Photos and Video: Remembering the “Wellsville-Addison-Galeton”
by Mike Numeracki, train fanatic
Many people to this day still enjoy a nice walk or hike on the old WAG trail here in Wellsville, NY that runs from Island Park 12 miles South to the Pa Border. There are many access sites if you don’t want to walk the full amount of it. I’ll give you a brief history lesson on the old short line of our yester years.
The Wellsville, Addison and Galeton Railroad (WAG) was incorporated in 1954 to purchase 91 miles of former Buffalo and Susquehanna (B&S) trackage from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). These railroads had many years of floods problems that washed out track. The old Buffalo and Susquehanna (B&S) ran right through our property in Belmont back in the day. The 37-mile Wellsville branch was built in 1895 between Wellsville, NY, and Galeton, PA, by the B&S and the Wellsville, Coudersport and Pine Creek Railroad. The Addsion and Northern Pennsylvania Railroad built the 54-mile Addsion Branch in 1883 between Addsion, NY, and Galeton, Pa. The B&S built the 8-mile Ansonia Branch between Galeton and Ansonia, Pa in 1896.
The abandonment talk started for the Wellsville Branch in May 1970. The WAG finally filed for abandonment at the end of 1977. It was decided that the WAG could abandon in March 1978. The final freight run of the WAG occurred on March 13, 1979.
So many years of history gone, but so much history you can learn about this old gem…. The picture of the F7 Engines posted is located on the Trestle by Wellsville’s Island park from May 1972 that is still a walk bridge to this day. Sadly a month later Hurricane Agnes would hit the area hard.
That part of the track leads you over to the picture of the train sitting in front of the Old Wellsville Agway that’s long gone… where now sits the Dunkin Donut and Microtel in that spot. That picture is from the same year but earlier in March of 72.
The marker you see is one you will find in many pictures from people that walk the southern most part on the State Line going into PA that I took last year along with a picture of what’s left of the Trestle that goes across the river to where the Genesee PA Depot still stands, but sadly not much longer as its about to fully fall in.
If interested check out our site out on Facebook to Learn and see many more interesting facts and pictures! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1069854627489776
