This photo shows the old Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh (BR&P)
right-of-way at Bliss, NY taken on 10/28/02. This was most recently operated by the Rochester & Southern Railroad (a G&W family shortline), but torn up in the late 1980's.
This line was built between 1869 and 1878 by the Rochester & State Line Railroad. The road was incorporated to build a line from Rochester up the Genesee valley to Pennsylvania in order to bring coal to Rochester. The line was reorganized as the Rochester & Pittsburgh and extended down to Punxsutawney, PA, and reached Pittsburgh via the Pennsylvania RR. The railroad became the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh in 1887 after a branch was built to Buffalo. The BR&P developed into a well run coal hauler. On January 1, 1932, the BR&P was purchased by the B&O and was later merged. The Chessie System sold this section of the line to the Genesee & Wyoming Railroad in 1986 to become the Rochester and Southern Railroad. The section from Machias to Silver Springs was abandoned in the late 1980s. A haulage agreement was made with CPR which allowed abandonment of this difficult-to-maintain section. The R&S could then reach Buffalo by way of the haulage agreement. (A branch from Silver Springs Jct. to Silver Lake and Perry was abandoned by B&O in the 1970s).
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