Grand View Beach Railway

The Grand View Beach Railway was a scenic electric street railway along the shore of Lake Ontario from the village of Ontario Beach, a suburb of Rochester, to Manitou Beach.

Route

The railroad was 8 miles (13 km) long. For several miles out of Ontario Beach the road ran along a bluff close to and overlooking the expanse of Ontario and about 15 feet (4.6 m) above the level of the water. From Rigney's Bluff westward to Manitou the track threaded a sandy beach between the great lake and various little bays and ponds.^[1]

Stops and sidings

0. Siding #1, Spitz Hotel, 160 Beach Ave.
1. Wilder Terr.
2. Hospital, Rear Summer Hospital for Children
3. Cloverdale Farm City line - Spur to water works - was siding #2
4. Little Pond
5. Rigney's Bluff (Shoremont)
6. Siding #3
7. Fehrenback's Lake View Hotel Adolph Grossmans Hotel at Round Pond Outlet Breakers
8. Island Cottage on left - Edgewater Hotel on Lakeshore (Louis Cook's)
9. Buck Pond
10. Crescent Beach-W.H. Lewis Prop. 1910 later Ray Gets Pass switch siding #4
11. Later passing switch, Lewis straight
12. Outlet - Long Pond, West end trestle
13. Long Pond, Grand View Beach Hotel - A. Kleinhans later Joe Rosenbach
14. Lowden Point Road
15. Siding Pass #5, Half Way
16.
17. Springwater Hotel
18.
19. Cranberry Pond
20. Siding #6
21. Braddocks Heights
22. E. Manitou
23. Elmheart Hotel
24. Passing track #7, Manitou Beach^[2]

Trestles and accommodation

Ontario Beach Park, Charlotte, Rochester, New York
Little Round Pond, Island Cottage
Round Pond, Edgewater Hotel
Buck Pond, Crescent Beach Hotel
Long Pond, Grand View Beach
Cranberry Pond, East Manitou Hotel
Braddocks Bay, Elmheart Hotel
Manitou, Odenbachs^[3]

Infrastructure

The railroad was of modern construction and equipment. The track was 45-pound steel T rail. The rolling stock consisted of 7 motor cars, five open and two closed, and 7 open trail-cars, which could comfortably seat 60 to 70 persons. Rae motors of 40-horse-power were used and the old reliable McGuire truck.^[1]

The power plant was located 2 miles (3.2 km) from the eastern terminus of the railroad. It was equipped with two Thompson-Houston 8,000-Watt generators, two engines of Mclntosh-Seymour and three 100-horse-power boilers from the Pierce & Thomas shops.^[1]

The car-barn, located near the power house had storage capacity for 20 cars.

Accidents

While erecting the last trestle over the Braddock's Bay, a sudden storm arose, and two men working in the middle of the bay on the trestle were drowned before they could be reached by help.^[4]

Some derailments and accidents occurred: Twelve people were injured and one of them died, when a crowded car derailed near Charlotte in 1902 and plunged into a gully 15 feet (4.6 m) below. In 1904, four passengers were killed and nine were injured in a collision on the line.^[5]

History

The cars began running in June 1891, but the railroad was in an unfinished condition until about August 1. To October 1st the total earnings were $17,976.08, operating expenses $8,500.06, interest and taxes $4,010.34, surplus $4,465.14. The total number of passengers carried was 150,000.^[1]

The initial officers of the company were:

H. H. Craig, president
M. Doyle, vice-president
J. Miller Kelly, secretary and treasurer
E. A. Roworth, superintendent

The line was subsequently operated by the Rochester, Charlotte & Manitou Beach Railroad (1895-1908) and the Rochester & Manitou Railroad (1908-1925).^[3]^[6] The last car ran on the line in 1925.^[7]