The Train Station Concerts roll into the Orchard Park Railroad Depot
- Jeff Schober
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 4 minutes ago
New YouTube series features musicians performing within iconic setting
Nancy Jo Coppola has been fascinated by the Orchard Park Railroad Depot for more than 30 years.
Located on South Lincoln Avenue, behind the public library on South Buffalo Street, the train station served as a backdrop for Coppola’s class projects during college courses in film. The last passenger train rolled along the tracks in the 1950s, and the depot closed to rail traffic in the 1970s, before Coppola ever visited. She has since returned there, again and again, hypnotized by its architecture and history, appreciating a long-gone era when the depot was the hub of a rural farming community. For almost 50 years, the empty building has stood as a monument to days past.
“There is a mysticism and romanticism to it,” Coppola reflected. “The aesthetics always appealed to me.”
Having worked in film, and being a music fan, Coppola hatched an idea last spring. Inspired by National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Concert Series, she wondered if she could film local musicians performing songs in the depot, then post the concerts online.
After a bit of maneuvering — and plenty of help from friends and volunteers — the Train Station Concerts were born.
Stirring the creative fires
“We’ve created a setting that is up close and personal,” Coppola said. “In these days of busyness, we provide a sanctuary of sound and space. Take a breather for 20 minutes, and get lost in this world we’re trying to create with concerts in a train station.”
Musicians are filmed walking in. A display board with arrival times and tickets is shown. After three or four songs, punctuated by close-up frames and brief interviews, the artists walk away — arriving and departing just like scheduled trains.
After filming three concerts in the fall, the Train Station Concerts website launched in November. Performances are available for streaming, with more to come. (Find the link at the end of this story.)
“Nancy has been talking about this for a while,” said John Harrigan, a Hamburg resident, college professor, and longtime friend of Coppola’s, who assisted in planning and logistics. He interviews the performers on-camera.
“Many of the musicians we have lined up play folk or Americana, and train stations are part of American folklore,” he explained. “There is nostalgia, with the visuals of coming and going. We host a tiny concert in a tiny train station with a limited in-person audience. We’re aiming for a digital audience. Nancy is a big supporter of the arts. We want to get the word out about talented musicians in the area, and bring light to the depot as well.”
While the initial concerts have focused on a certain style of music, the long-range plan is to include diverse genres that will appeal to a wide audience.
“I love the end product,” Coppola said. “But part of the joy of doing this is seeing all the different things that happen along the way. Sometimes we forget to stir the creative cook fires.”
Concerts last approximately 20 minutes.
“We’re hoping our videos have some artfulness, and are cinematic, rather than just someone filming something and throwing it online,” Coppola said.
Depot history
Jeffrey Sweet, an Orchard Park native who served for two decades as the Village Building Inspector, grew up in a home on South Buffalo Street near the depot. As a kid in the 1960s, he and his parents regularly crossed the street to the train station, where he watched cars and supplies shuttle in and out. One of his earliest memories, at age 3, was standing on the lawn and waving at engineers as they rolled up the tracks alongside his family’s home.
“I’ve always been a train nerd,” he said. That interest led him to become a member of the Orchard Park Depot Committee when he retired.
The depot was built by Harry Yates, opening in 1911. Yates, a Rochester native who moved to Orchard Park in 1901 and remained until his death in 1956, owned a huge swath of land which is now home to several well-known places in town. Smokes Creek snaked through his property. Yates constructed a dam that formed Green Lake. His property included what is today the Orchard Park County Club, the town library, St. John’s Lutheran Church and Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church.
According to Sweet, early in the last century, Yates traveled to Auburndale, Massachusetts, for a golfing trip. There he became enamored with a depot designed by famed architect H.H. Richardson.
Yates returned home with a vision. He wanted to replicate the Auburndale depot in his adopted hometown. The design of the Orchard Park station is the same, but was constructed from brick rather than the original rusticated stone. The Orchard Park Depot served the Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway (BR&P).
“They wanted an alternative to east-west railroads so they could get cheaper coal, and knew there was business to be had in Buffalo,” Sweet explained. “Yates owned a brickyard near where the railroad crossed Ellicott Road, so all the bricks in the depot came from nearby.”
In 1932, a trolley running through the center of Orchard Park was removed, replaced by bus service. The quickest way to get downtown, however, was boarding a train at the depot. Several round trips — beginning in Springville and ending in Buffalo — were offered each morning and afternoon.
The depot is composed of several rectangular rooms; the two lobbies are on each end, like a dumbbell, connected by a hallway. One was a waiting room for men exclusively; the other was reserved for women.
“Women didn’t want to sit among men with their cigars and spittoons,” said Gary Ludwig, a longtime committee member. “Business was discussed and there may have been some profanity.”
Passenger service ended in 1955, but freight continued to be shipped for another two decades.
“The depot was the town equivalent of an international airport, FedEx, and UPS,” Sweet said. “Everything that came in and out of town went through here.”
“From the early part of the century to post-World War II, so many catalogs and packages came to the freight house,” Ludwig said. The freight house still stands, adjacent to the depot. “It was also a community center. Townspeople used to gather in these rooms and listen to the World Series on the radio.”
The depot closed in the late 1970s, and sat idle for years, until it was purchased by the Western New York Railway Historical Society. A local group of dedicated volunteers has helped to maintain and restore the interior and exterior.
“The Society has completely rehabbed the property,” Sweet said. Volunteers like Ludwig and Bob Snyder, he noted, have been instrumental in maintaining and improving the depot for the past several decades. Other committee members include Fran Hogenkamp, Paul Napier, Glenn Potkowa, and Frank King.
“The amazing part is that everything in the depot was intact,” Sweet said. “When it closed, employees didn’t rip out brass railings or anything. There was disrepair, but most everything was still here. So our guys have painted and put finishes on woodwork.”
Open for business
Coppola speaks affectionately about the Orchard Park Depot Committee volunteers, referring to them as “the fellas.”
“They have been a joy, so encouraging and supportive,” Coppola said. “Jeffrey Sweet has been an ace in the hole. He got this email from me out of the blue, back in March, with my proposal to create a concert series. He spent time with me on the phone, letting me talk it out while he wrapped his head around it. He’s been instrumental in bringing this to life. The fellas on the committee have so much knowledge, and they’re full of stories.”
The Western New York Railway Historical Society is eager to showcase its location. The depot’s interior has been completely restored, featuring informational displays and functional space.
In 2007, the Orchard Park Depot was placed on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. Tracks were removed in 2009. In years since, two Hollywood movies — Marshall and A Quiet Place II — filmed scenes at the depot.
Today, the depot is open for business, available to most anyone.
“We never say no to an opportunity, so long as it’s within the museum’s mission,” Sweet said.
As Christmas approaches, the depot will host open houses on Saturdays and Sundays, with trains on display, visits from Santa, and decorations courtesy of the Orchard Park Garden Club. Next summer, Orchard Park High School’s Class of 1976 — Sweet’s graduation year — will host its 50th reunion at the depot.
“If a nonprofit comes through the door, we don’t charge them,” Sweet said. “But if they host a fundraiser, that changes. Anyone can rent the space for a party. If you have 50 people or fewer, we charge $300 for three hours. If it’s an all-day affair, we ask $2000. We’re not a private wedding venue. We want it so the average person can come here and share the experience.”
For musicians who perform in the Train Station Concerts, the space provides a unique stage.
“When you play live with microphones, it smooths things over a little,” said Matt Pszonak, a Hamburg native who has traveled the country as a guitarist, sound engineer, and producer. In October, he was part of the duo “Wind & Wire,” accompanying Maria Sebastian on guitar.
“Playing in the depot is a little more raw, which is kind of fun,” Pszonak said. “I enjoy the challenge of it. There is an element of uncertainty which keeps you on your toes, and the room sounded great.”
Sebastian is a well-respected singer and songwriter who was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 2021. She has performed around Buffalo for 34 years, beginning at open mic nights when she was only 16. Sebastian has worked with dozens of national acts, including Los Angeles session players Gary Mallaber and Jack Sherman, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, Vance Gilbert, and 10,000 Maniacs. She has also recorded nine CDs. As half of “Wind & Wire,” she played guitar for the October concert, becoming acclimated to the acoustics in the depot. Before the performance, she was concerned that the train station may have limited her vocal effects, but once she began singing, it was not an issue.
“A good song should be able to stand on its own, and a good singer should be able to sing without effects,” Sebastian said. “We wanted to make sure we sounded good playing live.”
Future
Creating the Train Station Concerts requires a diverse team, and Coppola is quick to credit the people working with her behind the scenes.
Jenna Rutowski, an Alden native with a degree in Sound Recording Technology from Fredonia State University, worked as audio engineer for the October concert, and was impressed with the evening.
“It went smoothly,” she reflected. “When the talent is easy to work with, it makes my job easy.”
Setting up sound equipment is part of her job, but the post-production requires balancing sound and adding effects.
“Even with a live recording, there is plenty of processing that needs to be done,” she said. “Compression, EQ, a little reverb to blend into the space. Then I’ll send it off to the video man and he’ll cut it all up.”
The “video man” is Jack Harrigan, John’s son, who works as the director of photography. He sets up stationary cameras and moves about the depot during the concerts, capturing close-ups of artists performing.
Linda Bucher Harrigan helps with promotions, marketing, and website design, while Onalee Camalleri is Social Media Manager.
The Train Station Concerts are just getting off the ground. Coppola hopes to secure funding from a nonprofit entity to continue the series. For now, the focus is on creating a quality product that can generate interest around Western New York and beyond.
“We don’t really know where this train is going,” Harrigan said. “It’s in the station and we’re happy to get on board. Hopefully, it leads to some good places.”
text © 2025 by Jeff Schober
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Jeff Schober has a journalism degree from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in English and History from the University at Buffalo. He retired from teaching English and Journalism at Frontier High School and is the best-selling author of ten books, including the true crime book Bike Path Rapist with Det. Dennis Delano, and the Buffalo Crime Fiction Quartet. Visit his website at www.jeffschober.com.
Steve Desmond is an award-winning photographer. With his son, Francis, he is the author of A Life With A Purpose which raises money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. To view more of Steve's work, search Facebook under "Steve Desmond" and "Desmond's PrimeFocus Photography," or on Instagram at "Stevedesmond9."
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