The New York and Ottawa Railway was a railway connecting Tupper Lake in northeastern New York to Ottawa, Ontario, via Ramsayville, Russell, Embrun, Finch and Cornwall. It became part of the New York Central Railroad system in 1913, although it was under the larger company's possession since the end of 1904. It had started-out as the Northern Adirondack Railroad and evolved into the Northern New York Railroad, the New York and Ottawa Railroad, and was last known as the New York and Ottawa Railway before being merged into the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. Other lines that were a part of this route are described below. History Northern Adirondack Railroad: 1883-1895 The Northern Adirondack Railroad was chartered February 9, 1883 to build from Moira on the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad south to St. Regis Falls. The company was owned by Peter MacFarlane, Charles Hotchkiss and John Hurd. Logging businessmen were hoping to use this railroad to ship out their logs from the region. The line opened on September 25, 1883, with a rented locomotive from the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad, which derailed when it entered St. Regis Falls. MacFarlane was soon bought-out by Hotchkiss and Hurd, and eventually John Hurd became the majority owner. In 1885, Hurd had extended his railroad southward to Santa Clara, but it remained inactive until a new company was created to operate this section and extend it farther south, eventually reaching Tupper Lake. This company would merge into the Northern Adirondack Railroad in 1890 (see below). On July 1 of that year, the first train entered Tupper Lake. Hurd's business practices would eventually send him into debt, and, before he declared bankruptcy, his railroad went into receivership on January 25, 1894. On May 25, 1895, the railroad was sold to a business syndicate and two days later was renamed the Northern New York Railroad. Northern Adirondack Extension Railroad: 1885-1890 The Northern Adirondack Extension Railroad was chartered on February 17, 1886, to take over the existing rails between St. Regis Falls and Santa Clara, as well as to extend the Northern Adirondack Railroad south to Tupper Lake in the Adirondack Mountains: the site of the largest saw mill in the U.S. at the time. The first section of the extension opened on July 6, 1886, south to Brandon. The remaining section to Tupper Lake was completed in 1889, with regular service to