Syracuse Journal
September 23, 1876

"The Auburn Branch - A Fragment"

Years Ago, when the N.Y.C.
Was not the road that it grew to be;
When a single track was enough and more
To do the work that now takes four;
That single track, as you may be aware,
Ran up to Auburn and west from there,
Through towns and hamlets that give a home
To names from the empires of Greece and Rome.

But when the Central grew rich and strong,
Its managers thought this route too long;
And so with expenditure profuse,
They built a short cut from Syracuse
To Rochester and Auburn became
A deserted village, sad worthy its name.

And now when or on the N.Y.C.,
There happens by chance to be
A car which is old, and shaky and mean,
With comfortless seats which are never kept clean;
Or a weak locomotive, grown wheezy with age,
With boiler unsafe and imperfect steam gauge,
With pistons and driving wheels no longer staunch,
They say 'It will do for the Auburn branch."

The above item was shared with visitors to the Cayuga County NYGenWeb Project  by Richard F. Palmer  (Feb. 2012)

Veiw The Early Stagecoach Days In Upstate New York Blog
Early History of the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad Website
Turnpike Corporations In New York State