Railfan/Photography Locations in Olean and Salamanca

I'm going to be in the Olean/Salamanca area, and I am wondering where are some good spots to railfan, and good spots to observe yard action. Thanks!

There's not much to see. Check out the Salamanca Rail Museum though

Constitution Ave in Olean runs along the WNY&P yard.

Rt 417 pretty much follows the tracks all the way to Salamanca.

Be sure to get a pic of the overhead B&P bridge in Carrollton.

Use LiveSearch/Google maps to explore the line before you go.

You may wish to visit the old BR&P passenger station in East Salamanca. The Salamanca proper BR&P passenger station is the location of the museum mentioned above. They suffered a fire a few years ago and were closed in 2006, but may be reopened by now. The remains of the Erie yard and engine facilities is just across the road from the museum.

There is an active diamond, that's viewable from the the end of W. Pine St. Anything entering / leaving Olean Yard from the East, South, or North passes through this diamond. (Although, the line to the North has seen very little traffic in the past year or so). It's known as CP Olean on the RR.

Also, nearby is the former PRR shop and roundhouse complex, that is now inside the fence of Dresser Rand Corp. These buildings are visible, from a distance, along Vine St. The main entrance (and guard shack) for Dresser Rand is at the intersection of Wayne & 12th St. They keep their 45 ton GE centercab behind the guard shack. You can usually see it there, but it's too far back (several hundred yards) for any kind of decent photograph.

The former PRR depot is at N. Union St., and can be seen from the Mall parking lot. The canopy along the tracks has been significantly altered from its PRR days, but the building remains intact.

Thanks for all the info! I made my trip yesterday (I'll post a link to the photos soon), but I did have some questions.

In Olean, there is a diamond at CP Olean. The tracks running north-south at that location — are they former PRR and current NS? The tracks running roughly east-west at that location — are they former Erie and current WNYP? Is Olean yard jointly used by WNYP and NS?

In Salamanca, the tracks at East Salamanca yard and running to the north appear to be B&P (formerly BRP)?? And do the tracks running roughly east-west through Salamanca belong to NS (former Erie)?

Thanks again!

Olean: The North/South line is the former PRR, running from Harrisburg to Buffalo. The East/West line is the former Erie main line, that once ran from Jersey City to Chicago.

Salamanca: East/West is the same Erie mainline mentioned above. North/South is the former BR&P / B&O / Chessie (now B&P).

All trackage in and near Olean is still owned (I believe) by NS. Both lines have been leased (I believe that it's a lease, anyway), by WNYP. They leased the East/West line a number of years ago, and the North/South line, much more recently. In addition to the WNYP trains, there are Norfolk Southern coal trains operating over the East/West line on a daily (or almost daily) basis.

NS no longer uses the yard at Olean/Allegany. It's entirely a WNYP operation now.

JR

dj_paige wrote:Thanks for all the info! I made my trip yesterday (I'll post a link to the photos soon), but I did have some questions.

In Olean, there is a diamond at CP Olean. The tracks running north-south at that location — are they former PRR and current NS? The tracks running roughly east-west at that location — are they former Erie and current WNYP? Is Olean yard jointly used by WNYP and NS?

In Salamanca, the tracks at East Salamanca yard and running to the north appear to be B&P (formerly BRP)?? And do the tracks running roughly east-west through Salamanca belong to NS (former Erie)?

Thanks again!

Must have missed you. I was in the area too. Started out at E. Salamanca in hopes of chasing the B&P's SIJB. Oops, didn't happen. The train was cold, facing north. Waited around a while in hopes of a crew. A few other railfans came in. We all left. They said they were going to Erie, PA. My wife and I went to the casino for a couple of hours. After lunch, we went to Olean to check things out. Signed in, took some pics. The WNYP dispatcher told me that an EB coal train would be through in about an hour. We waited at the diamond about an hour and 45 until my wife got "board". Jumped on I-86 and headed west for home. Crossing over the tracks, guess what we saw...DRATS!!! Picked the pace up a bit with intentions of hopefully beating it back to the diamond. Just getting onto US219 to make the turn around and heard the WNYP dispatcher giving 532 a good roll-by. Kept driving south. End of day.

Signed in at Olean? Tell me about that ... I didn't know about this.

I did a little railfanning yesterday, but that really wasn't the purpose of my trip. Anyway, my photos are now up on Flickr, some are railroad photos, some are just plain sightseeing type of photos.

What is that structure to the north of the Salamanca (Erie) station? It looks like a coaling tower above four locomotive bays. A little further north is the remains of a building, does anyone know what that is?

Structures were indeed coaling towers. The museum in the ex-BR&P Salamanca passenger station has a nice model of the Erie engine terminal facility. They also have the track diagram board from X Tower at Olean.

dj_paige wrote:Signed in at Olean? Tell me about that ... I didn't know about this.

I can't say I've done it myself, but I've spoken with other railfans who have in the past, and they say they highly recommend against it...I can't really blame them, as all it takes is one less-than-friendly individual in the yard office and your day is about to get a lot tougher (you have to pass a couple "No Trespassing" shots to get in there, so there's no question on that end of things).

Conrail4evr wrote:

dj_paige wrote:Signed in at Olean? Tell me about that ... I didn't know about this.

I can't say I've done it myself, but I've spoken with other railfans who have in the past, and they say they highly recommend against it...I can't really blame them, as all it takes is one less-than-friendly individual in the yard office and your day is about to get a lot tougher (you have to pass a couple "No Trespassing" shots to get in there, so there's no question on that end of things).

Those same signs also say -paraphrasing- "No Photography Without Permission", and "Authorized Personnel Only", so how are you supposed to get permission unless you go (DIRECTLY) to the office, and then you would be authorized if given permission? I will say that the dispatcher told me that mgt. has been frowning upon it, and she DID go out of her way by calling mgt. to get me permission instead of just telling me no right away. It was very much appriciated on her part, and also mgt's for allowing me access.

Just follow their stipulations to the T so you and others may be welcomed back in the future.

I live in the area and rail activity is generally kind of sporadic at best. The B&P typically runs south in the morning, usually through Ellicottville around 7:00 AM, and north at night, usually around 10 PM out of Salamanca. Often on weekends and holidays you may find a train awaiting crew changes at the BR&P station in East Salamanca, and lately they have had an interesting mix of power ranging from former UP SD90's to some old former SP SD tunnel motors. Seems like I never remember to have my camera with me when going to Salamanca to run errands. It's kind of hard to figure out what's going on on the WNYP. I have occasionally seen the NS coal train go through. WNYP runs short locals each direction as needed. The Olean Yard off Constitution Ave. is a good place to take photos from public property. The loco fueling facility is right near the bike path, and usually has a few Alco's and old EMD leasers parked there. Good luck, be safe.

Allegheny

Regarding Olean Yard, simply going in and asking for information is indeed frowned upon by the dispatchers and managers alike. However, I would strongly advise to go in there with the purpose of signing a release, as they will be more receptive and friendly under these circumstances, and they are more likely to help you out regarding what is running that day (if anything). Signing a release is a good idea with any shortline, regional, etc., as liability is such a huge issue in these modern times of personal injury attorneys and class action lawsuits - if you are not going to sign a release for whatever reason, simply stay off the property.