Tonawanda Island Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Tonawanda Island Railroad operated on a 1.5 mile branch of railroad extending from the Niagara Branch in North Tonawanda, New York
to Tonawanda Island.
The railroad ceased to operate after the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) imposed an emergency order to prevent operation over a swing bridge that was found to be structurally deficient. The wood and metal bridge, known as bridge 7708810, crosses the Little River, a navigable waterway formed by the Niagara River
, Ellicott Creek
and Tonawanda Creek
. Numerous FRA inspections also found the railroad's only piece of rolling stock, a 50 ton switcher
locomotive
, to be deficient.
North Tonawanda, New York
North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south border...
to Tonawanda Island.
The railroad ceased to operate after the Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
(FRA) imposed an emergency order to prevent operation over a swing bridge that was found to be structurally deficient. The wood and metal bridge, known as bridge 7708810, crosses the Little River, a navigable waterway formed by the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
, Ellicott Creek
Ellicott Creek
Ellicott Creek is a stream in Western New York, United States. It is a tributary of Tonawanda Creek, which in turn into the Niagara River.-Course:...
and Tonawanda Creek
Tonawanda Creek
Tonawanda Creek is a small river in Western New York, in the United States. William Bright says the best that can be said of the name is that it is "probably from an Iroquoian source, but of unclear derivation".-Description:...
. Numerous FRA inspections also found the railroad's only piece of rolling stock, a 50 ton switcher
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
, to be deficient.