Fire Destroys ex-NYC Station in New York

Fire recently destroyed a former New York Central station in Western New York that had been home to a model railroad supply store.

The station, a two-story wooden structure in East Rochester, N.Y., had been built in 1884 and for more than 20 years had housed Despatch Junction.

There were no injuries in the fire whose cause is still being investigated. Nobody was injured in the blaze and the cause is under investigation. Firefighters from four departments were present at the scene.

“You don’t make a lot of money in model train repair,” store clerk Frank Flicinski told the Rochester Democrate and Chronicle newspaper. “You do it because you love making people happy. … It was the gathering place for a lot of friendships.”

The store was run by Stan Slade and featured a large inventory of new and used trains in all scales as well as a sizable collection of books devoted to railroading.”

CSX and Amtrak trains on the main line between Buffalo and Albany were suspended for nearly two hours during the fire.

Tags: CSX, model railroading, New York Central, Railroad depots, Railroad stations