The railroad was constructed by the Beebe Syndicate, a conglomeration of streetcar and interurban lines across New York State, though the Newark and Marion was never electrified.
It continued to operate as a spur of the Elmira Branch through the Penn Central and Conrail eras.
Dwindling freight traffic and deteriorating track conditions led to the line's closure in July 1984.
Contractors from the Syracuse Railroad Construction Company surveyed portions of the line in 1915.
[2] When the Newark and Marion went into receivership in 1915 and was no longer controlled by the Beebe Syndicate, plans for extensions were called off.