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As the
"Friends of the A&A" work at preserving the physical plant
of the 150+ year old Arcade & Attica Railroad, information about the
line's past continues to flow. New information is uncovered as other
information is lost to the ages.
As it became apparent that there was much more to the history of the
A&A then was published in Ed Lewis's book, it became further
apparent that a centralized repository of information for all facets of
the railroad's history was required. There are so many different facets
to a shortline like the Arcade & Attica Railroad.
First planned as the narrow gauge Attica & Sheldon, the A&A can
trace its roots back as far as 1836. Several attempts were made, however
it would not be until 1881 when the Tonawanda Valley Railroad first ran
a train from Attica to present day Curriers, NY.
The railroad today is known for its steam passenger excursions, however
its true success lays in the fact that the line has been a
common-carrier fright railroad its entire existence. And despite a
relationships with the Erie, the Buffalo & Susquehanna and
Pennsylvania railroad systems, the A&A has never been owned as a
part of another railroad.
All these facts tie together to make the history of this colorful little
line a historical treasure trove. Besides its roster of vintage
equipment, the A&A creates interest for its buildings and history.
Plus, there has been sufficient interest by modelers, that A&A
boxcars have been commercially issued in the three most popular scales
in the USA, HO, N, & O.
It is because of all these points of interest, and many others, that the
railroad has gathered such a following, and why some of us banded
together to create a place where we could go to get and archive
information about the road... And that is why "The A&A
Society" was created.
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