Ghost of the New York Central in Syracuse

I was in Syracuse, NY this past weekend with my son's hockey team and while riding from the Coca Cola Arena to our hotel in East Syracuse I came up on a familiar looking building. I had seen photo's of this building numerous times.
The "new" Syracuse Train Station, new in 1936 that is, was built when the NYC relocated the tracks from the middle of Washington Street in downtown to this elevated structure and station. As I past by the station on I-690 the ghost of the old 1938 New York Central 20th Century Limited was staring me in the face.

I spent the rest of the ride trying to figure out how I could get a picture of this ghost without stopping on the busy interstate. I checked into the hotel and went exploring. I wound up on a side street that ran parallel to the elevated I-690 and as I passed a curious looking building I saw "NEW YORK CENTRAL" engraved over a garage door.



I knew I was in the right place. Next to the building was a snow covered hill that lead up to I-690. So I grabbed the camera and started my climb up the slope. I got to the top and there it was on the far side of the interstate. I shot this photo through a chainlink fence.



Parts of the station were on both sides of I-690 so my conclusion is that I-690 had one time been the New York Central Main Line. The remnants of a platform can be seen from the interstate and can be seen in this photo taken from the snowy slope.



The part of the Syracuse Train Station on the eastbound side of I-690 appears to be a bus terminal today.

The building in question was the New York Central passenger station which
was put into use in the 1930's when the railroad stopped running through
the streets of Syracuse. It was removed from use when the railroad
decided to build a new station in East Syracuse and run the trains over
the freight tracks bypassing downtown Syracuse. I do not recall exactly
when this took place although I might be able to do some research on
this in the future from old timetables.
The building was being used as the Greyhound Bus Station in 1987 and
today, I have no idea whether it is used for anything or not.
Noel Weaver

The NYC closed the 1936 station in 1962. I'm not sure how long the right of way sat idle before the highway was built. I believe the station is used by a local TV station today. It's a shame the railroad only used it for such a short time, but at that time it was just one more burden they didn't want to deal with. Unfortunately the Albany station met the same fate six years later, and though its great both the Albany and Syracuse stations are still standing (unlike the old Rochester station where the tracks and platforms are still in the original spot), it's a shame the tracks were relocated away from them and out of the downtown areas altogether.

The NYC stopped using the elevated line in 1961 and it was taken for I-690 in 1966. Syracuse was relocated to East Syracuse - that station has since been torn down, replaced by a station near Carousel Mall. You can find more information in the CNY NRHS booklet "Rails In The Streets of Syracuse".

The Erie Blvd. station was a Greyhound bus terminal for many years, but they too relocated to the multimodal terminal near Carousel Mall. Time-Warner cable purchased and rehabbed the building, which probably could have been fully restored after Greyhound's use, turning it into a TV studio for News 10 Now. Two years later they promptly closed the local TV production, relocating to a facility in Albany, although some local reporting is still put together there. The basic waiting room is intact, but divided; some things were restored, but the configuration of the offices and things on the upper two floors were completely changed.


The side north of the ROW houses an auto glass shop among other things, and so far as I know the statues of the passengers remain on what's left of the platforms.

The "New York Central" over the garage door is actually over a tunnel which once went under the tracks there. I had not been aware it was serving any sort of purpose now.