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The Springville Depot is an old train station right
in the heart of the village. I love old train stations because most of
them are literally haunted by many ghost. I have heard about this train
depot for awhile and it was listed in the registry of historical
landmarks. I heard it was abandoned in 1994 but when I talked to one of
the women in charge she said they bought it out and it was abandoned in
1991 when they bought it. This is such a pretty little train station tile
roofing, little lights in the windows, old benches, a brick walkway, and
some old railroad cars which now have a deck and have been made into a
restaurant. The station itself closes early and is now a gift shop with
antiques and is now called the Choo-Choo Candies & Gifts. Also on site
is "The Street Car Named Dessert" which is an old trolley built
in 1948. We did not get alot of activity here however we still wanted to
count it as an investigation since we visited here in search of the
afterlife. We also thought it was good for others to use there
imaginations and think about the history such as old place has. Below I
will post some information which was given to me by a lady who is in
charge. She was very kind to us and this is what I enjoy about our
organization is the friends we come across and make.
Copyright By AngelOfThyNight-Rick
The Springville Depot By Leo & Linda Lubke In 1883 a rail line was completed from Ashford NY north to Buffalo by the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway. The BR&P was a high quality railroad, taking great pride in its motto of "Safety and Service" even though it owned only about 600 miles of track. Passenger service was always the most modern available. Daily activity at the Springville Depot included at least eight commuter trains between Springville and Buffalo, as well as 2 trains between Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Springville's first station was a small wooden structure located on the opposite side of the tracks. (where the Robinson Knife Company parking lot is now) This was used from 1883 until March, 1911 when this building was opened to meet the increased demands of a growing Springville. The total cost of this was about $25,000 and utilized many local crafts people including Luther J. Shuttleworth as chief contractor. As you enter the building you see the orginal ticket window, with the Men's waiting room to the left and ladies waiting room to the right. Peopel are still separated this way today-only we would call them Smoking and Non-Smoking areas! (The entire depot is now Non-Smoking). All of the woodwork, much of the plaster and most of the windows are original as are the existing benches, central radiators and fixtures in the Ladies Washroom. Passenger service was discontinued by the B&O in October, 1955, but freight business remained in the station until May of 1977. The last train passed by this station in late November 1997. The future of the rail line is uncertain. The station was purchased from CSX transportation in 1991 by Leo and Linda Lubke, who have worked from the original photographs and blueprints to restore it. It is now listed on both the New York State and Nation Registers Of Historic Places. The Lubkes were honored to receive one of six NY State Historic Preservation Awards given in 1993 for their work on the depot. The Street Car Named Dessert This Toronto Transit Commission PCC car was built in 1948 by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis MO. It was shipped to Thunder Bay, Ontario, before it began service in Toronto in the fall of 1949. This trolley operated on the Bloor Street route, then the Queen Street route until 1977. t was assigned to various routes until it was retired in 198-. Eventually it was donated to the Halton County Radial Railway Museum in 1988. While it was spotless inside, the corrosion underneath prevented it from operating on the rials, Car 4434 was purchased by Leo & Linda Lubke from Silk Road Transport in 1998. This trolley car weighs about 20 tons and was delivered by tractor and flatbed trailer to its present site. The Concord Country Caboose The railroad/depot setting lends itself very well to the early 1950's caboose that is now located to the north of the depot. This all steel caboose originally saw service on the NY central line, but now is a unique frozen dessert restaurant. There is an oversized loading platform/deck with many chairs and tables that is served by an easy access ramp.
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