SALAMANCA — Passenger train rides may once again be pulling in and out of Salamanca with a proposed project to bring excursion trains from Buffalo into the city.
Jaré Cardinal, director of the Salamanca Rail Museum, informed the Common Council last week of the museum’s plan to lay 1.3 miles of railroad track to connect the rail museum with the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) line in East Salamanca.
The $3 million project would allow for train excursions on the BPRR from Buffalo to the Salamanca museum. With some trains allowing up to 600 passengers, it’s something Cardinal hopes brings tourism and commerce to the area.
“We’ve also been promised that we can get Thomas (the Tank Engine) here because we are partnering with the Heritage Discovery Center in Buffalo that has the franchise,” she said. “That will be a big opportunity for us to do, and about a mile is all the want to do for Thomas.”
Cardinal said she has also talked with the Seneca Nation, who said they would provide shuttle services from the rail museum to Salamanca’s west end. On weekends, Allegany State Park would provide transportation to the park and back, she said.
In order to get permission to lay down the track along the old line, Cardinal said they had to find out who actually owned the property. She said because the Genesee and Wyoming Railroad has not had a lease since 1993 and the land has been abandoned, the property reverted back to the Seneca Nation.
Now, they just need the time and resources to lay the track back on it.
“(State) Senator Tim Kennedy visited the museum and promised us that he would get us the money,” Cardinal said. “If that still stands with everything else going on, we don’t have to worry about getting the money to pay for it.”
If the plans stay on schedule, Cardinal said they expect to begin laying the 1.3 miles of track next fall. In addition to the track, there would need to be five new crossing signals installed on Rochester, Merden and East State streets and Lincoln and Central avenues.
“All computerized, those will be where they were before the track was taken up,” she explained.
The project could also include establishing a switch line to the former Erie Railroad line, allowing for more excursions to Corning and Jamestown along the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad.
As part of the process, the Heritage Discovery Center, the Seneca Nation’s Planning Office and Department of Transportation and the rail museum have partnered to form the Western New York Passenger Train Advocacy Group. Cardinal said they’ve been in contact with the offices of Reps. Tom Reed and Brian Higgins and Sen. Kennedy.
“They’re fully supportive and want this to happen for us to bring weekend excursions from Buffalo to Salamanca,” she said. “The museum would become the southern depot.”
Outgoing council president Michael Lonto (R-Ward) implored those who were on the council next year to hold the railroad accountable for fixing the bridge and underpass to not only be safer but look nicer.
“If we’re going to be bringing 600 people here, that’s a piece of junk,” he said. “I really think even now and in the future, we’ll be very interested to make sure this takes off.”
Once the excursions begin, Cardinal said it would be a good opportunity for the economic development of Main Street — immediately giving passengers who get off the train places to go for shopping and eating.
“We’re especially looking at if we have any big events,” she added. “It might be the Powwow, it could be Celebrate Salamanca, any of those special events, they’d provide the excursion train.”
If all goes well, Cardinal said the next plan would be bringing down a train from Toronto that goes into Niagara Falls and would then connect in Buffalo. She said they hope to do a VIP test run from Buffalo to the east Salamanca station next spring.
(Contact managing editor Kellen Quigley at kquigleysp@gmail.com)
