Jim Moore / November 5, 2026
Before the days when driving on the roads and visiting tasting rooms would make up one’s weekend in the Finger Lakes, life on the shores of Keuka Lake was driven by steam and the click-clack sound of train wheels.
Established in 1872 and operational by 1875, the Bath & Hammondsport Railroad, dubbed ‘The Champagne Route’, a moniker proudly embraced by locals, operated for only nine miles (9.3 miles to be exact) on tracks throughout Pleasant Valley. Though it was a short ride, this railroad made up for lack of distance with its eccentric character, which bridged local vineyards straight to the railroad routes of Victorian times.
When first established the B & H it was built as a narrow-gauge (3-foot) railroad. Meaning passengers had to transfer cars at Bath, and early freight had to be manually reloaded until the line was widened to standard gauge in 1889.
The railroad was a vital link, coordinating the timing of freight trains with the passenger steamboats that departed from Hammondsport in order to move both people and goods across the water. City dwellers who had traveled on the Erie Railroad’s mainline from New York would alight at Bath, transfer to the picturesque B&H Railroad line down to the shore, and then board the waiting steamers such as the Mary Bell and Holmes bound for the luxurious lakeshore cottages and resorts. The railroad soon acquired its dazzling nickname because it transported the area’s greatest commodities:
- Pioneer Vintages: Wooden barrels and glass bottles packed with award-winning sparkling wines from early cellars like Pleasant Valley Wine Company and Urbana Wine Company.
- Fresh Table Grapes: Millions of pounds of freshly picked Concords, Niagaras, and Catawbas packed into baskets and sped off in refrigerated boxcars.
- Early Aviation Pioneer Parts: Motors, airframes, and supplies bound for hometown visionary Glenn Curtiss as his lakeside experiments launched naval aviation.
And above and beyond the industry that it was built to carry, the B&H became part of the social fabric of the lives of the people in Steuben County. The locals would travel by train for their Sunday church visits, school field trips, and simple day rides from farmhouse to town square. As the air grew thick with the aroma of ripe grapes in the fall, the railroad track carried an aura of common success, bringing the whole community out to work, play, and marvel at the trains chugging through the valley below.
But inevitably, the glory days had to give way to the demands of modern times, not without leaving behind a sturdy legacy though:
- The Trial of Prohibition: The line weathered the abrupt freeze of the legal wine industry, leaning heavily on bulk timber, coal, and agricultural goods to survive.
- The Historic 1935 Flood: Catastrophic summer floodwaters washed out track beds and bridges, forcing local operators to rally and rebuild what corporate owners deemed expendable.
- A Heritage Preserved: Decades of determined short-line operations helped keep vintage rail infrastructure alive long after larger passenger lines vanished.
Even though the age of steam whistles and railways gave way to the automobile age, memories of The Champagne Route live on in the form of the old railway depots, the right-of-way trails, and the famous tasting rooms that dot the hillsides stretching from Bath to Hammondsport. Indeed, it’s hard to forget the Finger Lakes Wine Region was not only made of sun and soil, but nine miles at a time by the train.
Some great sources to learn more about the B & H “Champaign Route” railroad are:
- https://the-champagne-route.org/
- The “Champagne Route”: The History of the Bath & Hammondsport Railroad by Gordon D. Allison (with Howard M. V. Holmes and Dr. Donald F. Robinson)
- The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum & Archives (Hammondsport, NY)
- The Crooked Lake Review Historical Archive
photo: Steamer Mary Bell in the Slipway at Hammondsport, NY — Steuben County Historical Society
