This article was scraped from Rochester Subway. This is a blog about Rochester history and urbanism has not been published since 2017. The current owners are now publishing link spam which made me want to preserve this history.. The original article was published June 30, 2010 and can be found here.
On this day, June 30, 1956 in Rochester history...
Service on the Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway (the "subway") ended. According to several accounts, the public came out in force to bid farewell to the Rochester subway and an extra car had to be added to handle the crowds. Fifty members of the Metropolitan New York Railway Association held a chartered fantrip, and people crowded platforms and overhead bridges all along the subway route to get their last pictures...
It was 12:54 a.m. on July 1 when car 68 (shown above) left City Hall station under the control of motorman Harry A. Beach. The red and cream colored car headed east for the last time, arriving at Rowlands at 1:09 a.m., then turned the loop and retraced its journey back to the western end of the line at Driving Park, arriving there at 1:36 a.m. The crowd got off, the doors closed, and car 68 moved into the barn for the last time. RTC crews, starting at each end, made their way down the line toward downtown locking each station forever. An exciting era in Rochester's history had come to an end.
Rochester Transit Corporation posted the following notice to riders:
TO OUR PATRONS On Saturday, June 30, subway passenger service will be operated for the last time. May we express our deep appreciation for your patronage over the years. To meet your future transportation needs we have taken two steps. 1. Effective immediately, a series of bus reroutings, extensions and new lines are being put into operation. These changes, coupled with existing bus service, are designed to cover all subway stations. 2. As soon as the new highway is completed in the subway bed, high-speed express bus service with surface loading will be put into effect. We, therefore, hope to serve you in the future as we have in the past. See you on the buses! Rochester Transit Corporation
And that's how The End of the Line got its name.
*Much of this post was lifted from the super awesome book by Ron Amberger, Canal Boats, Interurbans & Trolleys: The Story of the Rochester Subway . Grab yourself a copy today.
