Alden is a village in eastern Erie County, NY. A history of Erie County described the railroads in the town of Alden
In 1843, the Buffalo & Attica Railroad (now a part of the New York, Lake Erie & Western) was built through the town, running through the south edge of Alden village. In 1853 the Buffalo & Rochester Railroad Company (which became a part of the New York Central the same year) built a road running across the whole northern part of Alden in a straight line. In 1883 the New York, Lackawanna & Western Railway was completed through the town between the other two. The construction of these important trunk lines has added greatly to the value of the farms of Alden by increasing the facilities for marketing their products, and has also promoted the growth of several villages and hamlets, although none of them has attained a very large size.
The Erie Railroad had a station in Alden on its line from Hornell to Buffalo. The station still stands and is located to the west of the intersection of Exchange Street and Railroad Street. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad also had a station on its Main Line in the town. The New York Central Railroad‘s Crittenden station was north of the village of Alden. The Lehigh Valley Railroad passed through the town, but did not have a station there.
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad station was on the north side of the tracks just to the west of Exchange Street (Formerly Depot Street). An 1884 inspection of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad (Erie Railroad) noted that “Castile, Warsaw, Alden, Darien and East Buffalo depot grounds are embellished with flower yards and lawns, presenting a beautiful appearance. ” The map below shows the layout of the tracks around the station.
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad had a station in Alden, but I don’t know where it was located and I don’t have any photos of it.
History
The DL&W line through Alden was built in 1882 by the New York, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, which was leased by the DL&W immediately after the line was built. The DL&W operated the line until 1960 when the it merged with the Erie Railroad to form the Erie Lackawanna Railroad.
The last passenger train operated over the line on June 30, 1962 and the DL&W track through Alden was abandoned in 1963.
Clippings
Station Photographs
Maps
Timetables
