Attica, NY

An undated postcard showing the Edwards Hotel (left) and Erie Railroad station (right) in Attica, NY. ebay.com

Attica was a station on the Erie Railroad (shown in green) Buffalo line and was the southern end of the Erie’s Attica Branch. It was also the southern end of the New York Central‘s Attica Branch (shown in blue) and the northern terminus of the Arcade and Attica Railroad (highlighted in red).

A 1917 Sanborn fire insurance map showing the railroad lines coming into Attica, NY.

Detail of a 1902 map of Attica, NY showing the Erie Railroad station on the south side of the tracks to the east of Exchange Street and the New York Central Railroad station on the north side of the tracks southwest of the corner of Favor and Main Streets. Century Map Company. 1902. “Wyoming County 1902, Attica 002.” Historic Map Works.

Erie Railroad

A November 2009 photo of the former Erie Railroad station in Attica, NY. Jim Duell, flickr.com

The first of the Erie Railroad’s predecessors to reach Attica was the Attica and Buffalo Railroad which was completed in November 1842 between Buffalo and Attica. On December 7, 1850 the Attica and Buffalo merged with the Tonawanda Railroad to form the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad. On April 26, 1852 the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad opened a new direct line from Buffalo east to Batavia and on November 1, 1852 they sold the old line between Depew and Attica to the Buffalo and New York City Railroad.

In 1854 the Buffalo and New York City Railroad finished construction of their line from Hornell to Attica, giving them a link into Buffalo.

The Erie Railroad line in Avon were operated by the Buffalo and New York City Railroad (1852 – 1961), the Erie Railway (1861 – 1878), the New York, Lake Erie and Western (NYLE&W) Railroad (1878 – 1895), the Erie Railroad (1895 – 1960), the Erie Lackawanna Railroad (1960 – 1976) and Conrail (1976 on).

Erie Railroad passenger service between Attica and Avon ended on April 30, 1933.

New York Central Railroad

The Tonawanda Railroad was chartered in 1832, opened its line from Rochester to Batavia in 1837, and extended its line from Batavia to Attica in December 1842. In 1850 the Tonawanda Railroad and the Attica and Buffalo merged to form the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad. In 1853, the Buffalo and Rochester was consolidated into the New York Central.

In 1936 the New York Central negotiated trackage rights over the Attica Branch of the Erie Railroad between Batavia and Attica. The last New York Central train over their own tracks was sometime the following year.

Arcade and Attica Railroad

More to come!

The Arcade and Attica Railroad used the Erie Railroad passenger station in Attica and interchanged traffic between the two railroads in the town.

The Arcade and Attica abandoned its line north of North Java in 1957.

Clippings

Station Photographs

An undated postcard showing the Erie Railroad station in Attica, NY on the right and The Edwards Hotel across the tracks.

An undated postcard showing the Edwards Hotel (left) and Erie Railroad station (right) in Attica, NY. ebay.com

An undated postcard showing the Erie Railroad station in Attica, NY. Posted by Spencer Farnham on the Facebook “Fans of the Arcade & Attica” group.

Photo posted by Richard Palmer on his “Old Railroad Pictures” blog.

A November 2009 photo of the former Erie Railroad station in Attica, NY.
Jim Duell, flickr.com

Other Photographs

A Norfolk Southern train passes the former Erie Railroad station in Attica, NY on April 19, 2025. Photo by Justin Shaw posted on the Facebook “Fans of the Arcade & Attica” group.

A 1909 postcard showing the Erie Railroad bridge over Tonawanda Creek in Attica, NY. ebay.com

Maps

Portion of a 1902 map of Wyoming County, NY showing the route of the Buffalo, Attica and Arcade Railroad between the two towns. The Pennsylvania Railroad Buffalo line is shown in the bottom-left corner and the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway is in the bottom-right corner got through the town of Eagle. The routes of the Erie Railroad to Attica can be seen in the top of the map. Century Map Company. 1902. “Wyoming County 1902, County Map.” Historic Map Works.

A map of the route of the Buffalo, Attica and Arcade Railroad in 1902. Author’s illustration based on a 1902 map of Wyoming County.

A 1917 Sanborn fire insurance map showing the locations of different railroads in Attica, NY.

A 1917 Sanborn fire insurance map showing the railroad lines coming into Attica, NY.

Timetables

A timetable effective August 8, 1873 on the Erie Railway. Evening Courier & Republic, Buffalo, NY, 15 August 1873, p. 4, NYS Historic Newspapers.

List of passenger trains on the Batavia and Attica Branch of the New York Central Railroad effective November 16, 1874. Travelers’ Official Guide of the Railway and Steam Navigation Lines. January 1875. Google Books.

A January 1875 list of passenger trains on the Attica Branch of the Erie Railway. Travelers’ Official Guide of the Railway and Steam Navigation Lines. January 1875. Google Books.

Timetable of trains on the Erie Railway main line between Buffalo and Hornell effective June 1, 1881. The Nunda [NY] News, 3 June 1882.

A timetable effective January 8, 1886 for the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad Attica Branch. The Dansville (NY) Advertiser. March 4, 1886.

Detail of an August 1887 Erie Railway timetable showing trains on the Buffalo line, original main line, and Niagara Falls branch. Erie Railway, August 1887, streamlinermemories.info.

A June 1898 timetable of local trains on the Erie Railroad Buffalo line between Buffalo and Hornell. “Travelers’ Official Railway Guide, July 1898.” Found on Google Books.