"Pierce-Arrow" Excursion Line Proposed for Buffalo?

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:12 am

I......... You........... It seems.......... You know........... What the.....

*sigh*

I'm not even gonna comment. I'm a-jes' gonna leave this here......

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news ... -rail.html

Quote:

The developer of the Buffalo Transportation/Pierce Arrow Museum wants to bring a short line, historic rail line to Buffalo that will play off of the city’s transportation history.

James Sandoro, the region’s top automotive history buff, has acquired 16 acres of land from CSX Railroad that will serve as the backdrop for his planned attraction. Sandoro paid $275,000 for the land, according to documents filed in the Erie County Clerk’s Office.

The land, roughly one mile, runs from Michigan Avenue to Hamburg Street and between Exchange and Scott streets. Rail lines exist on the land.

Sandoro’s vision is to create a Pierce Arrow- designed locomotive and rail cars that will take passengers from downtown Buffalo east to the Larkin District. The trails will also go by Sandoro’s museum.

The trains would be built in an early 20th Century motif.

“I consider this an investment in the museum’s future, but also an investment for Buffalo’s tourism future,” Sandoro said.

Sandoro estimates the new rail line and replica cars will cost at least $1 million, but he hopes much of the materials will be donated.

“It’s not going to happen tomorrow, but it will soon,” Sandoro said.

A key attraction will be the replica locomotive that will have a Pierce Arrow-like fender, hood and radiator along with an early 20th Century cow catcher.

The rail cars will also be designed in the same motif.

Sandoro said the ride is designed to help link downtown, the Canalside and Cobblestone districts with Larkinville.

“It is another piece of the downtown puzzle,” Sandoro said. “Our train history is an obvious piece of the tourism puzzle. This fills in a missing component.”

YeOldeEnjine · **Joined:** Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:31 pm **Posts:** 329

..... Saw the headline, started thinking about the "Pierce Arrow" I'm familiar with.... which isn't a car........ all I can say about the article is WTF! ... shakes his head and walks away!

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:30 am

Well, some steam locomotive collectors aren't the only ones with more money than sense, or so it would seem.

Interestingly, though, there is a precedent for a Pierce-Arrow "train:"

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EujvImxEzxw/T ... +1940s.jpg

Somehow I don't think it quite fits the "glamour" image of Pierce-Arrow automobiles. . .

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:34 am

Scroll down to see another Pierce-Arrow "train:"

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/ ... and-Others)

YeOldeEnjine · **Joined:** Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:31 pm **Posts:** 329

It's a Pierce.... not an Arrow Chassis but the same basic cab shell as an "Arrow"....

This came to mind when I first saw the headline........

I'm strange, I know!

Bulby · **Joined:** Tue Nov 12, 2013 6:45 pm **Posts:** 258

He may be an automotive history buff, but he sure knows little about railroad history. Granted, the reporter didn't do him any favors, and that may be part of the problem.

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1087

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news ... -rail.html

Quote:

James Sandoro, the region’s top automotive history buff, has acquired 16 acres of land from CSX Railroad that will serve as the backdrop for his planned attraction. Sandoro paid $275,000 for the land, according to documents filed in the Erie County Clerk’s Office.

The land, roughly one mile, runs from Michigan Avenue to Hamburg Street and between Exchange and Scott streets. Rail lines exist on the land.

Forget the "Pierce-Arrow" train and check out where the land is on a map of downtown buffalo: Google Map, centered around the above land purchase

The 16-acre parcel he bought is just one-block from Amtrak's downtown Exchange Street station. The parcel is a few thousand feet (walking distance) to two professional sports venues (Sabres NHL hockey and Bisons AAA baseball) and the city's light rail transit line. It has easy access to and from the I-190 highway and is surrounded by several successful redevelopments.

In any other city, this parcel would be an amazing "smart-growth" brownfield redevelopment opportunity. The only negative I'm aware of is that CSX's Niagara Branch runs thru (or next to) the parcel, but AFAIK, restricted vertical clearances mean that only Amtrak uses the track.... so there are no noisy freight trains running next to the property.

How much would 16-acres within a half mile of Baltimore's inner harbor sell for? How big of a condo could you buy for $275k in downtown Baltimore?

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1087

An update: The Buffalo News - Museum owner plans old-time train ride for downtown Buffalo (March 7, 2014)

Quote:

Now Sandoro plans to build a small-gauge railroad for the slender strip of land that stretches from just west of Michigan Avenue, along Exchange Street and parallel to the Niagara Thruway, to Hamburg Street.

He intends to create a summertime tourist ride for children and adults, using a replica of an old-style “Galloping Goose” train car that was powered by Pierce-Arrow automobiles from the 1930s.