N.Y. RRD Law § 187

§ 187. Extensions and franchises confirmed. Any street surface\nrailroad corporation which had prior to the tenth day of May, eighteen\nhundred and ninety-three, constructed and was on that date operating any\nextension or branch of its railroad along any streets or highways or\nportion thereof in a city having less than fifty thousand inhabitants,\nor in any town adjoining such city, and which had prior to said date\nobtained consent of the owners of one-half in value of the property\nbounded on, and the consents also of the local authorities having\ncontrol of that portion of the streets, roads or highways upon which\nsuch extension or branch was constructed and being operated to the\nconstruction and operation of the same, is hereby authorized to operate\nand maintain any such branch or extension, upon filing in the office of\nthe secretary of state a certificate, signed by its board of directors,\nwhich certificate shall contain a statement of the names of the cities,\ntowns, villages and counties, and the names or description of the\nstreets, avenues and highways in which such extensions or branches have\nbeen constructed, the places from and to which the same have been\nconstructed, and are to be maintained and operated and the length\nthereof, as near as may be; thereupon said extensions and branches shall\nbe deemed and considered a part of the lines of said railroad from the\ndate of the filing thereof, and all corporate action relating to the\nconstruction, maintenance and operation of such extensions or branches,\nor creating liens upon the same by said corporation, are hereby\nvalidated and confirmed. Nothing in this section contained shall affect\nor impair any vested right or any litigation pending on said tenth day\nof May, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, nor shall any corporation\nwhich shall avail itself of the provisions of this section be deemed\nthereby to have waived any rights which it therefore had to maintain and\noperate any branches or extension named in any certificate filed by it\nhereunder.\n