The Terminal

It's amazing how people just let things go. In the middle of all this wilderness is an amazing building that tells a million stories.

Ha - amazing how this shot makes the terminal look like it is in a field or something. It is actually in a very populated area!

buffalo has been let go. I moved out of there after 23 years trust me parts of that city look worse

Well what do you expect a city that is burried in snow all the time in the winter to look like?

THe railraods are notorious for letting history go and for destroying history. Anything along the right away is fair game for the wrecking ball or just a bull dozer...Lots of history slips through their hands everyday

I would guess it has more to do with the demise of the rust belt industries than with the weather. When the economy of an area goes down, there isn't any money for niceties like putting on a new roof. I am amazed by how much the entire city of Williamsport, PA has gone downhill since that branch of Bethlehem Steel closed.

The city has never been responsible for the terminal. It has always been in the hands of private owners. The first owner, New York Central Railroad, stopped maintaining the building decades ago, so things like the flat roofs were leaking as early as the late 60's. Subsequent owners were even less responsible, however well intended they may have been at first. It wasn't until the CTRC purchase the building in 1997, that true maintenance and preservation efforts began. Since then, the flat roofs and end caps have been fixed, 300 tons of debris has been removed and over 4,000 broken windows have been sealed. The building is dry and constantly stabliziing. Over $1 million has been invested to date, and the efforts continue.

Mike Miller
Treasurer
CTRC

That's great to hear, Mr. Miller. I hope I'm able to see the building in person one day. Always been fascinated by railroad-related things.

Thank-you for that information, Mike. It makes me feel better just to know someone's trying to preserve an important and beautiful piece of history--for once.

I just toured the terminal today. and it is in excellent hands under the CTRC. Many events are planned to take place there and It's exciting to see it being brought back to life.

I think I'd credit the Penn Central more than anyone else for letting this building go.

Chris, you are very right. My grandpa who worked here in the 50's said when New York Central Railroad owned it they took care of the place which includes roofs, parking lots, and many more.
Then when Penn Central bought it, it went all down hill from there. They tore down some buildings like the Powerplant,Ice House,and the Couch Shop just because the taxes were to high. They stopped reparing the roofs and not repaving the parking lots. All the engines that had the NYC logo on it were scraped off and put on a Penn Central Logo.

trust me the trains will be back!!!

Damn, where did fl al go? He is really cool.

What a beautiful old building !

I hope that they do not tear it down.

Someone should buy it and refurbish the place.

Signed: An American Soldier stationed in Germany.

Here is a old photo of the terminal complex.

http://www.buffalocent...y/historicimages/aai

Ozzy: Thank you for the link containg the thirty (30) photographs of this main railway station. This old building is even more beautiful than I had imagined. That one color photo looks to be from the 1970's. But that same color photograph is also disturbing to me. In this photograph there is a woman with a little girl and they are standing extremely close to the train. ( Too close for comfort if you ask me ! ) And they are also standing on the concrete strip that runs in between two rail road tracks. This is not a good place to be.

I went to a safety breifing back in March / 2007 and a General in the Army told us that several American male and female Soldiers have been hit and killed by the trains here in Germany because they were standing too close to the railroad tracks. Apparently these dead Soldiers did not realize that a train, by virtue of it's very nature in structure and design, will physically be greater than the width of the railroad tracks itself.
I can tell you that when the "ICE Trains" in Germany are rolling down the line you better step back from the tracks !!! ( ICE stands for inter city express. ) I have seen the ICE Trains flying down the tracks at 3 O'clock in the morning. And the ICE Trains do not stop at little German towns either. ICE Trains are moving so fast that they will actually create their own wind. It's no joke.

Thank you again.

Signed: An American Soldier stationed in Mannheim, Germany.

3:52 P.M. / Saturday / 21 / July / 2007

Thank you very much Joseph. Check out the website that was part of the link. The site has full of info and pictures. On the main page you can ask questions about the building or just say any old thing. I have left several comments on the site.

Thanks again for capturing and preserving another piece of our history. You tell a visual story that is very much appreciated....

i live in niagara falls, which is very close to buffalo and i think you should take pictures of love canal.