Visits over the next two years only increased my fascination for
the structure, and appreciation of what it must have been like during
the heyday years of the 1940's and early 1950's. Historic photos of
4-6-4 Hudsons and 4-8-4 Niagaras and first generation cab units on an
endless parade of limiteds of the Great Steel Fleet, and NYC publicity
films such as the Steam Locomotive, Flight of theCentury
and The Railroad Signaloffered glimpses back
in time.
In 1979 the train concourse had not yet been
destroyed, and the train gates were intact. Today this it is partially
demolished, cut off from the rest of the station, and abandoned.
For three decades Central Terminal was a grand place. Then, the
slow at first and then accelerated decline in passenger traffic rendered
the Terminal as excess baggage. The railroad cut back, and Central
Terminal began to show signs of decline.
In 1979, the terminal was still mainly intact, although mostly a
vast, empty "white elephant". Then, Amtrak left with the
October time change. Conrail removed its offices about a year later. A
series of failed redevelopment ventures, some outright chicanery in the
1980’s and abandonment have left the Terminal in ruins. The adjacent
neighborhood rapidly declined. Central Terminal suffered from neglect
and severe vandalism.
In the late 1990’s, the preservation group, Buffalo Central
Terminal Restoration Corp. acquired the building. Still controversial,
Central Terminal has few peers and is certainly a worthy cause. It’s
sheer size, and the limited funding for a restoration project is
daunting.
It will take a monumental effort to rescue it. Only time will tell if
the last and the greatest of Buffalo's railroad stations will survive.
It’s one week before the end of passenger
service, October 20, 1979.
(For further reading on the history of Central Terminal, I
recommend the excellent detailed history by Garnet R. Cousins in the
September and October 1985 issues of Trains magazine.)
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