Rome
323:and
180:The
137:and
121:The
1075:at
327:.
297:CSX
219:to
204:in
161:to
129:to
1452::
924:87
922:.
366:.
358:,
354:,
350:,
346:,
342:,
338:,
334:,
319:,
311:,
282:.
247:.
165:.
102:)
1106:e
1099:t
1092:v
1011:.
996:.
948:.
98:(
93:2
89:1
86:+
84:8
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