The ARA's main business is handling agricultural products (e.g. soybeans, corn, and fertilizer), lumber, dairy feed, and other commodities between Arcade and North Java. The ARA also runs passenger excursion trains from May to October on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Passengers can ride the 14-mile (23km) round trip from Arcade to Curriers Station on restored 1920s-era Boonton passenger coaches as well as a covered gondola pulled by one of the vintage Centercab Diesels (#113, built in 1959, and #112, built in 1945).
As of 2024, ARA now uses its newly acquired 1952 RS3m #114 to handle freight runs from Arcade, NY to Reisdorf Brothers feed mill in North Java, NY. However, the railroad's ALCosteam locomotiveArcade & Attica 18 returned from a full rebuild in August 2024, meaning the General Electric centercab locomotives will take a break from frequent service.[1]
History
Map of the Arcade and Attica Railroad, highlighting the companies that originally constructed the line
The Arcade and Attica Railroad was the latest in a long succession of railroads planned and built through the Tonawanda Valley in Wyoming County.
In 1852, the Attica and Alleghany Valley Railroad was incorporated to build a 3ft (914mm)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. Construction was discontinued in 1855, and the property was sold at foreclosure 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 for completion by October 1, 1876. The railroad went bankrupt in 1873, and construction remained uncompleted.
On April 5, 1880, the Tonawanda Valley Railroad was incorporated with major financial backing from the Erie Railroad. The company planned to build a 24mi (39km), 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 decision and began building to Arcade, rather than Sardinia.[2] 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.[3]
By September 1884, the company was defaulting on its bonds, and on November 29, the company was in receivership. The company's situation declined further when Bradford, Eldred, and Cuba went bankrupt. The company struggled until October 30, 1886, when it stopped its 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.[2] By December of that year, the line was open and running from Attica to Arcade. By December 1897, the company had laid a 2mi (3.2km) 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 of that same year, a flood washed out much of the line between Arcade and Sandusky along with the connection to the Pennsylvania RR.
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 changed to being operated under lease from the Goodyear family by W. L. Kann of Pittsburgh. The railroad lost enough money in such a short time that Kann ended the agreement on his end. By 1916–1917, the foreclosure of the B&S and W&B forced the Buffalo, Attica, and Arcade into abandonment.
On May 23, 1917, the Arcade and Attica (A&A) 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.[2] In 1941, the company purchased a 44-ton diesel from General Electric.[2] 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.[2] The Arcade and Attica operated passenger service until 1951 when the Erie stopped providing a 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 the spring of that year.[2]
The Arcade & Attica's GE 44-ton locomotive No. 110 on static display
During the 1960s, the Arcade & Attica struck its mark when Borden's debuted the non-dairy creamer 'Cremora'. The Arcade facility was the sole Cremora production plant in the United States until its closure in 1970. The Arcade & Attica Railroad brought in the raw supplies and shipped out the finished product across the US, its orange and white boxcars becoming iconic in the process.
On May 27, 2017, the railroad held a celebration marking the corporation's centenary. As part of the celebration, steam locomotive No. 18 was turned on the wye to face the railroad south for the first time in its history. Until that weekend, it had always faced north. Other events included speeches at the station, employee photographs, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a cake-cutting at the Curriers Depot.
Railroad freight traffic started to decline due to advances made by the automobile and trucking industries following World War II, and the Arcade & Attica was no exception. A solution was to purchase a light steam locomotive and a couple of passenger coaches for a tourist excursion service. After a few years of searching, A&A management purchased #18, a 2-8-0 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 from the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad and more coaches were purchased. Now, the Arcade and Attica runs all six coaches per run with an open-air gondola used by the United States Air Force. In addition to regular seasonal excursion services, the A&A also hold various events that can be read about on their website, such as their annual Maple Run (Sponsored by Charlotte House) which takes riders all the way to the mill at North Java, Murder Mysteries,Train Robberies and World War 2 weekends, which offer unique and interactive experiences. They also offer alcohol-themed evening runs on certain weekends (Adults only, obviously.)There has also been a train for the Winterfest town celebration, a low mileage 20-30 minute run with the coaches to the Arcade Junction and back to the Depot. In addition to this, the A&A is usually always able to accommodate special Charter runs, such as the 2023 'Centercab Charter' which functioned as a send-off to the Centercabs retiring from freight with the arrival of RS3m #406/#114.
A&ARR No. 14 crossing Catt. Creek.
Over the years the A&A coaches have sported four distinct schemes- The iconic orange they wear today, a bare orange scheme with a red stripe near the roof in the 70's ("Redline"), a return to form in the 80's incorporating the large font with the "Redline" scheme, and an era where the coaches were painted a pseudo Pullman Green, due to A&A's involvement in a movie and public opinion.
In many ways, this can be viewed as either a throwback to Arcade's original two combine coaches: 301 and 302; which were kept green all the way from inception to passenger service abandonment, or their original heritage of being Pullman green on the DL&W.
A&ARR coaches being shoved down by Agway during the 2022 Winterfest train.
After the green started to fade from wear and tear, it was decided to go back to the orange that adorned the coaches in the 60's. The font, however, is slightly different today.
The gondola has only had a handful of variations through the years but obtained a roof in the mid-2000s to shield folks from rain and/or soot on the return trip to Arcade. Prior to the 'roof era,' it appeared with a USAF logo and lettering in its first few years, then a mix of bare wood and black paint; orange in the 70's with black metal ends, and back to bare/black. The railing trim has been both yellow and orange through the years.
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