All Aboard!
Railway society sets goals for restoration
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter

The Williamsville Depot, located on South Long Street, is still in need of indoor renovations in order to be a hub for village activity like the Orchard Park depot. Society members hope to see it as a museum and meeting place for community groups.

"If you stop 10 people on the street and ask them, probably nine will have had a family member who worked for the railroads."

That statement, by Tom Stackhouse, explains the reasons why Western New Yorkers are interested in the history of the area's railroads - a history that the Western New York Railway Historical Society prides itself on preserving.

The society owns two depots in the area, one in Williamsville, built by the Lehigh Valley Railway in 1896 and one in Orchard Park, built by the Buffalo, Rochester Pittsburgh Railway in 1911.

"The Orchard Park depot has tracks but they're no longer used," said Bob Snyder, the Orchard Park depot's steward. "It's attained national historic status, which took two years, and that means we can't alter the building."

The Orchard Park depot has undergone significant renovations and restorations since the society purchased it.

"We're always on the lookout for things that belonged to the station," Snyder said, noting that there are benches that belonged in the building that are missing. The depot also has a running problem with vandalism, but security cameras and alarms have been installed to combat that.

Several Orchard Park events are held at the depot every year, including the Orchard Park Garden Club's annual flower sale, the village's ice cream social at the end of July, and Holiday in the Park in December.

The Williamsville depot is not as far along in its renovations.

"The depot was built in 1896 but it didn't service passengers after the mid-1940s," said Stackhouse, who is the society's founding president, current treasurer and Williamsville depot steward. "But there was a freight agent in the building until the 1970s. A lot of business was done out of there."

The Village of Williamsville bought the depot after the railroad abandoned it and took out the tracks in favor of the Lehigh Memorial Trail. The society purchased the depot approximately 15 years ago.

The society's overall goal for the Williamsville depot is to make it into a museum detailing the depot's role in the history of Western New York railways and also to use the space for community groups. But Stackhouse noted that when that goal will be achieved is uncertain.

"It depends on the money," he said. "We just got a grant from (Sen.) Mary Lou Rath for $5,000, but it depends on when the money comes in. There's still a lot to be done."

Chief among the depot's renovation needs is the replacement of windows.

"We found stained-glass windows that were covered up by the railroad," Stackhouse said. "There are 17 overall, and I'd say we have about 13 still in."

But the society doesn't rely solely on help from government or donations.

Twice a year, the society holds train shows, called Greater Buffalo Toy and Train shows and Sales at the Agri-Center on the Hamburg Fairgrounds.

"We have regular vendors who sell train-related items and companies selling model and toy trains and real train memorabilia," Snyder said. "We draw people mainly from Western New York, but we get some from across the border and Northern Pennsylvania."

Enthusiasm for trains and the WNY railways can be seen at its best at the train shows, Snyder added.

"It's huge," he said. "We have a lot of closet railroad enthusiasts, but you can tell by the numbers at the show that it's alive and well with people who are into the history or into collecting antiques or memorabilia or models."

"At the November show we had over 5,000 people," Stackhouse added. "It was very successful."

The next show will be held Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23 and 24. The event will include a Chinese auction that is used as a fundraiser for the depot restoration projects

For more information on the society or the upcoming train show, visit the society's Web