Central Terminal
495 Paderewski Dr.
Opened 1929
Number of station tracks: 14 through
Interlocked switches controlled as follows:
Signal Station 48: controlled the east end of the station
Signal Station 49: controlled the west end of the station
Lackawanna Station
Main St. and South Park Ave.
Opened 1917, replacing earlier station at same location
Number of station tracks: 6 stub
Interlocked switches controlled from Michigan Avenue Tower
Lehigh Valley Station
Washington St. and Scott St.
Opened 1916, replacing earlier station at same location
Number of station tracks: 10 stub
Interlocked switches controlled from Chicago Street Tower
Central Terminal was actually located away from downtown Buffalo, and was adopted as the best solution to relieve congestion at the existing downtown New York Central station on Exchange St.
(Central Terminal)
Departures-Westbound
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 67 Commodore Vanderbilt Chicago 12:43 (bypass) 27 New England States Chicago 1:00 11:33 pm 3:15 am 279 Pittsburgh Express Pittsburgh 1:45 1:25 207 Cleveland Mail Cleveland 2:25 221 3:30 17 Wolverine Det.-Chicago 2:54 1:40 3:15 am 19 Lake Shore Limited Chicago 3:00 2:57 33 New Eng. Wolverine Det.-Chicago 3:04 11 Southwestern Limited St. Louis 4:00 57 3:54 371 Toronto 5:01 4:25 21 Lake Erie Cleveland 5:09 5 (Motor Train) Detroit 5:45 57 Cleveland Limited Chicago (bypass)59 6:07 209 Niagara Falls 7:00 681 4:55 59 Iroquois Chicago 7:50 35 7:20 63 8:40 am 35 Fast Mail Detroit 8:05 335 7:40 151 Interstate Express Chicago 8:10 375 Toronto 8:30 377 7:45 211 Niagara Falls 9:15 207 7:35 223 Niagara Falls 11:20 683 10:10 43 South Shore Express Chicago 1:14 1:50 233 Niagara Falls 2:35 685 2:00 379 Toronto 3:15 1:40 51 Empire State Express Cleveland 5:05 4:30 5:00 pm 51 Empire State Express Detroit 5:06 4:35 351 5:15 pm 257 Niagara Falls 5:10 687 4:51 83 Pittsburgh Cleveland Cleveland 5:15 383 Toronto 5:40 4:40 371 4:30 pm 5 Mohawk Chicago 8:04 7:00 245 Niagara Falls 8:59 39 North Shore Limited Det.-Chicago 10:17 10:05 1 Pacemaker Chicago (bypass) 11:08 41 Knickerbocker St. Louis 11:29 10:43 15 Ohio State Limited Cincinnati 11:55 11:59Arrivals-Westbound
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 67 Commodore Vanderbilt New York 12:35 (bypass)75 11:59 27 New England States Boston 12:51 11:19 pm 2:35 am 169 Buffalo Express Syracuse 1:10 33 New Eng. Wolverine Boston 2:35 1:05 17 Wolverine New York 2:45 1:20 19 Lake Shore Limited New York 3:00 2:37 11 Southwestern Limited New York 4:00 57 3:35 21 Lake Erie New York 4:50 57 Cleveland Limited New York (bypass)59 5:45 29 Niagara New York 6:45 35 Fast Mail New York 7:20 99 7:20 59 Iroquois New York 7:38 35 6:50 63 7:45 am 159 Buffalo Express Boston 7:45 63 Genesee New York 8:30 43 South Shore Express New York 12:55 1:15 9 Mail New York 4:25 95 3:35 51 Empire State Express New York 4:50 4:06 71 4:00 pm 5 Mohawk New York 7:43 39 North Shore Limited New York 10:00 9:35 73 8:00 41 Knickerbocker New York 11:15 10:25 1 Pacemaker New York (bypass) 11:01 15 Ohio State Limited New York 11:47 11:43Departures-Eastbound
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 2 Pacemaker New York (stop) 28 New England States Boston 12:15 11:40 62 2:30 am 8 Wolverine New York 12:34 1:08 98 New Eng. Wolverine Boston 12:50 68 Commodore Vanderbilt New York 12:59 (bypass) 16 Ohio State Limited New York (bypass) 12:51 142 Cayuga New York 1:24 10 Water Level Limited New York 3:04 24 Knickerbocker New York 3:54 4:04 22 Lake Shore Limited New York 5:38 4:09 158 Syracuse 5:54 58 Niagara Albany 8:00 12:13 am 40 North Shore Limited New York 9:13 38 7:00 70 6:30 am 38 Missourian New York 9:39 40 9:00 90 Forest City New York 11:10 10:20 72 10:30 am 50 Empire State Express New York 1:30 1:30 74 2:30 pm 56 DeWitt Clinton New York 2:15 96 11:50 am 42 Boston Express Boston 4:50 52 Easterner Albany 5:15 4:20 30 Iroquois New York 8:50 46 Boston Special Boston 10:00 10:15 44 New York Special New York 10:10 10:20 6 Fifth Avenue Special New York 11:05 10:53 64 10:00 pm 82 Ontarian New York 11:25 48 Detroiter New York (bypass) 11:35Arrivals-Eastbound
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 2 Pacemaker Chicago (stop) 28 New England States Chicago 12:15 11:40 1:45 am 8 Wolverine Det.-Chicago 12:20 12:50 14 1:07 am 12 Southwestern Limited St. Louis 12:34 11:59 16 Ohio State Limited Cincinnati (bypass) 12:33 68 Commodore Vanderbilt Chicago 12:54 (bypass) 10 Water Level Limited Detroit 2:45 24 Knickerbocker St. Louis 3:45 3:40 10 Water Level Limited Chicago 2:53 364 3:10 132 Henry Hudson Chicago 4:30 22 Lake Shore Limited Chicago 5:24 3:55 272 Pittsburgh 5:40 18 Number Eighteen Cleveland 6:50 58 Niagara Det.-Chicago 7:45 358 8:45 204 Niagara Falls 8:24 680 6:40 40 North Shore Limited Det.-Chicago 8:59 210 Niagara Falls 9:25 38 Missourian St. Louis 9:25 40 8:40 372 Toronto 10:55 11:30 90 Forest City Chicago 10:55 10:00 98 10:15 am 216 Niagara Falls 1:00 682 1:00 60 Cleveland 1:00 50 Empire State Express Cleveland 1:10 1:10 52 1:10 pm 50 Empire State Express Detroit 1:15 1:15 374 Toronto 4:20 4:00 376 1:45 pm 230 Niagara Falls 4:24 684 4:05 52 Easterner Chicago 5:00 3:55 2 (Motor Train) Detroit 6:40 236 Niagara Falls 6:45 244 Cleveland 8:37 380 Toronto 9:15 9:35 246 Niagara Falls 9:30 9:25 14 Interstate Express Chicago 9:40 46 9:30 44 New York Special Det.-Chicago 9:40 9:55 84 Buffalo Express Pittsburgh 10:43 284 9:20 6 Fifth Avenue Special Chicago 10:55 10:30 64 9:15 pm 382 Toronto 11:12 11:50 248 Niagara Falls 11:35 686 10:30 48 Detroiter Detroit (bypass) 11:35Passenger service retained by Amtrak in 1971.
Several New York Central through passenger trains bypassed Central Terminal, during some periods of their existences. Not listed are certain through trains which never served Central Terminal during the eras covered. Most notably the Twentieth Century Limited, between Chicago and New York City. Trains to and from Toronto operated in Canada primarily via Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo Railway, and Canadian Pacific. Trains to and from Pittsburgh operated via New York Central subsidiary Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, south of Youngstown.
(Central Terminal)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 570 Philadelphia Express Philadelphia 8:45 am 9:40 574 9:45 am 9310 Olean 4:50 pm 574 Dominion Express Washington 9:45 pm 7:40 pm 911 Pittsburgh 10:40 pmArrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 575 Dominion Express Washington 7:50 am 7:30 am 914 Pittsburgh 8:25 am 9305 Olean 8:55 am 571 Buffalo Day Express Harrisburg 8:15 pm 7:00 575 6:10 pmPassenger service discontinued in 1971 with the creation of Amtrak.
(Lackawanna Station)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 2 Pocono Express New York 3:50 3:15 6 Lackawanna Limited New York 9:40 9:15 10 New York Mail New York 6:00 4:30 8 New Yorker New York 10:30 10:00Arrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 5 Chicagoan New York 2:10 1:15 7 Westerner New York 4:45 3:50 15 Owl New York 12:55 11:35 3 Lackawanna Limited New York 6:50 5:55Passenger service discontinued in 1969.
In 1962, after the Erie Lackawanna merger, trains began instead serving a station at 515 Babcock St. This station was on the former Erie route into Buffalo, where passenger service had previously been discontinued in 1951.
In 1949, the streamlined Phoebe Snow replaced the Lackawanna Limited.
(Lackawanna Station)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 7 Westerner Chicago 5:05 am 4:25 am 5 Nickel Plate Limited Chicago 7:10 pm 6:30 pmArrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 6 Chicago 1:15 pm 11:40 am 8 New Yorker Chicago 10:05 pm 9:35 pmPassenger service discontinued in 1965.
In 1962, after the Erie Lackawanna merger, trains began instead serving a station at 515 Babcock St., on a former Erie route.
(Lackawanna Station)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 51 Pittsburgh 11:15 61 Du Bois 6:00 53 Pittsburgh 10:15Arrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 50 Pittsburgh 8:15 60 Du Bois 11:00 52 Pittsburgh 6:00Passenger service discontinued in 1955.
(Lehigh Valley Station)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 10 Black Diamond New York 10:05 am 9:40 am 4 Major New York 8:30 pm 7:50 pm 8 Maple Leaf New York 10:45 pm 10:30 pmArrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 7 Maple Leaf New York 5:10 am 4:35 am 11 Star New York 9:45 am 9:35 am 17 Newark 12:45 pm 9 Black Diamond New York 9:35 pm 7:40 pmPassenger service discontinued in 1961.
In 1955, Lehigh Valley moved to a new station, located at the northwest corner of Dingens St. and Ogden St.
(Lehigh Valley Station)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 2 Erie Limited Hornell 8:20 am 519 Jamestown 5:30 pm 10 Southern Tier Exp. Hornell 5:35 pm 6 Lake Cities Hornell 9:45 pmArrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 5 Lake Cities Hornell 7:55 am 516 Jamestown 10:55 am 7 Pacific Express Hornell 12:10 pm 1 Erie Limited Hornell 7:45 pmPassenger service discontinued in 1951.
Until late 1930's used its own station, at Michigan Ave. and Exchange St.
Buffalo Central Terminal Restoration Corporation
This organization's Web site shows how this great old station can hopefully be preserved and put to good use.
Buffalo Central Terminal
Web site containing further information on the history of Central Terminal.
The Lackawanna terminal was mostly demolished in 1979, but the train shed was adapted into a car house for the light rail line in Buffalo. The train shed is near the intersection of South Park Ave. and Illinois St.
The older Lehigh Valley terminal was demolished in the late 1950's, and its replacement station was demolished in 2004.
Forgotten Buffalo/Lackawanna Terminal
Forgotten Buffalo/Lehigh Valley Terminal
Links to Web pages containing further information on the historic stations.