The Erie Railroad, and predecessors like the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad (later the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad) have played a big role in the development of the city.
Passenger Stations
The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad station was located in what is now West Salamanca at the west end of the former Erie Railroad yard. The 1865 photograph below is the only image I have found of the station.
The Erie Railroad had three passenger stations in Salamanca. The first was built about a mile west of the current Salamanca station at the junction with the Atlantic & Great Western Railway. From the description of it, it was little more than a small wooden shack.
When Salamanca grew rapidly in the mid 1860s, the company moved east and built a complex of shops, freight houses just west of Main Street in Salamanca. In 1872 the company built a substantial passenger depot, know as “The Windsplitter” for its shape, just west of Main Street.
The Windsplitter was used until 1904 when a third station was built. This station, a large red brick building, was destroyed in 2014.
All Station Photos
Freight House
The Erie Railroad freight house in Salamanca was located to the south-east of the passenger station, north of Atlantic Avenue and west of Main Street.
Yard, Roundhouse and Facilities
Locomotives
McKeen Railcars
Car 4002 was one of three gasoline-powered McKean railcars that the Erie operated. It was 70 feet long, generated 200 horsepower and ran between Salamanca and Bradford, PA from 1909 to 1922.
More Information
- Wikipedia. “Salamanca Station“. Very detailed information about the third station.