Back in 2020, we first discussed Charlie Monte Verde and his Flour by Rail Legacy Project that was established to rescue abandoned rail cars and engines that had Buffalo and WNY connections. At the time, Charlie had set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding page to help pay for the expenses associated with the salvaging of a flour-carrying boxcar built for the Buffalo Creek Railroad by the Pullman Company. That boxcar can now be found at Silo City, and is considered a significant win for helping to preserve part of this city’s rail heritage.
Now, Charlie and his rail-loving friends have a new GoFundMe effort underway. This time the team has set its eyes upon an iconic class of ’47 ALCO S-2 bicentennial locomotive. What is especially unique about this initiative is that once the engine is delivered to its new home in Gowanda, NY, it will be put back into fully operational service as part of passenger/freight train service for the New York & Lake Erie RR.
“Buffalo Creek ALCO S-2 no. 46 was a well-known resident of the Buffalo waterfront. If you ate Cheerios or Lucky Charms at any point in the 1960s or 70s, BCK 46 hauled boxcars of flour to the General Mills Buffalo plant to make that happen. The good news- the 46 is an operable/running locomotive! Fundraising is centered around mechanical adjustments and transportation costs to bring 46 from Corning to Buffalo, where the 46 will live on in freight service, as well as excursion/passenger train service on the New York & Lake Erie Railroad out of Gowanda, NY, just south of Buffalo. Any funds in excess of what we need for transportation will be dedicated to getting the 46 repainted in her patriotic red, white and blue jacket and kept operational. Your donation goes toward a restored locomotive you can see in operation and ride behind.” – Charlie Monte Verde, on the GoFundMe platform
Anyone looking to help with this transportation effort can do so by visiting GoFundMe.
Image courtesy Devan Lawton EDO Trains Collection
The post Save the Buffalo Creek 46! appeared first on Buffalo Rising.