Salamanca Rail Museum Association

Step Into the Past...

...and experience the Salamanca Rail Museum: a fully restored passenger depot constructed in 1912 by the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway. Through artifacts, photographs and video presentations, you'll experience an era over 90 years ago, when rail was the primary means of transportation from city to city.

The rich red oak wainscoting and two-story sky-lit ceiling of the building's main lobby reflects an era of simple elegance. The ticket office, which is authentic down to the office furniture and telegraph keys, gives the feel of a time of bowler hats and bustle dresses, of traveling business people in a rapidly expanding early 20th century economy.

The Rail Museum building was acquired in 1980, a vandalized vacant shell that had stood idle for over 20 years. Using a combination of private donations, government funds, and volunteer labor, the building was brought back to its original appearance. From the brick-walled baggage room to the multi-windowed "Ladies Retiring Room", everything in the building is either a restored original or an exact duplicate based on the original architectural plans.

The museum exhibits show nostalgic railroad pieces with an emphasis on the three railroads that served the region; the Erie, the Baltimore and Ohio (BR&P), and the Pennsylvania Railroads.

The Museum Gift Shop

Now accepting MasterCard, Visa and Discover Card

The Gift Shop offers a wide variety of railroad related items, including post cards, pins, patches, books, mugs etc. and features the current edition of the Salamanca Rail Museum calendar containing historic rail photos. The calendars are $4 each, and if you add $1 per calendar for postage we will mail them to you.

Web Order Form (pdf)

170 Main St
Salamanca, NY 14779

Phone: (716) 945-3133

Hours: M-S 10am - 5pm

Su 12pm - 5pm

Admission to the Museum is free, however, donations are appreciated. The Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sundays from 12 PM to 5 PM. Closed Mondays in April, and October - December. Closed months of January, February and March.

The Museum is wheelchair accessible. Guided tours for groups are available by prior arrangement.

Call the museum at (716) 945-3133.

Email: salarail@verizon.net

Memberships

The Friends of the Salamanca Rail Museum Association is the fund-raising, support and research group of the museum. Membership is $8.00 per year; Senior Citizens (55+) $5.00 per year. For details, write: Friends of the Salamanca Rail Museum, 170 Main Street, Salamanca, NY 14779, call: (716) 945-3133, or email: salarail@verizon.net. Click the web order form on this page to print and mail, fax or email your membership request.

The Salamanca Rail Museum Association operates the Salamanca Rail Museum as an educational museum under an Absolute Charter granted by the Board of Regents of the State of New York on October 22, 1987.

The purpose for which the Salamanca Rail Museum Association was formed are:

a) The collection and preservation of railroad memorabilia, and

b) The collection and dissemination of historical information on railroads, particularly as it relates to the Salamanca, NY and surrounding areas.

The Salamanca Rail Museum Association is a not-for-profit organization under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

All donations, bequests, legacies, memorials or transfers to the Salamanca Rail Museum are deductible for Federal tax purposes.

The Museum maintains a Memorial Board on which the names of your deceased loved ones may be inscribed. For information regarding memorials or other donations please contact the Salamanca Rail Museum, 170 Main Street, Salamanca, NY 14779, Telephone (716) 945-3133 or Email: salarail@verizon.net.

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