Tonawanda Confusion

[jimpellow]

Yes, they are starting to survey the area. Be interesting where they lay out the path considering how uneven the land is. Wish I usually lived local as I would like to see what they dig up in a few areas of interesest to me.

I had the great idea of doing collaborative historical markers with a good history for the railway and local surrounding area history. But talked to a guy who said it is already in the works. I will try to find out more and get some contacts and post if anyone is interested here.

Knowing how limited the knowledge is, and the scarcity of resources to research it easily, the project could use more people. I immodestly am probably the world's greatest living expert on the area of the town in question, but I certainly only know a fraction of the history. Not to mention the trail will be going through other areas of Tonawanda. The project could definitely use a few local area railroad gurus as the people I know who will be involved including myself are certainly not to the best of my knowledge.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Yes, they are starting to survey the area. Be interesting where they lay out the path considering how uneven the land is. Wish I usually lived local as I would like to see what they dig up in a few areas of interesest to me.

I had the great idea of doing collaborative historical markers with a good history for the railway and local surrounding area history. But talked to a guy who said it is already in the works. I will try to find out more and get some contacts and post if anyone is interested here.

Knowing how limited the knowledge is, and the scarcity of resources to research it easily, the project could use more people. I immodestly am probably the world's greatest living expert on the area of the town in question, but I certainly only know a fraction of the history. Not to mention the trail will be going through other areas of Tonawanda. The project could definitely use a few local area railroad gurus as the people I know who will be involved including myself are certainly not to the best of my knowledge.

I live 2 blocks from the trail site until August.

[jimpellow]

I will contact you if any progress is made, but overall, a disappointing trip home in terms of the historical society being closed the entire time, people dallying with returning emails, etc. Off to Medellin Colombia Friday. I must add my last place of residence Merida, Mexico, had a very unique railroad museum. Seems the owner has been buying rail stock from all over the Americas for scrap. He keeps some of the more interesting stock so there must be a couple hundred. A few of the cabooses and engines etc have been refurbished, but the rest are just sitting there in whatever state. But being Mexico with no liability there is nothing from preventing one from climbing on and in these. Just make sure you have had your tetanus shot and bring a stick to beat away the tarantulas, bats and stray dogs. The Yucatan at one time had an extensive rail system to transport henequen during the 1880-1920 boom with Merida as the hub. (Off topic but since many Western New Yorkers seem to head to the Yucatan for vacation and more and more retire there I thought I would mention that the museum and the city are worth a visit for railroad buffs.)

[jimpellow]

So nothing new on the bike path history markers. People who study TOT history are a generally a very self-interested type.

One interesting note about the OP's question about the Erie Rail Station, which has been shown to have been called Ellwood Station early on. As a refresher, the two turn of the century maps had it placed in a location at the end of Lincoln Park across from where the highly overpriced patio homes are now in Kenmore.

I became interested in the structure seen on the mid 1920s map near the tracks with the path running to the 1907(?) house which still stands on Darlington (picture attached above). I wondered if it was the Ellwood Station or something related to the firing range. I would have to think firing range now as it turns out that the firing range was in use for much longer time than has generally been widely stated, and was actually very important in the WNY region and often used from the early 1900s to the mid 1920's when increasing nearby housing development made it it a liability for the co-owners, NY state and the US Army. They basically owned the whole of Lincoln Park, with NY State using various parts around Parkhurst and Parker over the years, and the US army using areas near the tracks and where Fairfield is now. So it is well possible that the structure near the tracks was for the range, and there are in fact contract bids for a firing range keeper's house from about the same time the house on Darlington was built. The description for the contract bid and the standing bid are quite similar,

But what is important about the firing range is that it seemed to really get going about the same time when any kind of references to the Erie Ellwood station disappeared from maps or newspaper articles. So I would think it was dismantled due to safety concerns, or possibly moved, though nothing very convincing that it was.

The fact that the latter IRC high speed line Ellwood station between Highland and Harrison was painted bright orange, and that the paths leading to it seem to indicate a desire to put safety over people in Kenilworth being able to access the station directly, would seem to indicate a conflict between the range and using the rail stations safely.

[jimpellow]

To finish up my thoughts on the Erie Railroad station, I am going to conclude (finally) that it is in the 1920s aerial image I shared before. Below is a closer shot of it. I found more locational information in regards to a planned development called Burlington that spanned the tracks there, and everything seems to point to it being between the Lincoln Park athletic filed and the new overpriced houses.

I believe that the station was abandoned early and most likely reused by the Kenilworth and New York Rifle Ranges which existed to the east side of the tracks from 1907 to 1939. They were very important ranges in the State for many years and there would have been a need to transport large amount of ammunition and such. I am pretty sure that the historical house on Darlington seen on the picture was for the range keeper and the path was to created to lead to the existing station. No idea when the large building seen to the right of the station was built (there does seem to be more than one building for the Erie Station in the circa 1900 map), but was most likely used for storage for the range at some point.

I wonder if any of you railroad gurus could help me with the picture of the house? It was built in 1938 on the older part of the army range which had been sold off for a development called Euclid Park after WW1. Euclid Park is to the east of the tracks north of Englewood. There of course was little construction during this time and the house lies close to the tracks. The IRC lines were of course discontinued in 1937 and scrapped in 1938. At the time the IRC had four definite stations along this right of way in the Town; Englewood, Ellwood Park, Colvin, and Ellicott Creek. At first the high speed line was restricted to Ellwood Park and Ellicott Creek. The other two were for the Lockport trolley. In the late 1920s though IRC upgraded the line to try to revive ridership including adding the Englewood and Colvin stations as stops on the high speed line. The upgrade also apparently included station upgrades as people were rightfully whining about outdoor waiting stations before. Hence, I am of the opinion that this Depression era built house was constructed of reused structures from the IRC line, quite possibly the 1929-1937 Englewood and Ellwood stations. The only reference I have found to them during this time period was an article about a joyrider on Englewood hopping the curb and moving the Englewood Station five feet. Opinions welcomed, thanks.

[RussNelson]

I must add my last place of residence Merida, Mexico, had a very unique railroad museum. Seems the owner has been buying rail stock from all over the Americas for scrap. He keeps some of the more interesting stock so there must be a couple hundred. A few of the cabooses and engines etc have been refurbished, but the rest are just sitting there in whatever state. But being Mexico with no liability there is nothing from preventing one from climbing on and in these. Just make sure you have had your tetanus shot and bring a stick to beat away the tarantulas, bats and stray dogs. The Yucatan at one time had an extensive rail system to transport henequen during the 1880-1920 boom with Merida as the hub.

Thousands of miles of 600mm track, if you can imagine it. Some of it is still there. The Merida museum is interesting. I have a bunch of photos from it, if anyone is interested.

[jimpellow]

So to get back to the house I asked about. Nothing at all. Not particularly newsworthy stuff. I talked to a couple locals in the neighborhood and they said that the one pictured above and another odd one next to it had been relocated fallout shelters from the 50s. As they date on maps, etc to 1938..that is incorrect. The other I traced to being behind the old Voisinet farmhouse on Englewood, which had been taken over by the US army's section of the Kenilworth Rifle Range. Seems to have been built for the Range.

Anyways, the below picture from a former IRC station in NT shows a similar design so I I think it is still quite possible that the above house had been a later IRC waiting stations(s)(the back of the house is constructed with a couple similar looking reused structures).

Another question if I may. I can find no direct evidence that a sidetrack(?) was built for Camp Kenilworth. However, the below picture mentions a side track that was used by the soldiers. Additionally, there is a large old stone path(no picture) just southeast of the now bike path and Englewood that would have led from the former drilling and exhibition section of the Camp to a sidetrack. That area had no other development until the urban sprawl of the 50s so I am pretty sure it is a Camp Kenilworth remnant. I have attached the 1920s aerial of the area. There is a cut it seems coming from the right of way on the east side, across Englewood, and up to where the Camp would have started. Is that my imagination or does that look like it could have been where the sidetrack was?

[MSD]

Regarding the Loretta Station...I did a quick overlay of three maps two of which had the station labeled and the third being a current google map. The results show the Loretta station was located approx 50 feet due south of the intersection of what is now Stoneleigh Avenue and Center Avenue...Right in the middle of Center Ave.

[jimpellow]

Back three years later! The 05 August 1894 Buffalo Courier Express has a long article on the "Abandoned Hamlet" of Burlington with a nice sketch of the Erie Station and its location. Too large to attach but email me if needed.

jimpellow at gmail.com