Wolf Run, NY

The Pennsylvania Railroad Wolf Run station in Elko, NY. Photo posted by Bob Schmid on Facebook.

Wolf Run was a station on the railroad line along the south bank of the Allegheny River that started in Olean and passed through Salamanca. Wolf Run, (in the town of Elko, NY) got its name from an incident when the area was first being settled. A Holland Land Company surveyor’s dog ran a wolf into a hollow log. Upon chopping the log open, they found the mother and 4 or 5 cubs.

The first sawmill on Wolf Run was built in 1859. There was also a blacksmith shop, a store, a post office, a telegraph office and the railroad station.

A 1939 aerial photograph of the area around Wolf Run, NY. Wolf Run and the railroad station were located on the southern bank of the river at the sharp bend in the bottom-right corner. Photo provided by Bob Schmid found on the “CONSTRUCTION of the KINZUA DAM” Facebook page.

History

The line was first constructed 1882 or 1883 by the Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Western Railroad and was operated by the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railway / Railroad (1882 – 1887), Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad / Railway (1887 to 1900), and the Pennsylvania Railroad (1900 – 1962). The line was authorized for abandonment in 1962 to allow for the construction of the Kinzua Reservoir on the Allegheny River.

News Clippings

Niagara Falls Excursion

June 14, 1884

Station Photographs

The Pennsylvania Railroad Wolf Run station in Elko, NY. Photo posted by Bob Schmid on Facebook.

Other Photographs

A postcard mailed in 1911 showing a Pennsylvania Railroad train pulling out of the Wolf Run/Elko Railroad Train Station. Posted by Bob Schmid on Facebook.

The Pennsylvania Railroad tracks along the Allegheny River at Wolf Run, NY. The red arrow points at the bridge over Wolf Run Creek where it empties into the river. Photo posted by Bob Schmid on Facebook.

Maps

Detail of a 1952 Pennsylvania Railroad Central Region map showing the route of the Olean and Salamanca line. Multimodelway.com

1895 railroad map showing the route of the River Line between Olean, Salamanca, and Onoville, NY. Map shared by Bob Schmid and Ken Hartley on the “CONSTRUCTION of the KINZUA DAM” Facebook page.

A topographic map showing the former Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad line though Onoville, Wolf Run, and Quaker Bridge, NY. Author’s illustration.

Detail of a 1952 Pennsylvania Railroad Central Region map showing the lines in Western New York. Pennsylvania Railroad. 1952. Found on Multimodalways.com.

Timetables

A June 14, 1891 timetable of trains on the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad Rochester Division. Traveler’s Official Guide, June 1891. Google Books.

A timetable of trains on the Pennsylvania Railroad River Line effective November 29, 1903. Travelers Official Guide of the Railway and Steam Navigation Lines, February 1904. Found on Google Books.

A 1914 timetable of including the New York State portion of the Pennsylvania Railroad Salamanca Branch. Posted by Bob Schmid on the “CONSTRUCTION of the KINZUA DAM” Facebook group.

Learn More

“South Valley“. Historic Path of Cattaraugus County web site.
Posting by Bob Schmid on Facebook with photos of the PRR bridge over Wolf Run.