Buffalo and Fort Erie Ferry and Railway Company

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Ferry and Railway Company was a past railway and river ferry operator serving Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario. Two known subsidiaries existed: the International Ferry Company and the Fort Erie Ferry Railway Company.

History

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Ferry and Railway Company was headquartered at the Prudential Building in downtown Buffalo, NY.

Service on both the ferry and railway was discontinued Labor Day, 1930, at the same time as leisure destination Erie Beach (a competitor to Crystal Beach in nearby Crystal Beach, Ontario).

International Ferry Company

The International Ferry Company was a ferry operator that operated ferry service across the Niagara River, between Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, ON. The ferry boarded in the west side of Buffalo, at the foot of Ferry Street. Once the ferry crossed the Niagara River, it connected with the Michigan Central Railroad and Fort Erie Ferry Railroad Company.

Fort Erie Ferry Railway Company

The Fort Erie Ferry Railway Company (possibly known also as Snake Hill and Pacific) was a railway operator that operated local trains between Fort Erie and Erie Beach, via Iona, Old Fort, and Niagara Landing.

The Official Guide of the Railways (January, 1905) posted the schedule as running every 20 minutes, when sailing, and connecting with local trains to Erie Beach.

Station stops

• Buffalo, NY (0.00 miles) - Foot of West Ferry Street, Buffalo. Google Maps approximation (Ferry service)
• Fort Erie, ON (0.50 miles) - Fort Erie Docks. Google Maps approximation (Ferry and rail service connection)
• Iona, ON (1.00 miles) - ?possible? Google Maps approximation (Rail service)
• Old Fort, ON (2.00 miles) - Google Maps approximation (Rail service)
• Niagara Landing, ON (3.00 miles) - ?possible? Google Maps approximation (Rail service)
• Erie Beach, ON (4.00 miles) - Google Maps approximation (Rail service)

Roster

Vessels (International Ferry Company)

This list is incomplete. You can help!

Vessel Name	Thumbnail	Year	Bulder, Location	Engine	Propellers	Notes
Mascotte		1885	Detroit Dry Dock Company, Wyandotte, MI			Purchased in 1889. Ex-John Gibbs until 1889. Sold to ? in 1893. Sold to John Stevenson in 1895. Sold to Robert Perry in 1899. Sold to Gilbert LaCroix in 1904. Sold to Walter S. Lloyd in 1906. Renamed Columbia in 1911. Sold to Clow and Nicholson in 1912. Sold to Portage Lake Steamship Company in 1917. Sold to West Shore Steamship Company in 1921. Sold to Columbia(n) Transportation Company in 1933. Burned in 1934, Chicago, IL while in winter storage. Documents surrendered in 1939. US Corps of Engineers advertise for removing wreck in 1948.
Niagara		1882	Unknown Builder, Buffalo, NY			Sank on May 17, 1905 in Tonawanda, NY. Raised. Reported abandoned in 1912.
Niagara Frontier		1910	Buffalo Dry Dock Company, Buffalo, NY		Screw	Converted from ferry to supply boat in 1917. Renamed Frontier for Pittsburgh Steamship Company. Sunk in 1937 while servicing steamer William J Olcott, on St. Mary's River. Two fatalities occurred. Raised by Great Lakes Towing Company and repaired, returned to service. Sold to Hans Hensen Welding Company in 1947. Period of inactivity. Sold to E & H Transportation Company in 1957. Sold to Keith E Malcolm in 1963. Sold to BASF Wyandotte Corp in 1974. Property of National Bank of Detroit in 1974, until 1980. Abandoned in 1980.
Orleans		1898	Carrier, Lane and Company, Levis, PQ			Ex-Compagna Martineet Industrial De Levis until 1916. Sold to Niagara Ferry and Transportation Company in 1920. Sold to New York-Ontario Ferries in 1927. Sold to Charles V. Fix in 1931. Sold to Charles F. Fix in 1945. Sold to Fix Brothers in 1947. Caught in ice jam in Grand Island NY in 1955. Scrapped later that year.
United Shores		1911	Empire Shipbuilding Company, Buffalo, NY			Ex-West Shore Steamship Company until 1916. Sold to French Navy in 1917. Renamed Sioux.
Union		1864	George Thurston, Kingston, ON	Vertical beam		Renamed from Watertown upon purchase in 1889. Ex-St Lawrence Steamboat Company until 1889. Exx-Nichol until 1883 Exxx-J F Allen until 1882. Exxxx-Frank Jackman until 1880. Exxxxx-Robert Williams until 1874. Exxxxxx-Nichol until 1874. Exxxxxxx-Kinghorn and Hinkley until 1873. Sold to Fort Erie Ferry Company in 1899. Sank at dock in Fort Erie in 1902. Stripped of salvageable parts, scuttled near International Railroad Bridge.

Locomotives (Fort Erie Ferry Railway Company)

Engine number(s)	Thumbnail	Year	Builder	Class	Serial number	Engine horsepower	Notes
1 "Old Eunice"		1885	Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works		uu1215		Sold to Northern Ontario logging company.
29		1879	Baldwin Locomotive Works	0-4-4T	4371	Forney	Purchased in 1892. ex-New York Elevated Railway #29. exx-Manhattan Elevated Railway #29. Scrapped 1901.
131		1879	Rhode Island Locomotive Works	0-4-4F	762		Ex-New York Elevated Railway #31 Sold to Winnipeg, Selkirk and Winnipeg Lake Railway.
271		1886	Rome Locomotive Works	0-4-4T	uu1217	Forney	Referred to as "Dinky". Ex-Manhattan Elevated Railway #271. Retired in mid-1940s. To Africa during World War II.
272		1880	Rhode Island Locomotive Works	0-4-4T	857	Forney	Purchased in June of 1902. Ex-New York Elevated Railway #272 (leased) Exx-Manhattan Elevated Railway #272. Removed from service September, 1930. Scrapped in mid-1940s.

Passenger cars

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Fleet number(s)	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model	Notes