I was with Tim (tpatrick) when he went to Buffalo. You can park in a company along route 130 across the road from the tracks, with permission of course, and walk across and grab photos of any locomotives you want. Canadian Pacific and Canadian National power frequent the area. I advise not going down narrow, scummy looking roads, because the people on them are equally as scummy. Going into the Frontier Yard and grabbing a quick few photos just before passing the "No tresspassing" sign, might be okay, as long as you don't block CSX maintenance vehicles or stay long. One more place to get pretty good views, is Depew, NY at the Amtrak Station. A former NYC Searchlight Style signal bridge stands to your east and aligns traffic out of Frontier Yard headed east. I know there are also several daily Amtrak runs through the area. Worth looking into.
Also, if you're in Buffalo and have time for some spare places, good places along Lake Erie can be found. At Blasdell, NY you have another NYC style searchlight signal bridge aligning traffic into Buffalo and some nice mileposts to work into your photo frame. A nice sweaping curve is also available. The crossing in Blasdell I refer to is the Big Tree Road crossing. Brocton, NY is another good place to visit as you have clear open shots of CSX on the Lakefront Line and NS on the former NKP mainline. The best place I know of in Brocton is Lake Avenue. A couple more places to visit are Westfield NY, Ripley NY and North East PA. In Westfield, you can make a right turn down the narrow road just before the Route 394 (Portage St) bridge over the CSX tracks. Here, you can park along the road and get open views of CSX action. At Ripley, I mostly sit at the Route 76 crossing, same open shots. But my favorite place out of the group, is North East. You can have overpass shots of CSX taken from Bort Road on the eastern side of the town. You also have nice angles on NS at Bort Road. NS goes uphill and crosses at grade with Bort Road. Also in North East, find your way to Wall Street, and you will come across the North East Railroad Museum. To your west on the CSX main is CP 73, which has a nice NYC Searchlight signal bridge. Across the CSX tracks is the NS former NKP main, and on the opposing side of NS, is the "Welch's Grape Factory." Well worth the side trip!
I live not too far south of Buffalo, but I don't go there often for train watching because it is easier to just go to the lake shore and catch the passing parade. Having said that, since you are going to be in the city, I recommend the Amtrak station on Dick Road in Depew. It is safe and you will see all the CSX and Amtrak traffic through town. The old New York Central signals are still operating within sight just east of the station.
Frontier Yard is accessible off the west end of Broadway and I went in there last week, only to find that even the entrance is posted. So don't expect to be welcomed there. Upon realizing I was where I shouldn't be, I grabbed a couple of quick shots and scrammed. The north side of the yard is visible from a side street, but the neighborhood is dangerous - as is much of the inner city. I didn't linger there. The south side of the yard parallels Broadway but there are few places to stop and the sight lines from the road are bad.
There are a number of crossings southwest of the city where you can catch NS and CSX. They are both safe and easily accessed. Don't miss the old NYC terminal on Paderewski Drive. Sometimes it is open to visitors, but even when closed it is still worth a couple of shots. Down in Hamburg you will find the last PRR Decapod. It is on public display and it is in good shape.
The International Bridge over the Niagara River is north of Buffalo. That is where I would go to find CN and CP traffic. I can't tell you about specific locations for photos. You will have to scout them out for yourself.
If you have time, run down to Jamestown and Falconer (about a 90 minute drive), where you will find Alcos and NS coal trains on the WNY&P. They are friendly to railfans. Just present yourself to the dispatcher in Falconer, sign a release form and the railroad is yours. Use common sense and observe safety rules so they will continue to welcome us. BTW the Chautauqua Lake area is especially scenic and you will enjoy it even apart from the trains.
Those are the thoughts that pop into mind at the moment. If you have more questions, please ask and I'll try to be helpful. Enjoy your visit.
Tim
I do not know anything about Buffalo. However, could you take a look at the thread about the SP caboose in Tucson, AZ?
http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/1189452/ShowPost.aspx
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
Going to Buffalo, NY in September for a week of train watching.
Any good places too watch trains? CSX, NS, CN, CP and the B&P. Also looking for good radio frequencies for CSX and NS. And any danger areas to watch out for!
Thanks for any help you all can give.
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