West Falls was a station in Erie County on the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway. The station was located on the west side of Main Street where it crossed the railroad.
History
The line between Buffalo and Ashford was built in 1883 by the Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad and was later operated by the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway, and the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad. Passenger service on the line ended on 15 October 1955 when the B&O ended its Buffalo – Pittsburgh service. Freight service dwindled over the years and different sections of line were abandoned and removed over the years. As of 2024 only two short segments of the line were still in use – from Buffalo south to Orchard Park and from Ashford north to West Valley.
A May 25, 1914 newspaper article entitled “STATION BURNED – West Falls Depot Wipes Out by Fire. – Loss Not Large” reported that
The B. R. & P., station at West Falls was totally destroyed by fire about miđnight Saturday. It caught fire shortly after the flier passed through the village. The presumption is that sparks from the locomotive set fire to the structure. The loss will not exceed $2,500.
West Falls has no fire fighting brigade, and a fire when started, can not successfully be combatted.
Digital Artifacts
Author’s collection.
