New York

Lehigh Valley
Batavia, New York
March 9, 1976




When riding the New York Central (or successor Penn Central) between Buffalo and New York, one of the landmarks was Batavia. Although the Central, the Lehigh Valley, the Erie and the Lackawanna all left Depew (just east of Buffalo) practically side by side, they gradually fanned apart and were soon not seen again. Except at Batavia, where the Central dipped to the south and ran alongside the Lehigh again for a stretch, especially after its tracks were relocated south out of downtown. Seeing the Lehigh Valley's old wooden station gradually deteriorate from one trip to the next was one of the sadder elements of the trip. The Central's mainline can be just barely seen at the far left.




This page posted 2/1/2018. Text and photo ©2018 Lamont Downs.