The Grand View Beach Railway was a scenic electric street railway along the shore of Lake Ontario from the village of Ontario Beach, a suburb of Rochester, to Manitou Beach.
The railroad was long. For several miles out of Ontario Beach the road ran along a bluff close to and overlooking the expanse of Ontario and about above the level of the water. From Rigney's Bluff westward to Manitou the track threaded a sandy beach between the great lake and various little bays and ponds.
0. Siding #1, Spitz Hotel, 160 Beach Ave. <br/> 1. Wilder Terr. <br/> 2. Hospital, Rear Summer Hospital for Children <br/> 3. Cloverdale Farm City line - Spur to water works - was siding #2 <br/> 4. Little Pond <br/> 5. Rigney's Bluff (Shoremont) <br/> 6. Siding #3 <br/> 7. Fehrenback's Lake View Hotel Adolph Grossmans Hotel at Round Pond Outlet Breakers <br/> 8. Island Cottage on left - Edgewater Hotel on Lakeshore (Louis Cook's) <br/> 9. Buck Pond <br/> 10. Crescent Beach-W.H. Lewis Prop. 1910 later Ray Gets Pass switch siding #4 <br/> 11. Later passing switch, Lewis straight <br/> 12. Outlet - Long Pond, West end trestle <br/> 13. Long Pond, Grand View Beach Hotel - A. Kleinhans later Joe Rosenbach <br/> 14. Lowden Point Road <br/> 15. Siding Pass #5, Half Way <br/> 16. <br/> 17. Springwater Hotel <br/> 18. <br/> 19. Cranberry Pond <br/> 20. Siding #6 <br/> 21. Braddocks Heights <br/> 22. E. Manitou <br/> 23. Elmheart Hotel <br/> 24. Passing track #7, Manitou Beach
The railroad was of modern construction and equipment. The track was 45-pound steel T rail. The rolling stock consisted of 7 motor cars, five open and two closed, and 7 open trail-cars, which could comfortably seat 60 to 70 persons. Rae motors of 40-horse-power were used and the old reliable McGuire truck.
The power plant was located from the eastern terminus of the railroad. It was equipped with two Thompson-Houston 8,000-Watt generators, two engines of Mclntosh-Seymour and three 100-horse-power boilers from the Pierce & Thomas shops.
The car-barn, located near the power house had storage capacity for 20 cars.
While erecting the last trestle over the Braddock's Bay, a sudden storm arose, and two men working in the middle of the bay on the trestle were drowned before they could be reached by help.
Some derailments and accidents occurred: Twelve people were injured and one of them died, when a crowded car derailed near Charlotte in 1902 and plunged into a gully below. In 1904, four passengers were killed and nine were injured in a collision on the line.
The cars began running in June 1891, but the railroad was in an unfinished condition until about August 1. To October 1st the total earnings were $17,976.08, operating expenses $8,500.06, interest and taxes $4,010.34, surplus $4,465.14. The total number of passengers carried was 150,000.
The initial officers of the company were:
The line was subsequently operated by the Rochester, Charlotte & Manitou Beach Railroad (1895-1908) and the Rochester & Manitou Railroad (1908-1925). The last car ran on the line in 1925.