WILLIAMSVILLE - 2019 UPDATES

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Williamsville Depot 2019

ALONG THE LEHIGH TRAIL - 2019
by Hal Douglass

January - February 2019

Calling Ghost Busters. We begin this new year at the Williamsville Depot with a mystery. The ghost of station masters past seems to have returned to the Williamsville Lehigh Valley Depot. He opens the door to welcome passengers to the waiting room (although there is currently no heating there) so they can board the passing train. But wait! There hasn't been a train of any kind passing here in more than 40 years! And passenger trains were gone more than 30 years before that. So, who is the ghost of station-masters past? It’s time "to round up the usual suspects.". Of course, none of them would admit to any involvement. Are we missing something here? Of course. Modern technology to the rescue. We have a camera that records people approaching the door to the depot (from the outside). Do ghosts show up on camera? Our finest railway historical society detectives are on the case. They are sure to find the answer (we hope). If all else fails, we may have to resort to the local constabulary (Amherst P.D.). Since nothing appears to have been removed from the depot, and there is no damage, this might not reach the constabulary's highest priority. Is there even a crime? This sounds more like a case for Miss Marple than for Ellery Queen. And who knows. To quote Pogo (Al Capp's famous cartoon character), it may be that "we have met the enemy, and he is us."

Below is our Spring - Summer - Fall "Schedule of Events" put together by the Williamsville Depot Steering Committee for 2019. It's an ambitious list that we hope will draw larger crowds than we had last year. We hope that all of you will find one or more events that you'll be sure to enjoy! Hope to see you at the Depot!

Train Show - This year, our "Winter" train show featured the Williamsville Lehigh Valley Depot display, accompanied by a presentation of its history by Marty Bauer, which was very well received.

All Aboard for the "Candy Train." Marty Visciano from the Williamsville Depot inspects the cargo in six hopper cars pulled by two Lehigh Valley engines at the 2019 Train Show at the Hamburg Fair Grounds in February. All loaded with an assortment of chocolate treats for children young and old. The layout was created with crews from Orchard Park and Williamsville. The tables for the Society were full of information for all the visitors as they entered the train show. The Williamsville Depot had a silent auction of 16 wonderful items including a "Cab Ride" for two on the Buffalo Southern Railroad for this summer. This perfect fundraiser was supported by many members of our steering committee. Bill and Mary Barren were instrumental in donating 30% of the items up for bid. They are super supporters of our Depot and we are very lucky for their long time dedication.

Williamsville Depot Facebook Page - Joyce Haskell has reported that our Facebook page for the Williamsville Depot has had an increased numbers of hits. Recently, several have come from other rail preservation groups. Our Depot is finally drawing the attention we believe it deserves.

Texas Roadhouse Restaurant - Recently, the Steering Committee has been meeting for dinner on an irregular basis at the Texas Roadhouse on a weekday night. The most recent dinner was on March 9th. A small portion of the receipts for that dinner of members and other guests that attended, (identified by a ticket obtained in advance) has been donated to the restoration efforts at the Depot.

March - April 2019
by Hal Douglass

On March 7th, 2019, the Williamsville Village Hall received an internal makeover as part of a welcoming project led by Trustee Deb Rogers in the center. The multi-year initiative included depot memorabilia from our Depot and historic photographs by Cornelius Deazley from the collection of Sue Kogutek. Over several years, Deb Rogers coordinated the team to revamp Village Hall. Having known Kogutek from their work at the Meeting House, Rogers reached out to propose that they collaborate on a display of local 1900s' photographer Cornelius Deazley's work.

In the photos that adorn the Village Hall corridors, Deazley shined a spotlight on the lived experiences of past village residents. These works illuminate the long-forgotten, interesting histories of early 20th-century daily life in the village. You can read the full story of how this collaboration came together in the "Amherst Bee"

For the Village Hall display case, Tom displayed among other things, a scale model of the Depot, paperwork and a Lehigh Valley sign for anthracite coal. The case also highlights a lantern, an HO scale train and two O gauge Lehigh Valley locomotives. On the matter of the depot display, Deb Rogers expressed her hope that this interesting memorabilia would help spark public curiosity about our "hidden gem" in the Village.

We have not abandoned our quest to find a locomotive to display at the Depot. On March 18th, John Bond, Devan Lawton and Marty Visciano formed an inspection team to examine a GMD SW-8 at the Greenich power plant in Dresden, New York, south of Geneva. What they found is an engine with scratches and dents that only needs minor exterior surface repair along with some metal replacement and a new window in the cab. However, the interior has all of its parts and looked like the owners "just shut it down and walked away eight years ago." Talks with the power company and the logistics of getting it to Williamsville are being explored. Stay tuned.

Our first fund-raiser of the year, our Annual Spaghetti Dinner held at the Cleveland Hill Christian Church on Saturday April 6th, was another resounding success. At times, we had people waiting for tables to open up to enjoy dinner. A group of 10 high school students from the "Amherst YES Program." (a group of students who volunteer in the community)

They came to our rescue and tended 10 of our 12 family style tables (all seats filled, not necessarily from the same group). We think they slept well that night. The kitchen was managed successfully by Bob Lutot, Art Toale, Mark Klepadlo, John Bond, Kathy Visciano and Louise Lawton. They were marvelous, well organized, and, most important, got the dinners delivered.

Andy Armadillo from the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant (they donated the salads) made an appearance and then, joined by another Texas roadhouse employee, sat down to enjoy dinner. Much of the fiscal success of this event was due to the very generous support of our sponsors. Thank you!

Next month, the Homewood Theater Company will present a brand new play written and directed by Marty Bauer entitled "The Mystery of the Castle on the Hill." As we always hoped, it will be presented at the Williamsville Depot June 6th and 7th, and again on June 14th and 15th. Tickets will be $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and students and $4 for children age 12 and younger. The plot is filled with intrigue, with a mystery to be solved. See if you can solve it. You all come! Attendance at Homewood Theater productions has spiked since the venue was brought to the depot, with capacity and near capacity crowds. Marty Bauer, a fellow member of the WNYRHS, has been kind enough to donate the profits of these productions to the fund to bring an engine to the WNYRHS Williamsville Depot.

May 2019
by Hal Douglass

This Spring's rainy season has not deterred the Williamsville Depot Steering Committee from its many planned activities. At a public meeting on May 11th, at the Village Meeting House, Marty Bauer spoke on the roll of railroading in the development of the Village of Williamsville, taking his audience back to the late 19th Century and the debut of the predecessor of the Lehigh Valley and the construction of the combined passenger and freight depot. After the very well received formal presentation, there were long discussions with several members of the audience.

Our annual Garage Sale (book sale, flower sale and take-out chicken dinner sale) was held on the weekend of May 18th and 19th, greeting a steady flow of customers visiting our vendors as well as the Depot's own tables. With cool but beautiful weather Saturday, the site was extremely busy. Unfortunately, the return of a cold rain cut short the sale on Sunday. John Bond, a Steering Committee member, grilled and sold hot dogs both days. During the event, a plaque recognizing many years of service was presented to Hal Douglass, and it now hangs in the depot.

June 2019
by Hal Douglass

The Village of Williamsville celebrated Home Coming Days on June 1st. As part of the celebration, the Village sponsored a horse and wagon ride Starting at the Village Hall on Main Street and sub-sequently passing the Lehigh Valley Depot on the Lehigh Trail. Steering Committee member Devan Lawton served as tour guide on these trips, and invited riders to return to the Depot for a visit.

Many visitors were unaware of the depot and were seeing the outdoor exhibits for the first time. Richard Rogenthien, a Society member and supporter of the Lehigh valley Depot, and member of the Homewood Theater, spent the day beautifying the entrance sign to the Lehigh Trail by planting a dozen yellow Shasta daisies at its base, taking breaks to greet the passengers of the horse-drawn wagon each time it came by.

The Steering Committee hopes that you all will join us for some of the other activities planned for the summer, including Touch-a-Truck on July 13th and "Cruise Night" on the the 29th.

July - August 2019
by Hal Douglass - Photos - Joyce Haskell

For it's a long, long way from May to December....and the days grow short as we greet September. But those longer days have been quite busy ones at the Williamsville Depot. Our biggest event of the year, "Touch a Truck" on Saturday July 13th, was a smashing success with almost 1200 visitors examining more than 20 trucks and other vehicles on a beautiful sunny day.

The Amherst Police Department put out a beautiful display with many special police vehicles. The NFTA showed off their "Trolley Bus." "Tony's Tree Service" brought three of their "Sky Pickers" and the "Mercy Flight" helicopter attracted many of the curious who would rather examine the copter than to have to ride it. John Bond and Ken Lyon on the grill kept all the hungry visitors well fed.

"RAILMASTER" PARK TRAIN - Before summer arrived, WNYRHS President, Caryl Youngers did a complete overhaul of our Amusement Park Train. This was necessary to insure safety and reliability for all our future events. Caryl indicated that the train set has been rewired, the clutch cleaned, polished and adjusted. A new heat shield was installed to protect the battery and gas tank. The exhaust pipe has been redirected to allow fumes and heat to get out of the bottom of the engine as well as many other items listed below.

The wheels were regauged, a new horn installed, a safety battery disconnect switch was installed, the oil and gearbox grease were changed. A new front drive truck stabilizer, which was causing the binding of u-joints, was fabricated in house, the brakes were cleaned & adjusted. All nuts and bolts were checked and tightened as needed. The engine was tuned and the throttle and choke linkage were straightened, re-aligned, lubricated and adjusted. The result - it runs great! You can adjust the RPMs. It idles smooth to disengage and reves up to engage the clutch. We fabricated a dolly axle for the front of the second car allowing you to move the second and third car as one unit. This makes it much easier to move the cars in and out of the trailer without jacking up the midsection of the train and hauling the adjoining truck back and forth.

The cracked ties on the steel track have been welded. The trailer door latch and roof vent have been replaced. The only work left is the gauges were not and have not been wired in. A job for another time. All work was performed by Caryl and Dave, one of his employees, with parts purchased and labor donated by Bella Terra Greenhouses. The train set was put on display at the "Touch A Truck" event to promote it running at our September "Octoberfest", on the 21st and 22nd.

Our 7th annual "Cruise Night" on July 29th was another successful event. Compared to last year, this year featured NO RAIN! In the late afternoon sunshine, a markedly increased number of visitors came to inspect the 18 cars and be entertained by Marty Bauer's trivia questions and music from the 1980's, thanks to Marty Visciano's sound system. The hot dogs were very popular, too!

On the 4th of August, 25 Volunteers from the Village Cooperative weeded the new planters the Village of Williamsville had installed between the pavement and the sidewalk along South Long Street. On completion of the project, a picnic was held at the depot with hamburgers, hot dogs salads, cookies and soft drinks to reward a well done job. While this project took shape, a few of our Depot crew members worked on getting our New Haven boxcar ready for paint.

September - October 2019
by Hal Douglass

As we move on to the cold weather seasons, it is time to close up the depot (no heat in the building), and reflect on a busy end of Summer and Autumn. As expected, Marty Bauer's Homewood Theater Group put on a couple of absolutely great performances of his newest original production, played to an ever-increasing audience at the Williamsville Depot.

It was a nice Saturday, September 7th, when Boxcar Bob (Lutot) warned "The British are coming." The band known as 45 RPM "British Invasion," performed a free concert at the Depot. This was their third year of a free concert and this was their best performance yet. More than 200 visitors brought their own chairs and enjoyed cover songs from the Beatles era.

Although it was a bit cloudy, Boxcar Bob warmed up the audience to participate in a 50/50 raffle on a wonderful selection of 21 door prizes available to be won for only a dollar for each ticket. Kathy Visciano, John Bond and Larry Brenton demonstrated expertise and years of experience while cooking hotdogs on our new grill.

We seeking a formal historic site designation for the depot and the adjoing section house property. Our boxcar was built in June 1952 for the New Haven Railroad. In May of 1970, the Arcade & Attica Railroad purchased and took delivery of the car for use in Borden's milk service. They were sold off in 1974 or so and used for storage. The boxcar arrived at the Depot July 11th, 2017, by purchasing it from a private owner through Winter's Rigging of North Collins, New York.

Work on the boxcar continues. Larry Brenton and Tim Cartwright (of Ebenezer Rail Car) worked on the boxcar door. Tim fabricated new rollers while Larry drilled out the rivets. As is often the case, the condition of bottom of the door is poor. The fact that the overhead track is out of alignment does not make opening the door any easier. Painting of the boxcar has been delayed a number of times by weather. Larry Brenton painted the north side of the car and both ends. A work party met on a warmer early October day to make further progress. As winter approaches, the chance to do much more is limited, since the ambient temperature must be at least 55 degrees for painting, and the metal cannot be cold to touch.

Our Depot Crew has put the first coat of paint on our ex-New Haven and ex-Arcade & Attica Railroad boxcar. After numerous consults with the Village of Williamsville Historic Preservation Board, it was decided to restore the car to its former livery as Arcade & Attica Railroad #510. Since we are following NYS historic guidelines, painting the car as a Lehigh Valley car would jeopardize future grants.

Octoberfest - September 21st and 22nd. At long last, after so many years, there was a passenger train at the Depot with passengers waiting at the station. However, the train was not exactly standard gauge. Just a wee bit smaller than the LV trains of yore, but carrying fare-paying passengers. The Society's "RailMaster" amusement park train was a key part of our Octoberfest celebration. Paul Rowell, grandson of the builder of the train and family member that donated the train to the Society, took his turn at the throttle.

WNYRHS president Caryl Youngers, board member Marty Visciano, Paul Rowell and many Depot volunteers helped with the complex set up of over 1200 feet of track for the train during the week. This took place as we got ready for our "Oktoberfest" and "Fall Craft Fair" held in conjunction with the 10 Lives Rescue group. Marty Visciano took more than 250 adults and children on a "Hay Ride" behind his tractor.

WNYRHS life member and Williamsville Depot crew member Devan Lawton, spent over 45 years working for the Erie Lackawanna, Conrail and CSX railroads mostly at the trottle of huge locomotives. Today, he had more fun operating the "RailMaster" park train with a full load of happy passengers.

Saturday the 21st started in the 60's and by noon was pushing 80'. Our Depot was decked out in it's fall finest as we got ready for all our visitors. The "Ten Lives Club" celebrated their third anniversary at the Depot along with art and craft vendors, our raffles, pumpkins for sale, cider to sample and food for purchase.

In addition, the staff served food and beverages to runners of the Moonlight Run Group, as they passed by on the Lehigh Trail. One runner noted that a number of participants stopped off to see the inside of the depot before continuing on. Mark Klepadlo (center) and Marty Visciano (left) receive recognition from Larry and Gary Brownell, organizers of the charitable Moonrun, for the food, beverages and rest stop services provided as the Moonrun participants passed by the Depot.

Saturdays at the Depot can be eventful and September 28th was one of them. Tom Stackhouse and Marty Visciano were hosting a meeting for several members of the National Model Railroaders Association when an anxious young couple entered at about 11:00am. The young lady asked some questions about the Depot, then dropped a bombshell. "We are getting married TODAY at 6:00pm." It seems that their original plans were to have the ceremony in Glen Park. Due to the uncertainty of the weather and the very real threat of rain, they were in search of a roof. The Williamsville Depot to the rescue!

It had been planned as a small short ceremony. The couple had eloped to Scotland three weeks earlier and had been married there. This ceremony was for 28 family members. At 5:00pm, the groom and his brother arrived and set up an arch of steel rods which they covered with white bunting and artificial flowers. They then arranged some seating. At 6:00pm, the bride arrived in full gown carrying flowers, with her maid of honor. Her dad gave her away. When it was official, Bob Lutot rang the locomotive bell.

Larry Brenton had provided a bottle of champagne and some wine. Bob served the champagne to the bridal party and the wine for toasting. By 7:00pm, they were on their way to the Eagle House for dinner. They left behind an envelope with a thank you note and a crisp $100.00 bill. We wish them well!

The "Homewood Theater" , returned Friday and Saturday evenings on October 11th and 12th, and again on the 18th and 19th with another new original Marty Bauer production of "The Case of the Phantom Railroad." This was a ghost story for the entire family to help get the audience in the mood for Halloween. The show was held in the Williamville Depot and started each evening at 7:30pm. The Homewood Theater's profits are donated to help support the continuing preservation of our former Lehigh Valley depot and other projects.

November - December 2019
by Hal Douglass and Marty Visciano

As Old Man Winter descends with gusty winds, freezing rain and snow on the unheated Williamsville Depot, The Depot Steering committee takes this time to hope that the members of the Society and their friends, a bountiful and a Happy Holiday Season!

With the water turned off, the toilets and plumbing drained, and antifreeze added to the small places where complete drainage is not possible, it is now time to take down the Holiday decorations and lights, and put them away for next year. However, the Williamsville Depot Steering Committee has put together another very ambitious schedule for next year. A printable copy of our 2020 Events Schedule can be had by clicking the photo to the right.

Our search for a Lehigh Valley locomotive that could have passed by the Williamsville Depot or worked the yard behind it, has identified two candidates, thus far.

Because of space limitations at the Depot, it will have to be a first-generation diesel, since a steam engine and tender would be too long. Either engine would be a perfect fit for our needs. But, both have transportation and logistical problems. Both need areas of cosmetic repairs and extensive repainting to the authentic color scheme of a Lehigh Valley locomotive. Although either locomotive has a high investment factor, we are continuing to resolve the problem of transportation by rail and/or truck to the depot. Anyone who may have a direct link within the Norfolk Southern Railroad, to help move one of these locomotives to Williamsville, please contact us.

Currently the Williamsville Steering committee is actively seeking major funds for this project. Sponsorships, grants, donations big or small will be graciously accepted. The project is hopefully looking at a summer of 2020 installation.

On November 9th, a special fundraiser was held to raise funds for the locomotive purchase. Over 90 tasty pork loin dinners were served at the Cleveland Heights Christian Church. 20 baskets of gift certificates and 25 lottery tickets were used as door prizes.

On November 23rd and 24th, the Williamville Depot crew held another very successful "Basket Raffle" at our 38th annual Greater Buffalo Train Show. We had tables of information, model train displays and of course, our very popular Basket Raffle. Thanks to all who helped man the tables and to those who supported our cause.

Not all activity has stopped. For several years we have searched to drawings, plans, specifications and pictures of the original Lehigh Valley Rail Road passenger depot wailing room benches. At last, the searches have come to fruition.

A team led by Mark Klepadlo is constructing exact historic replicas of the original benches that would have graced the depot when it was new, one hundred and twenty-two years ago. Progress as of mid December is seen in the photographs. Every unique detail of the Lehigh Valley depot benches has been duplicated including the unusual separation rail between the seats.

The Williamsville Depot Committee wishes you all a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season, and a safe Winter. We hope we will see you all in January, 2020. Happy New Year.

Call the Depot at 716-633-7002 or eMail Marty V. Thank You!