Forestville, NY is a village in Chautauqua County and was a station on the original main line of the Erie Railroad. The station was located north and east of the main part of the village.
This line was operated by the New York and Erie Rail Road (1851 – 1861), the Erie Railway (1861 – 1878), the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad (1878 – 1895), the Erie Railroad (1895 – 1960), and the The Erie Lackawanna Railroad (1960 – 1976). The line between Dunkirk and Dayton, NY was abandoned in 1976 with the creation of the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail).
An 1887 guidebook to the Erie Railroad described Forestville as “a place of considerable importance. It contains a population of about 1,200, several mills, and manufactories, a free academy, etc.”
An 1857 inventory of the buildings on the New York and Erie Railroad listed the following structures in Forestville:
- Passenger and Freight Depot and Dwelling; 24 x 100 feet; built in 1850 and in good condition.
- Kitchen; 12 x 16 feet; built in 1850 and in good condition
- Tank House; 20 x 20 feet; built in 1850 and in good condition
- Dwelling House; 19 x 23 feet; built in 1800 and in poor condition
- Wood shed; 40 x 200 feet; built in 1853 in fair condition
- Wood shed; 20 x 30 feet; built in 1850 and in fair condition
Station Photographs
A 2020 photo of the former Erie Railroad station in Forestville, NY. Charles Woolever, ny.existingstations.com.
A 1996 photo of the former Erie Railroad passenger/freight station in Forestville, NY. John Stewart photo, ny.existingstations.com.
A circa 1910 photograph for the Erie Railroad station in Forestville, NY. From the collection of Steamtown National Historic Site archives, image #O-10, found on rootsweb.com.
A circa 1910 photograph for the Erie Railroad station in Forestville, NY. From the collection of Steamtown National Historic Site archives, image #O-13, found on rootsweb.com.
Maps
Detail of a 1912 Sanborn fire insurance map of Forestville, NY showing the location of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad (Erie Railroad) station. Library of Congress collection.
Detail of a 1912 Sanborn fire insurance map of Forestville, NY showing the location of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad (Erie Railroad) line in relation to the village itself. The station was located in the area marked “5” on the map. Library of Congress collection.
Map of the track arrangement in Franklinville, NY. Author’s illustration based on an Erie Railroad valuation map.
A 1900 map showing the towns of Sheridan and Forestville and the Erie Railroad line to Dunkirk, NY (in green). Author’s illustration from a 1900 topographic map.
Timetables
A November 24, 1851 timetable of the New York and Erie Railroad between Hornell and Dunkirk, NY. Mott, Edward Harold, 1908, “Between the Ocean and the Lakes – The Story of Erie”, p. 388. Found on the Internet Archive.
The Travelers Guide showing departures of trains on different railroad (Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, Buffalo, Corry and Pittsburgh Railroad, Erie Railway, and New York Central Railroad) from various cities and towns (Buffalo, Dunkirk, Brocton, Mayville, and Forestville) in Western New York. Chautauqua Farmer. Forestville, NY. March 5, 1870.
A January 1875 list of passenger trains on the Main Line of the Erie Railway. Travelers’ Official Guide of the Railway and Steam Navigation Lines. January 1875. Google Books.
A May 16, 1881 timetable of trains on the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad (formerly the Erie Railway). Olean [NY] Daily Herald, October 13, 1881. NYS Historic Newspapers.
A portion of an August 1893 New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad timetable showing trains running between Dunkirk and Salamanca, NY. jon-n-bevliles.net.
A portion of an August 21, 1927 Erie Railroad timetable showing trains between Dunkirk and Salamanca, NY. jon-n-bevliles.net.
An April 29, 1934 timetable of trains on the former Erie Railroad main line between Salamanca and Dunkirk, NY. www.jon-n-bevliles.net
A portion of an September 28, 1941 Erie Railroad timetable showing trains between Dunkirk and Salamanca, NY. Jon Habegger collection. wx4.org