Arcade 1902 map

[thebigham]

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/ ... /New+York/

Shows the orginal A&A line from Arcade to Arcade Junction.

And track south of the enginehouse.

[thebigham]

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/17295/Arcade/

This map shows the BA&A track from the engine house south to the Cattaraugus County line.

County Line Road is now Bray Road.

I can't find any circa 1902 maps of the Sandusky/Freedom areas.

[pumpers]

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/ ... /New+York/

Shows the orginal A&A line from Arcade to Arcade Junction.

And track south of the enginehouse.

Can someone explain the history on how we got from the connection between the A&A and the PRR Buffalo line in the above map link, to the modern connection with the sharp U turn in Arcade? Is the modern alignment, or at least the east part of it, the short lived Buffalo and Susquehanna Line? Did the B&S have a connection with the PRR, or just cross at grade (or over/under?).
Thanks, JS

[thebigham]

^The current A&A line to Arcade Jct. is the ex Buffalo & Susquehanna mainline.

The B&S crossed under the PRR at Arcade Jct. It was under a bridge over Cattaraugus Creek. A picture is in the B&S Book.

The bridge was later shortened and the B&S grade was filled in.

The A&A built a connection from the B&S mainline to the current PRR interchange in 1917.

[thebigham]

Was the bridge at this time over Cattaraugus Creek a "wye" bridge as the map suggests?

The Arcade Pennysaver office has an old pic of the wye area in its offices.

[RussNelson]

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/ ... /New+York/

Shows the orginal A&A line from Arcade to Arcade Junction.

And track south of the enginehouse.

Looks to me like the river has shifted a fair bit. I've drawn the track as I think it used to run from A to AJ: http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/156418963

I've got the track south of the enginehouse, too: http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/155907306

[thebigham]

^Thanks, Russ!

I don't think very much of the original row exists from Arcade to Arcade Jct.

[BSOR Patarak]

That first map showing the wye and route to the PRR is interesting and probably pretty close to actual. As Russ said, the creek has wandered a bit. The track was poorly constructed, so I doubt if anything could be found there today. Also, several major floods have had there way with the land through there. The BA&A did have a wye in the location of the parking lot that may also have come before the extension to Arcade Junction. The narrow gauge planners had two routes surveyed when they passed through Arcade. For them, one route was on the north side much where the Borden's siding ended up, the other was the south side much like the BA&A built. They only proposed the routes to try and keep the Springville & Sardina and investors from that area hoping for that narrow gauge connection happy. With the Erie people involved in the TV&C, we know that they instead headed south towards Cuba.

As for the BA&A, they at first did not originally cross Main Street. It is logical that they'd have a wye located on the south side of the creek, as there would have been a need to turn locomotives for the return trip to Attica. The first Depot was in the building that is on the North West side of Main Street with the loading platform on the west side of the tracks. (It was known as the Railroad Block and had Rosier's Hardware more recently) Today a block addition was added where that once was. The current Station was purchased in 1900. The south leg of that wye lasted until the 1960's. It was utilized to unload coal and the Grover Cleveland Car was stored there at times. Once the B&S was firmly in place and the current wye was constructed, there was no more need for the structure at the bridge.

I finally saw one picture that showed the north end of the wye in place, though I don't have a copy of it yet. I have seen another picture of the Merrell-Soule & Co. milk factory and it shows the BA&A right of way crossing Church Street (just south of the road bridge) going behind what is today the Elementary School.

As for the switch on the bridge, it was indeed on the bridge.

The south span carries not only the main track but also a wye track. The switch is located on the bridge at the pier, and the frog is about 5 feet north of the south abutment...."

From the Second Annual Report of the Public Service Commission, Second District for the Year ending Dec 1908, Page 708, New York State Archives

Enjoy,
Pat

[thebigham]

Thanks, Pat.

I think the pic of the bridge at the Arcade Pennysaver shows the wye switch at the south abutment.

[thebigham]

pumpers:

Here is where the B&S passed under the PRR bridge near Arcade Junction:

http://binged.it/GLOQ9O

The PRR rebuilt the bridge and made it much smaller.

[pumpers]

Thanks all, JS

[BSOR Patarak]

Here is a postcard view of the Merrell Soule Plant at Arcade. To the left is the line off of the wye heading along the south side of the creek to the PRR.

[thebigham]

^Thanks!

That turned into the Borden plant, right?