In 1868, Buffalo Creek Railroad was incorporated as the first terminal railroad in the U.S. Designed to tap into the growing grain milling business and Lake Erie commercial traffic, this five-mile railroad, concentrated entirely in Buffalo, N.Y., became the busiest terminal railroad of its size by the early 20th century. Even though the railroad’s service became synonymous with Buffalo’s grain milling and flour industry, it also served a significant amount of the chemical and oil business in the area. The railroad began to dieselize in the 1930s, completing the process in 1948. It was an all-Alco road after 1956.
This new book covers the railroad’s last 26 years of operations from 1950 to 1976 and its integration into Conrail. Additional chapters cover the detailed histories and dispositions of the railroad’s fleet of diesel locomotives (primarily Alco end-cab switchers) and its wide-ranging fleet of 2,000 40-foot boxcars, used to transport Buffalo’s grain products to locations as far away as Mexico City and Vancouver. First of its Kind – The Buffalo Creek Railroad, Volume II: 1950 and Beyond by Stephen M. Koenig and Ronald R. Dukarm is an 86-page, softcover publication with more 150 photos (most in color). The book sells for $50.