Pennsylvania Railroad Buffalo Line

Detail of an 1865 map of the Buffalo and Washington Railway in Western New York. Penn State Library System.

The railroad line between Buffalo, NY and Emporium, PA was one of the routes built to bring coal, iron, oil, wood and other products from Pennsylvania to Buffalo, where it was used or shipped on using railroads or ships on the Great Lakes. It was completed in 1872 and is still in use today.

History

1868: The Buffalo and Washington Railway completed the 14.40 mile portion of the line between Buffalo and East Aurora, NY. The company also built 2.32 miles of tracks in Buffalo.

1870: The Buffalo and Washington extended the line 4.8 miles to South Wales, NY.

1872: The Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia (BNY&P) Railroad extended the line through Olean to the Pennsylvania state line.

1887: The Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad / Railway began operating the line.

1900: The Pennsylvania Railroad began operating the line.

1968: The Penn Central Railroad began operating the line.

1976: Conrail began operating the line.

1999: Norfolk Southern began operating the line.

The Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (completely different from the 1887-1990 railroad) and Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad operate parts of the line today.

Operations

The last passenger train on this route was run by the Penn Central in 1971.

The last southbound Penn Central passenger train stops in Olean in 1971. Photo taken by Tom Busack, from the collection of the Salamanca Rail Museum via the “OLEAN…MEMORIES BACK IN TIME” group on Facebook.

Stations

Below is a list of stations on the line that I have compiled from different sources. Over the lifetime of this line different companies opened, closed, and renamed stations in response to the needs of the time. Not all of these stations were in operation at the same time, but they all appeared on different timetables for passenger trains running on the line.

Buffalo * Winchester * Indian Church * Ebenezer * Spring Brook * Elma * Woodards * Jamison Road * East Aurora * Blakeley * South Wales * Holland * Protection * Chaffee * Arcade * Delevan * Lime Lake * Machias Junction * Franklinville * Cadiz * Ischua * Hinsdale * Olean * Portville

Clippings

Photographs

Maps

Timetables

Other Interesting Things

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