Buffalo & Southwestern Questions

[XC Tower]

Did the Erie operate any passenger trains over this line to and from Buffalo? Were there more than two scheduled EL freights (Somehow that number comes to mind) over it? Were the freights Buffalo to Meadville, PA runs? Any train symbols? Lastly, when was the route closed all the way to Waterboro, NY? (It had to be under Conrail.)
Thank you.


XC

[ExCon90]

Back in the 1940's there was a daily round trip Buffalo-Jamestown timed to connect with either the Erie Limited or the Lake Cities to and from Chicago, but I don't know how long it lasted. I'll check some Official Guides when I get a chance.

[ExCon90]

I don't know how long the passenger service lasted, but the May 1955 Official Guide (the next one I have after the 1940's) shows freight service only. The 1944 Guide shows a departure from Buffalo at 5.15 pm with arrival at Jamestown at 7.43 pm, connecting with No. 1 leaving at 8.13 for Chicago. The return left Jamestown at 8.45 am (after arrival of No. 2 from Chicago at 8.15) and arrived in Buffalo at 11.00 am. The next-earlier Guide I have, September 1937, shows essentially the same as above, plus another departure from Buffalo at 8.00 am with arrival at Jamestown at 10.12 am, connecting with No. 7 for Chicago, and the return leaving Jamestown at 4.45 pm (connecting from No. 8 from Chicago) and arriving in Buffalo at 6.50 pm. The morning trains were scheduled to meet at Lawton's, and the evening trains at Dayton. In addition there were two round trips to Gowanda, leaving Buffalo at 12.30 and 4.30 pm and leaving Gowanda at 5.55 am and 1.50 pm. The midday trips (mail?) had a 5-minute turn at Gowanda, indicating a gas-electric; it's likely that all four Gowanda trains were the same gas-electric. No through Pullman or coaches, even in 1937.

[XC Tower]

Great information, ExCon90! Thank you so much for it!


XC

[Aa3rt]

I'm sorry I've missed this topic until now. My maternal grandparents lived in Jamestown for many years. My grandfather served with the Jamestown Police Department and related to me that when he first joined the police force one of his duties, while walking a beat, was to meet the trains arriving from Buffalo to keep an eye out for bootleggers who might be bringing in booze from Canada, this being during Prohibition (1920-1933). My mother was born in the early 1920s and told of taking trips to Buffalo by train in the 1930s and early 1940s for shopping and also to attend Buffalo Bisons baseball games.

I'm including a link, hoping it will work. This is to a 1922 Buffalo-Jamestown timetable showing three round trips per day, and the additional round trip to Gowanda, mentioned by ExCon90. This appeared on the now disappeared Western New York Rails site via the Wayback Machine: http://web.archive.org/web/200710300636 ... ep1922.htm