Railroad Forums 

  • Historical Maps of the A&A

  • All about the Arcade & Attica Railroad
All about the Arcade & Attica Railroad

Moderator: Benjamin Maggi

 #928001  by thebigham
 
This map shows the original A&A line from Arcade to Arcade Jct in 1902:

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

Arcade Jct in 1902:

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

Attica 1902:

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

The Varysburg, Curriers, North Java and Johnsonburg maps do not show the A&A.
 #928470  by howie729
 
On the Attica Map in the top Left corner where it says brick yard is on my golf course (Attica Golf Club). There are bricks all over the place still.
 #943432  by joesbag
 
Anyone know the siding configurations in the various villages served by the A&A - i.e. Johnsonburg, Varysburg, North Java, and Java Center? I know creameries, etc. were opened and closed in certain towns (Java Center and Varysburg) and that Johnsonburg and Earls had sidings, but would be interested in knowing how they were configured. Thanks. Also, does anyone have any more information about the coal business in Arcade behind the original TV&C station? According to a late-1960s Railroad Model Craftsman article, it was located on one section of the former wye north of Main Street (?).
 #943633  by BSOR Patarak
 
That coal siding came off of the main about where the first driveway is behind the buildings North of Main Street. It would have curved west off of the main across the parking lot and ended up parallel to the creek. In the later years (60's) it ended at Church Street. In the earlier years, this was the wye at Arcade. The track continued across Church Street and west towards the interchange. This was the original route to the Pennsy before the B&S. After 1902 or 3, they gave up trying to keep that section open as it was right next to the creek. The BA&A had a switch on the Bridge at Arcade to form the other leg of the wye. It must have been tight. Once the B&S built through and the Goodyears bought up the BA&A the wye behind the shop was installed and that route became the connection to the Pennsy.

In the first years of the excursions, the Grover Cleveland Honeymoon car was stored on the remaining piece of the siding. I have a couple of different views of the building and the track arrangement with that car sitting there. The coal "mill" or unloading site was also a restaurant for a time....though this was before me.

<edit> Added Photo
Image

Pat
 #943881  by joesbag
 
Hey thanks a million for the history and photo Pat. I knew it had to be situated on part of the old wye and it was the old section to connect with the Pennsylvania before the purchase of the B&S trackage. I remember going through the Grover Cleveland car as a kid when it was situated on that section of track, behind Rosier's Hardware (TV&C Arcade station), but have no rememberance whatsoever of the coal "mill" building. Any idea of when the building was constructed and how long it operated as a coal "mill?" I would imagine that it likely shut down sometime in the 40's or 50's? Again, you confirm you're the source for A&A history. Thanks.
 #943965  by Benjamin Maggi
 
Are there any maps in existance showing how the line looked in the 1940s-1950s? Meaning, which sidings were still active, were were OOS, which had been taken up, etc?
 #944549  by BSOR Patarak
 
A friend in Arcade told me that the coal storage building stood until the mid 1960's (65 or 67). It was brought down with a controlled burn by the fire company. The white building out front at the road was operated as the coal mill restaurant until 1969. Some time around 1970 the Village of Arcade bought the lots and it became parking lots as it is today. As for when the last loads went in, I can only guess. The Village had a coal fired electric plant. They stopped generating their own power after 1951. By 1956, the coal burning was replaced by oil in the Village. They continued to sell steam to the downtown business district for heat and sidewalk melting, though electric generation came from Niagara Mohawk and the Niagara Falls power projects.
 #944578  by BSOR Patarak
 
There are a few track maps around, but the one's in the office are much to large to copy. I haven't opened them to see dates.

All of the stations had a run around type siding near them. Only Curriers had the one that went around the depot to the west side. It was used for unloading at a Mill that was located next to the depot. Java Center siding was west of the main away from the depot. Remains of it are still in place. The North Java one was to the east of the main away from the depot. Johnsonburg was to the west of the main. Varysburg was to the east and north of the depot. Perry's had a run around, while Earl's had only a single switch.

O'Dell and Eddy had several sidings along the way for log loading, though I don't think they were used much after the 1940's. They had one at Arcade near Genesee Road, at Curriers south of the run around. At Java Center south of the runaround, but north of the Richardson & Beebe siding. There was also one at Varysburg and Earl's.

The other sidings that were in place for customers I'll list starting from the interchange. There was 2 for Yansick Lumber (originally O'Dell & Eddy before 1966), one for Aronson's, 1 for Agway, 1 for Drake's (at West Main Street Crossing, removed during last year's track rehab), the scale track (behind Motorola/Prestolite), the run around for the B&S freight house at Park Street (also used by GLF), Essex (off the main just south of the Sand House before the wye), KR Wilson off the coach track at Arcade, The Coal Storage track in the parking lot, Borden's (this broke into 3 tracks inside the plant), Purina, fuel storage tank (where current fire hall is), Java Center the Richardson & Beebe, Conroy's north of the siding, Reisdorf's (the original one was south of Perry Road near where the fertilizer track is today), then McCormick & Schwab also south of Perry Road, but to the west, at Attica there were 2 team tracks either side of the main at Exchange Street, then the Prison lead (which connected with the Erie at the Prison), the Westinghouse Foundry (which also connected to the Erie through the plant), another team track south of the wye and then the wye and connection to the Erie.

Many of the sidings around Arcade lasted quite some time. I remember pieces of the Yansick and Aronson's switches when I started. The Bordens, Purina and fuel tank switches were probably removed during the track rehab in the early 80's.

The other sidings that were added later at Arcade were the Arcade Dimension's plant in 1974 (still in use by the railroad) and the Prosil plant across the tracks, now switches removed but rail on siding still in place.