Repair the Rail Cars!
Repair the Rail Cars!
Salamanca Rail Museum Suffers Over $9K in Damage; Looking for Public Support
It’s hard to make sense of the destruction people cause sometimes, especially when it happens to a staple historic attraction. This past week, the Salamanca Rail Museum, located at 170 N. Main Street in Salamanca, NY, had all four of its rail cars vandalized, resulting in over $9,000 worth of damage.
Just to give you some background on the museum’s historical significance, the Rail Museum is a fully restored passenger depot that was originally constructed in 1912 by the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh railways. It was acquired in 1980 and brought back to life through a combination of donations, government funds and volunteer labor. The two-story building’s main lobby reflects the simple elegance of its age. The ticket office is still authentic, right down to the office furniture and telegraph machine. It boasts a brick-walled baggage room and even a special “Ladies Retiring Room” with multiple windows to let in light. The whole place is an exact duplicate based on the original architectural plans. Oh, it must have been a delight to visit in its heyday.
The museum is open to visitors seasonally (or by appointment) and provides an opportunity to experience a bygone era from over 90 years ago - through photos, video presentations and artifacts. Some of those artifacts that crowds are always happy to see are the authentic rail cars that were broken into on January 17; at least 31 of their windows were smashed out and their seats cut open.
As a non-profit organization, this is a harsh blow. Sixt Lumber and Robinson Construction & Residential Electric have been instrumental in offering their generous assistance during the emergency, helping the Rail Museum secure the cars and working to avoid any further damage from the winter weather. And although many local businesses have stepped up to offer their support during this trying ordeal, more help is needed.
Kari Kennedy, Salamanca Rail Museum Board Member, and colleague Christopher Costello organized the “Repair the Rail Cars!” GoFundMe page. (https://www.gofundme.com/f/repair-the-rail-cars).
“We are trying to raise money to help repair the rail cars that were vandalized this past week,” stated Kennedy on the GoFundMe page. “The damage of these cars went beyond what the museum can afford. These rail cars are a wonderful attraction to our museum that many visitors frequent throughout the year! Our goal is to repair the rail cars and install a security system to keep them safe from this ever happening again.”
As of the time ellicottvilleNOW went to print, they’ve managed $2,415 of their $12,000 goal. If you can afford to donate, any amount is greatly appreciated.
The culprits who are responsible for the destruction have yet to be apprehended. The Salamanca Police Department is looking for any information that anyone can provide. Please contact them at 716-945-2330 or send a message to their Facebook page.
Let’s come together as a community and help as much as we can to rebuild this beautiful historical attraction back to its glory. If you cannot donate to the GoFundMe, you can reach out to the Salamanca Rail Museum at 716-945-3133 or email info@salrailmuseum.org to see how you can help in other ways.
You can also stay updated on this story and learn more about the Salamanca Rail Museum’s history by following @Salamanca Rail Museum on Facebook.
