Special Event

The Niagara Frontier Chapter NRHS is pleased to announce that the Railroad Museum of the Niagara Frontier will be open to the public on Saturday October 16th, and Sunday October 17th.

History

Built in 1922, Erie Railroad’s North Tonawanda freight depot has been painstakingly restored to house a unique collection of artifacts.  We trust the Museum will stand as a monument to the era.

Exhibits

The Railroad Museum of the Niagara Frontier owns a few tiny artifacts and four parts of railroad equipment. They comprise two bay-window cabooses, among Erie ancestry and the other from the New York Central.

Buffalo City Hall

A Buffalo landmark, City Hall was dedicated on July 1, 1932. It’s found at Niagara Square, which most believe the cultural hub of Buffalo. The 32-story-high structure overlooks the waterways of Lake Erie.

Museum

A non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and education of railroad history in Western New York State, the Province of Ontario, and neighboring regions.

Erie County Hall

Produced by the Excellent architect, Andrew Jackson Warner, from Rochester, NY, the Erie County Hall was Built between 1871 and 1875. It’s a stunning architectural achievement and also has profound historic importance.

The museum is located at 111 Oliver Street in North Tonawanda, NY

Doors Open Niagara

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Buying guide for the right opener for your Garage door

Buying guide for the right opener for your Garage door
The garage opener consists of an electric motor housed in the power unit. This unit is attached to the track; when you want to open and close the door, the trolley goes back and forth along the track. This trolley is moved along the track by a belt, direct or chain drive; they also handle the motor. The garage openers hang from the ceiling and are located at the rear of the garage door. It can be challenging selecting the right garage opener. This article is meant to help you make the right purchase.
Noise
If your bedroom is located above the garage, then the noise can cause you some sleepless nights. The problem could be the type of drive that you have. The chain drive produces the most sound. You can change it to a belt or direct drive.
Remote control
Most modern garage openers are remotely controlled. If you have an old model get your garage repair serviceman to install for one. But, if you leave in a crowded neighborhood, you will find some interference with your remote control, especially if you use a single frequency remote control. The solution is to get yourself a dual frequency model.
Security
Modern remotes come loaded with the latest security features. One of these technologies is the rolling-code security technology. To keep burglars out the remote control selects a new non-repeating access code from billions of possibilities. This means that it would take hackers and burglars a considerable amount of time just to get the access codes. You can also have a touchpad or fingerprint access remote control.
Power Backup
If you do not have a battery backup, then you will have problems accessing your garage when there is a power outage. Newer garage openers have this feature. In case you do not have one you can always use the manual release to open your garage.
Overhead lighting
Lighting is a standard feature in many modern openers. These lights let you operate the opener independently of the door closing and opening. Motion sensors in some models enable the garage opener to activate lights when someone is approaching the garage automatically.
Wi-Fi Connections
Modern garage openers let you take control of all garage functions from the comfort of your phone. You can check who opened and closed the garage. You can also set passwords and grant access to friends and relatives.
Horsepower
The garage opener should be able to handle the weight of the garage door. While the doors are made from various materials, some heavier the weight is often counterbalanced. Most of the openers have horsepower of ½. You can get other models with ¾ to 1 ½ horsepower; this can handle the garage door with less strain. The units stated are for garage doors that weigh about 7 feet.
Conclusion
The garage door repair opener is an essential component of any garage system. You should consult widely as newer models are now available in the market. These have more features and are more efficient.

Wooden garage doors – Pros and Cons – TDG

Wooden garage doors – Pros and Cons
If you fell in love with wooden garage doors at first sight, and you’re considering getting one for your home, there are some things you need to consider. We know they look amazing, but they have their advantages and disadvantages just like any other garage door.

If it’s time to change your garage door, and you’re considering a wooden door, there are some things you must take into account. You can’t just take them because they add class and style to your home, you need to be sure they’re worth it.

We contacted several garage door repair companies to build a list of all the major pros and cons of wooden garage doors, to make it easier for you to decide.

PROS
1. Eco-friendly
If you care about the environment, then wood is the best way to go. Unlike other garage door materials, wood is a renewable resource, so it’s a lot more eco- friendly than most other garage door types. Another plus both ecologically and financially is the fact that if a part of your wooden garage door suffers damage, you can just replace that part instead of the entire door.
2. Timeless
Wood will never be out of style. Doesn’t matter if your home is luxurious, classic or rustic, wooden garage doors will never look out of place.
3. Customization
When you’re getting a wooden garage door, there are endless options. You can take your pick from dozens of different types of timber, different colors or stains, whether or not you will have windows or decorative hardware… A wooden garage door can end up looking just the way you want it to, and complement your home perfectly.
4. Strength
Another great thing – if you hit a steel garage door, it might dent, but wood has a tough surface that won’t crack or dent so easily.

CONS
1. Energy efficiency
Unfortunately, even though they are beautiful, wooden garage doors are not the best choice for a colder climate. If your garage is attached to a living space, you might want to pay attention to energy efficiency. Steel garage doors provide better insulation than wooden ones. But, if you really want a wooden garage door, you can find a model with insulation, but bear in mind it will cost more.
2. Price
When it comes to this item, wood is unfortunately significantly more expensive than other garage door materials. The more you customize, the more your garage door will cost. If you go for a simpler, basic model, you can keep the price down.
3. Maintenance
Wooden garage doors need regular maintenance. You will need to check them for signs of damage or rotting regularly. Also, you will have to reapply protective coating every once in a while in order to weatherproof it. If you don’t maintain a wooden garage door properly, it can warp, chip, and/or rot.
Our Verdict
In the end, when you’re choosing a garage door, you need to know what matters the most to you. If you’re looking for something authentic, easily customized and eco-friendly, a wooden garage door might be a perfect choice. On the other hand, if you want something low maintenance, or with a lower price, you should consider steel or aluminum.

3 best Train Museums in the U.S. everyone should visit

Museums are places where the history that is buried long back still finds a way to live. Unlike what most of us see, a museum is one place that is connected to the emotions of the people. All most of us know the different types of museums. While some museums store almost anything under the sky, few museums are specific in nature. They preserve things that belong to a particular genre, and one such place is a train museum. Haven’t heard of it before? If yes, this article is definitely going to be an eye-opener. Let us begin with what train museums are and proceed with the top 3 train museums that you shouldn’t miss in the US.

3 best Train Museums in the U.S. everyone should visit

Train Museums:

Preserving material evidence of how human race has lived is very much important. If in case the historical records, objects and monuments aren’t preserved, people will find it hard to remember history. One of the major differences that we are making as human beings is the act of remembering and respecting history. If we aren’t doing it, we will be no different from animals. This is the reason why museums came into existence.

In general, we know what museums are, but train museum is a term that most of us aren’t aware of.  A train museum is a place where you have historical items related to railways, things that were a part of the railways but do not exist anymore. It can be anything like a locomotive engine, steam engine and anything that is relevant to railways. These are known as train museums, and they do not preserve anything that isn’t a part of the railroad history.

3 Must-Visit Train museums in the U.S.

Nevada Northern Railways Museum:

The Nevada Northern Railways Museum is one of the best railroad museums to visit in the whole of America. The Nevada Northern Railways Museum came into existence in the year 1905. It is one of the earliest railroad museums to have been built. There are monuments relevant to the railway history, and it includes steam engines that are old than a century and also one electric locomotive.

Colorado Railroad Museum:

Colorado had a great railroad era in the pa. However, with technology, the railroads that came later were all the same and were effective as well. So in order to remember the holy past of Colorado, the Colorado Railroad Museum came into existence in the year 1959. The best part about the museum is that it belongs to the NGO category, which means it doesn’t work with the profit motive. So make sure you visit this museum.

California State Railroad Museum:

California State Railroad Museum was built in the year 1937 and has engines that belong to the 19th century. After 1937, the museum went through a lot of changes and new sections were incorporated as a part of the museum. This place, the California State Railroad Museum, was originally the California Pacific railroad passenger station that was present until the late 1800s. At the stage of being demolished, it was reconstructed into a museum.

4 Things you’ll Learn while Visiting the American Railroad Museum

Introduction:

One of the biggest achievements that we have had in history is the discovery or railroads. Nations globally saw great development after the discovery of railways and locomotives. The development was both in terms of trade and individual growth of the people. However, the economy that we live in is quite dynamic in nature. As need and desire increase the urge to develop creeps in, and with the growth of technology the concept of railways saw great development. We began with a simple steam locomotive, and today you see where we have reached. That being said, there are a lot of high-speed railway projects that are held in abeyance, waiting for approval.

4 Things you'll Learn while Visiting the American Railroad Museum

So here are the 4 important things that railroad museums teach you:

Changing along with the changing in technology:

We became one with technology and totally gave up the idea of the older version of trains, and they don’t function anymore. But it is an undeniable fact that the contribution made by that technology is tremendous. Thereby it would be a grave mistake if we do not preserve the history and take it to the future generations. That is the reason why railroad museums came into existence.

Good things can happen for free:

Not many of us know that the American Railroad Museum is a not for profit organisation. If you are paying in their name, you are only contributing to the expenses that they incur. Any money that is earned as profit is sent for other development and charitable works and not to one person’s pocket.  A very few people were behind the creation of this place way back in the year 1961, and it is a great wonder that there is no profit motive behind all this.

Leave the place enlightened:

The aim with which this museum was built was that people who come here should understand the things of the past and the achievement that the world has seen. The U.S before the discovery of trains is something unimaginable. Though people existed even then, it is quite difficult for us to imagine now what would happen if the trains were simply abolished one day. The effort that a small crew took to save history is to help us gain better knowledge when we visit museums. The museum started small and you see where it is today. Earnest efforts can take you to places.

Preserving history is not easy:

The first thing that you will come to know of when you visit museums is that preserving history is not easy. You will have to go through a lot of difficulties in order to maintain. Almost every single thing that was forgotten as a thing of the past in railways is preserved here considering they are timeless and precious. So this is the most important factor that we understand when we see the great efforts with which these museums where created.

 

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