Buffalo Creek Railroad

Buffalo Creek Railroad. . The Buffalo Creek Railroad was the nation's first "terminal railroad" and played a major role in the growth of the City's waterfront. , The Buffalo Creek Railroad, established in 1869, was just six miles long and ran from the New York Central Railroad tracks on William Street south, across and around the Buffalo River, and then turning north along Ganson Street. The railroad was constructed initially to serve the new Lehigh Valley Railroad coal trestle, which opened on the Buffalo River in 1871. , This was the first of an eventual half dozen trestles to serve the massive movement of coal west from Buffalo. With its rails skirting the Buffalo River and City Ship Canal, the Buffalo Creek also served the lumber docks and grain elevators which soon sprung up along the water's edge. , The Buffalo Creek Railroad was the first "terminal railroad" in the country. Because of the limited space along the waterfront, the Buffalo Creek was granted exclusive rights by the City to do all the switching for the dozen railroads entering Buffalo. All railroads were charged a uniform switching rate and most had to use the Buffalo Creek's bridge across the Buffalo River, paying a fee for such usage. These two factors led the Buffalo Creek Railroad to become extremely valuable property and a reliable generator of cash for its co-owners, the Erie and Lehigh Valley Railroads, who secured a controlling interest soon after it was established. , While most railroads in the country merged, closed or changed names numerous times since 1869, the Buffalo Creek Railroad was unique in maintaining its name and corporate identity for 124 years, until 1983 when it merged into Conrail. The Buffalo Creek Railroad was a major factor in the growth of the Buffalo waterfront. Its track system is still in place, its bridge still the primary crossing of the Buffalo River for all the railroads serving Buffalo. , The Buffalo Creek Railroad maintained a large yard parallel to the City Ship Canal, along Ganson and Ohio Streets. This yard served the milling industry on Ganson Street. In the early 1950's, when this photo was taken, flour and grain moved in boxcars. The Buffalo Creek Railroad purchased 2,000 boxcars at this time with its famous "flour bag" emblem, which was recognized throughout the country. , James D. Griffin (Mayor from 1978-1993), was employed by the Buffalo Creek Railroad after his service with the U.S. Army in Korea. He soon attained the position of engineer and was assigned the switching of grain cars on Ganson Street. In this 1955 photograph we see him seated on the left, eating lunch in the Buffalo Creek engine house. , What is a Terminal Railroad? , A switching and terminal railroad is a railroad company whose primary function is to perform switching services for other railroads along its rail line. This involves breaking up trains, sorting and storing cars and serving the industries within the facility's yard limits. These operations are performed at slow speeds and under exacting yard rules.