Village of Orchard Park

Village of Orchard Park. Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway. The Orchard Park Railroad Depot - One Hundred Years (1912 - 2012)- preserved for the next century to enjoy. , The Village of Orchard Park, incorporated in 1921, exists today as a result of the vision and planning of Harry Yates, a local businessman and philanthropist in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His interests in farming, coal and shipping, and his love of the countryside, influenced the decision to build the depot here while he was on the Board of Directors of the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway. , Yates would often visit his farms and entertain clients and friends on the country. He needed a depot that would meet his needs. With the exception of brick used in place of stone, the depot is a replica of the H.H. Richardson depot in Auburndale, Massachusetts. , An early 20th Century photograph of the depot. The curved sidewalk fronting the station is today the site of the library parking lot. , A family awaits the arrival of a train to the depot, mid 20th Century. , Depot construction began in 1911 and passenger and freight service commenced in 1912. The passenger depot featured separate mens' and womens' waiting rooms, wooden wainscoating, exposed wooden ceiling beams, and wooden benches. The depot was a stepping-off place for young soldiers leaving for and veterans returning from World War I and World War II. Honeymooners left for Niagara Falls and beyond. Commuters made their way to Buffalo via four trains a day. The railroad was the commercial hub of the community. , As the trucking industry expanded following World War II, railroad usage began to decline. Depot passenger service ended in the 1950s, and regular freight operations ended in the late 1970s. The line still carried intermittent freight until 2010, when the rails from West Valley, NY to the Jewett-Holmwood Road crossing in Orchard Park were removed. , Ownership of the railroad depot changed hands twice after the railroad company sold it to a developer. The depot is now owned by the Western New York Railway Historical Society. It is on both the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register. The green space directly behind you is owned by the Town of Orchard Park and is known as Steinwach Town Park. , The depot continues to undergo extensive interior and exterior restoration made possible through grants snd private donations. Today the depot serves as an anchor in the area's historical, cultural, social and educational campus. From here you can reminisce about the way life was in the rail heyday. , A steam passenger train has arrived at the station. , The Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway is a 70 mile route encompassing five towns and three villages within Erie County, New York. For a listing of points of interest signs along the byway go to www.wnyssb.org