• Recognize this station?

  • Discussion relating to the NYC and subsidiaries, up to 1968. Visit the NYCS Historical Society for more information.
Discussion relating to the NYC and subsidiaries, up to 1968. Visit the NYCS Historical Society for more information.

Moderator: Otto Vondrak

  by hatchet
 
I have a lot of unlabeled photos from 1900-1925 handed down in my wife's family. I've identified the locations of most of them, but a few have me stumped. This was taken by her great grandfather, I think circa 1905 but could be anywhere between 1900 and 1920. He lived near Bethlehem, PA, and also had an office in New York City. I would love to know where this is taken, and if you can tell me the type of engine despite its distance. Also if anything in the photo narrows the date, that would be great.
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  by BR&P
 
Judging by the clothing, my guess would be about 1900-1910. Appears to be the entrance to a race track, and a booth up on stilts for the stewards or judges. Given the time frame I'd bet horses, not autos. Maybe that will help somebody pin it down. That's a fat-boilered loco up front!

Cool pic, thanks for posting!
  by BR&P
 
OK, how do I edit the above? On second look, that may be the cupola of a building in the background, not a race track booth on a pole. Sorry!
  by hatchet
 
It seems you're suggesting that the photo is not taken at a station or regular stop, but at a point of interest...maybe even an excursion. That's something I hadn't thought of. Did railroads do things like that? I don't know a lot about how train schedules operated.

I think the building is a church. There appears to be a cross atop it.
  by BR&P
 
Actually I would guess this IS a regular station, probably a popular destination that the railroad ran special excursions to. I'm betting Charles (nydepot) will be able to ID it. Whether the station served general traffic besides the "main attraction" I don't know. To me the building does not suggest a church, hard to tell but I think that may either be lightning rods, or just ornamentation on top.

Stay tuned, we'll get it!
  by nydepot
 
That white station, if it is a real station, looks like nothing I've ever seen. It's interesting too the sort of scaffolding around it. The bars sticking out at about head height would clobber many I think. I'm wondering if it is an amusement station, open when the amusement is open for the season. The scaffolding seems to be holding up temporary roof extensions. Let me ask a few other people.
  by BR&P
 
My admittedly uninformed guess was that the depot building itself would b behind the photographer over his right shoulder. I judged that white structure to be some sort of outbuilding. A high class outhouse maybe?
  by hatchet
 
I might have found it, but I don't know for sure. I found these photographs. The fence looks identical. I don't know when New York Central served the area though.
(Niagara) Falls View Station https://www.loc.gov/item/2016818849/
and https://www.loc.gov/item/2016819110/
There are over 500 photos in this collection of family photos. Most are of places, not normal family portraits. They cover a lot of ground (NY, PA, MT, CO, AZ). There are some other photos in the collection that were clearly taken around Niagara Falls. However, the photo that started this topic was in a pile of loose photos, so no context to connect it to the others.
  by hatchet
 
Now I'm sure it's Fall's View Station. The building in my photo is, apparently, the station building based on another photo found online. The building with the cupola in the background is Loretto Academy, a church building. Here is more info http://www.niagarafrontier.com/railroadhistory.html#B7
  by BR&P
 
Wow, neat info in that link. So that was on the Canadian side, eh? I'm always amazed at how meticulous the properties were kept back then.