Long Description:Arcade and Attica's hours of operation are:
Memorial Day Weekend
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday:
12pm & 2pm
June
Saturday & Sunday:
12pm & 2pm
July & August
Fridays: 2:00pm Saturday, Sunday, & Wednesday:
12pm & 2pm
4th of July:
12pm & 2pm
September
Saturday & Sunday:
12pm & 2pm
Labor & Columbus Days: 12pm & 2pm
Incorporated in 1917, the Arcade and Attica Railroad (AAR
reporting marks ARA) is a shortline railroad that hauls freight
between Arcade, New York and North Java, New York. The railroad
originally connected Arcade with Attica, New York, however the
right of way north of North Java was abandoned in 1957 due to
flooding on the Tonawanda Creek.
The principal business of the ARA is handling agricultural
products (soy beans, corn, and fertilizer), lumber, dairy feed, and
other commodities between Arcade and North Java. They continue to
use their GE 65-ton as primary freight power, and sometimes will
double-head it with the GE 44-ton if they need to move more than 4
cars at once. Days of freight operation remain Monday, Wednesday,
Friday, starting its day at 7:00am at the Arcade engine shop. From
there, they will run up to the Norfolk Southern interchange, and
then out to serve the handful of customers left on the line.
The ARA also runs their ever popular steam excursion passenger
trains from May to October, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Passengers get to enjoy a 14 mile ride from Arcade to Curriers, New
York and back on restored 1920s era Boonton passenger coaches, and
an open gondola, pulled by one of their historic steam or early
diesel engines.
The Arcade and Attica Railroad is the latest in a long
succession of railroads planned and built through the Tonawanda
Valley in Wyoming County. In 1836 the Attica and Sheldon Railroad
was proposed, but no construction was even begun.
In 1852 the Attica and Alleghany Valley Railroad was
incorporated to build a 3 ft 0 in (914 mm) narrow gauge railway
from Attica, through Arcade, to the Pennsylvania state line. in
1853 the contract was let for construction and most of the road was
graded between Attica and Arcade. In 1855 construction was
discontinued and the property was sold at forclosure on February 2,
1856.
On February 28, 1870 the Attica and Arcade Railroad was
organized and began purchasing the right of way with construction
of the line scheduled to be complete by October 1, 1876. The
railroad went bankrupt in 1873 without ever completing the
railroad.
On April 5, 1880 the Tonawanda Valley Railroad was incorporated
with major financial backing from the Erie Railroad. The company
planned to build a 24 mile, narrow gauge line from Attica, through
Curriers Corners, to Sardinia to connect with the Buffalo, New
York, and Pennsylvania Railroad. On September 11, 1880 the first
train ran on the line from Attica to Curriers Corners. In October
1880 the Tonawanda Valley Extension Railroad was organized to
extend the line from Curriers to Sardinia. By that winter the
company changed its mind and began building to Arcade, rather than
Sardinia. By May 1, 1881 the line had reached Arcade. On July 14,
1881 the Tonawanda Valley and Cuba Railroad was formed to extend
the line from Arcade to Cuba via Sandusky and Rushford. On August
27, 1881 the Tonawanda Valley Railroad, Tonawanda Valley Extension
Railroad, and Tonawanda Valley and Cuba were merged into the new
Tonawanda Valley and Cuba Railroad. By September 4, 1882 the line
was complete between Attica and Cuba. The Company built facilities
to transfer to the standard-gauge Erie Railroad in Attica and Cuba.
In Cuba, the company made a connection with the Bradford, Eldred
and Cuba, another narrow-gauge railroad controlled by the Erie.
By September 1884 the company was defaulting on its bonds and
November 29 the company was in receivership. The company's fortunes
further fell when the Bradford, Eldred and Cuba went bankrupt. The
company limped along but on October 30, 1886 it stopped service
from Cuba to Sandusky. On January 19, 1891 the section from Attica
to Freedom was sold to bondholders and in May of that year the
Attica and Freedom Railroad was formed. The line went bankrupt and
was sold in April 1894.
On October 13, 1894 the Buffalo, Attica and Arcade Railroad was
formed to operate the line. The new management switched the line to
standard gauge and by January 1895 the Attica to Curriers section
was operating again. By December of that year the line was open and
running from Attica to Arcade. By December 1897 the company had
laid a 2-mile segment to connect with the Pennsylvania Railroad
near Arcade. By January 1902 the company had built a line from
Arcade to Sandusky with the ultimate goal of reaching Crystal Lake.
In August that same year, a flood washed out much of the line
between Arcade and Sandusky and the connection to the Pennsylvania
RR as well. In 1904 the BA&A was sold to the Buffalo and
Susquehanna Railroad which connected the BA&A in Arcade. The
B&S operated the line until 1913 when it was sold to W. L. Kann
of Pittsburgh. Under Kann the railroad declined and lost money
until operations were suspended in the winter of 1916/1917.
On May 23, 1917 the Arcade and Attica Railroad was formed by
local investors to operate the line. The line had its ups and
downs, but survived. It had the enviable distinction of not laying
off a single employee during the Great Depression. In 1941 the
company purchased a 44-ton diesel from General Electric. The diesel
was more dependable and much less expensive to operate than the
steam locomotives. Many people credit the diesel for preventing the
A&A from going bankrupt in 1941. The Arcade and Attica operated
passenger service until 1951 when the Erie stopped service on the
Buffalo-Hornell line, including the connection with the A&A in
Attica. In 1957 the line was abandoned between Attica and North
Java because of severe washouts in spring of that year.
With railroad freight traffic starting to decline from the
inroads being made by the automobile and trucking industries
following World War II, the Arcade & Attica wasn't immune. A
solution was to purchase a light steam locomotive and a couple of
passenger coaches for tourist excursion service. After a few years
of searching, A&A management purchased a 2-8-0 #18 from the
Boyne City Railroad in Michigan and two commuter coaches from the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. For 27 days, the A&A
offered passenger excursions in 1962. The following year, #14, a
4-6-0, was purchased from the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad
and more coaches were added.
Also during the 1960s, the Arcade & Attica struck its
proverbial mark when Borden's debuted the non-dairy creamer
'Cremora'. Until the facility's closure in 1970, the Arcade
facility was the sole production plant in the United States for
Cremora, and the Arcade & Attica brought in the raw supplies,
and shipped out the finished product across America. The famous
orange & white boxcars; and later blue & white ones; were
used to ship the wonder product throughout the country.
(Gracious thanks to Wikipedia for allowing me to cull this
intruiging information)