Between 1830 and 1880 New England was the industrial center of the United States especially in the areas of machine tools and textiles. As with the case of most industries, energy was needed to run the machines creating the products being manufactured. New England lacked good local energy sources. Most of its forest lands had been denuded in order to generate power for its industries and its rivers lacked good sites for creating hydropower. To resolve its energy problem, New England turned to the rich coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania, centered around Scranton.
The issue was how to ship the coal from Pennsylvania to New England. The topography between the two regions consisted of hills and valleys and the trains at the time had steam based engines that could handle only two percent grades. The trains needed level land to transport the heavy coal. The best route was up the Susquehanna Valley, even though the tracks had to be designed to go around the numerous hills. Once the tracks reached Oneonta, the Susquehanna Valley turned north to Cooperstown. The most direct route was up the Schenevus Creek Valley through the gap that separates Otsego County and Schoharie County. From the gap trains could go north up the Schoharie Creek Valley to the Mohawk Valley into Albany and into western Massachusetts. To handle the grade through the gap, trains needed more than one engine. A large train yard was developed at Oneonta to add engines to the trains. This yard eventually had the world’s largest roundhouse for repairing stream engines. The railroad industry became Oneonta’s largest employer. It is estimated that between 30 and 40 percent of the city’s workforce was directly linked to the railroad. In 1915 the railroad reported that as many as 700 trains were coming through Oneonta per day.
This much economic activity brought a great many railroad workers to Oneonta especially from Scranton. Many of Oneonta’s fallen were the children of these workers. Below are their names.
His father was a Trackman with the local D&H Railroad in Oneonta.
His father became a conductor for the railroad and later a Detective for the Railroad by 1930.
His father was a Detective for the Railroad
His dad found work as a carpenter for the “Steamrail road” (D&H Railroad).
His father Elmer was a laborer for the D&H Railroad
His dad worked as a Trainman for the D&H Railroad.
His dad was a Trainman for the D&H Railroad
His dad was a machinist for the steam railroad (D&H) in Oneonta.
Amand was foreman and car inspector for the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Railroad in Wilkes-Barre.
William Sr. worked initially as a machine helper in the Delaware and Hudson railroad shop and later as a steam shovel operator
His father was a trainman and railroad conductor.
He married Mildred L. Van Hoesen on January 6, 1936 in Oneonta, NY. Mildred's father, Benjamin, worked for the local railroad.
Henry Sr. was a train engineer for the Ulster & Delaware (U & D) railroad in Oneonta.
The family was residing in Oneonta where Logdovite worked as a yard clerk for the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Railroad.
His father, Frank was section hand on the railroad.
His father was the chief clerk for the Supply Department of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad
His father was an engineer with the New York Central Railroad.
His dad worked for the D&H Railroad in town.
His dad was from New York and was a Pipe Fitter for the D&H Railroad.
His father worked for the D&H railroad, first in Plattsburg, NY and then he moved to its Oneonta, NY hub.
Local newspaper accounts also noted he worked for the D&H Railroad in Oneonta for a time.
He graduated from Oneonta High School in 1943 and worked for a time for the D&H Railroad
His dad worked for the D&H Railroad in Oneonta. The 1934 Oneonta City Directory recorded Nicholas also working for the D&H Railroad.
His dad was a signalman for the local D&H Railroad in Oneonta, NY
His dad was an engineer for the D&H Railroad.
His father was a watchman for the D&H railroad .
His father was a blacksmith for the D&H Railroad.
His dad was working for the D&H railroad in Oneonta
His uncle, George, was president of Wilber Bank and had financial roots in the D&H Railroad.
His father was a Brakeman for the D&H Railroad in Plattsburgh.