This abandoned railway line was built between 1869 and 1878 by the Rochester & State Line Railroad. The road was incorporated to build a line from Rochester up the Genesee valley to Pennsylvania in order to bring coal to Rochester. The line was reorganized as the Rochester & Pittsburgh and extended down to Punxsutawney, PA, and reached Pittsburgh via the Pennsylvania RR. The railroad became the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh in 1887 after a branch was built to Buffalo. The BR&P developed into a well-run coal hauler. On January 1, 1932, the BR&P was purchased by the B&O and was later merged. The Chessie System sold this section of the line to the Genesee & Wyoming Railroad in 1986 to become the Rochester and Southern Railroad. The section from Machias to Silver Springs was abandoned in the late 1980s. A haulage agreement was made with CPR which allowed abandonment of this difficult-to-maintain section. The R&S could then reach Buffalo by way of the haulage agreement.

See also the Silver Lake Branch from Silver Lake Junction to Perry, abandoned by the B&O in the 1970s.