The Dolgeville & Salisbury Railroad stopped running trains in 1946, but its right-of-way is a great place for an enjoyable walk or a bike ride in the Spring, Summer, and Fall months. The Dolgeville & Salisbury was constructed under the direction of the Salisbury Steel and Iron Company, which mined several small ore deposits in the area to the north of where this photo was taken. The first train ran the line on April 16, 1908. Steam locomotives hauled ore cars down this parcel of land until the mine closed in 1913. The untimely illness (pneumonia) and death of the mine's manager, Capt. William H. Switzer precipitated the collapse. The mine machinery almost immediately was silenced. The mine workings were sold at mortgage auction in 1916, and the workings were removed via rail in the summer of 1921. Gone were the days of steam locomotives hauling ore cars down this line. Even though the mine failed, the lumbering interests kept this line alive. The Jerseyfield Lumber Company ran two-truck shays deep into central Herkimer County starting at a location about a mile north of here. The Dolgeville & Salisbury connected with the Little Falls & Dolgeville to the south and was operated as a part of the LF&D system by LF&D management. Both roads became part of the New York Central. Today, a few ties remain in the gauge, and a few discarded spikes line this well-built path through the woods, reminding the occasional traveler or winter snowmobile enthusiast that this used to be a very storied part of "railroad country."
