Ashford is a small village in Cattaraugus County and, starting in 1883, it became the junction where the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway split, with one line going to Buffalo and the other to Rochester. The BR&P had a tower in Ashford, which still stands, and a station located just north of the tower in the middle of the “Y” where the two lines split.
History
Ashford was at the junction of two railroad lines. The line from Rochester to Salamanca was built by the Rochester and State Line Railroad in 1876. The line from Buffalo to Ashford was built in 1883 by the Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad , the successor to the Rochester and State Line. Both lines were operated by the Rochester and Pittsburgh (1881 – 1885), the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad (1885 – 1887), the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway (1887 – 1932), and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
I don’t know when the station at Ashford was built, but a May 1895 newspaper article indicates that the original station was destroyed by fire.
Clippings
Station Photographs
Other Photographs
Maps
Timetables
Ashford Junction (AD) Tower
Traffic at the junction of the Buffalo and Rochester lines was controlled by the tower at Ashford Junction, known on the railroad as AD Tower. The tower was built in 1913-1914 and still stands today.
Water Tower
One of the features easily seen on the photos of the station is the large water tower located just north of the station. The photo above shows a train on the line to Rochester taking on water with the station and water tower on the left side of the photo.
Learn More
Below are some sources of additional information about Ashford.