TROLLEY STATION

Inscription

TROLLEY STATION
OPENED 1922 BY ROCHESTER &
SYRACUSE RAILROAD. ELECTRIC
TROLLEY CARRIED PASSENGERS AND
FREIGHT FROM HERE TO ROCHESTER
AND SYRACUSE. CLOSED 1931.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2023

In 1922, the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad Company built a trolley station in the town of Lyons, Wayne County, New York. Designed by architect Gordon A. Wright, this Arts and Crafts-style station was located near the corner of Montezuma Street and Geneva Street (NY Route 14). Following the company’s standard layout, it cost about $10,000 to build and included a large waiting room for passengers, a ticket office, and a 1,000 square foot warehouse for freight. Construction of the station coincided with creating a new right of way for the track that cut through the village, moving it from its original route along the busy business district of Canal Street. The trolley’s steel rails were placed along the recently abandoned Erie Canal. The canal’s tow path was widened to accommodate the double track and electrical line was run atop the canal bed to propel the trolley cars. Railroad officials expected it would shorten the run time between Rochester and Syracuse by about ten minutes and reduce accidents and delays.

Providing high-speed interurban service, the trolley line carried both passengers and freight from Lyons to major cities like Rochester, Syracuse, Auburn, and Oswego. It also stopped at points in between, such as Palmyra, Newark, Port Byron, and Weedsport. However, over the proceeding years the interurban trolleys between Rochester and Syracuse were replaced by Greyhound buses running on more modern gasoline engines over concrete roadways. The last trolley went through the station at Lyons on June 28, 1931. After the railroad line closed in 1931, the Lyons station building was sold and repurposed for a variety of uses over the years, including as an automotive service station and a land surveyor’s office. As of 2023, the building is still in use as a diner and is likely the most intact of the eight village stations built by the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad Company.