LwS S1, E10: Tower 49-A, October 21, 1951 Part 2
Once again, we'll return to New York Central's Tower 49-A on October 21, 1951. It was a very warm autumn evening in Buffalo, and John Prophet was spending time with his best friend, Sam Herrington, during his night shift as a New York Central Towerman.
The amount of NYC, TH&B, and PRR activity was non-stop, and John made sure to capture all of it. He also recorded much of the conversation from within the tower.
We'll also learn a bit more about Sam Herrington and how he was responsible for providing a very popular attraction at a Western New York amusement park beginning around 1957 through to 1964. It makes for a great story.
A very special thanks goes out to Judy Stiles from the Genesee County Historical Society for providing the photographs of Sam Herrington's steam train.
These images were originally captured on slides then made into prints. Unfortunately, they were taken out of focus. Regardless, you'll still be able to get a sense of what Sam's train looked like and where it ran from at Boulder Park.
This newspaper clipping from 1959 shows John Prophet (along with some other gents) giving Sam Herrington some assistance in putting Engine 49 on display at the Marine Trust Company in Batavia, NY. The engine was actually put on display at several banks throughout Genesee County during the winter months.
Here is an image of the famous Herschel Carrousel designed by Emily Bourgard and located at Boulder Park. Image courtesy of The Daily News Online.
Here's the historic marker that pinpoints the location of Morrot's Boulder Park. Images courtesy of New York Historic.
In 2011, what was left of Boulder Park was victim to vandalism and fire. This article from “The Batavian” gives more information.
Regardless, for those who remember being at Boulder Park during its heyday, the place holds nothing but fond memories as this article from “The Batavian” conveys.
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