On May 14, 1883, 125 years ago today, the New York Lackawanna & Western RR officially completed and opened it's rail line from Binghamton, NY to Buffalo, NY. It was financed and quickly absorbed by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, and became the shortest railroad between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.

This portion not only freed the Lackawanna from Erie RR's connection to western markets, but was part of a plan for Jay Gould to reach eastward, from his Wabash connections. By the time the road was completed, Gould was out of the partnership. The western route of the Lackawanna was considered it's speedway, being fairly flat and straightforward. The main impact of the achievement was to make DL&W a major player for the upcoming 20th Century.

Around the same time the key players in the DL&W gained control of the Green Bay & Western. Using great lakes ships the DL&W "connected" to the GB&W as a western outlet for its anthracite coal.