A large eyesore in the backyard of lackawanna residents

Imagine waking up and all of a sudden large railcars are in your backyard. Well for Robert Gall of Lackawanna, that was a reality for him.

"It blocks my view, and I don't like to look out my yard and see a train there," Gall said.

The railcars are owned by Buffalo Pittsburgh Railroad. It's owned by Genesee and Wyoming Incorporated a railroad holdings company located in five different countries. The railcars are parked behind Orchard Place in Lackawanna. During a press conference, New York State Senator Tim Kennedy said those railcars are an eyesore and need to go.

"They oughta move these railcards immediately. We demand it," Kennedy said.

A spokesperson for Genesee and Wyoming said that "privately owned tracks in question are storage tracks, and railcars are stored here in full compliance with federal law."

While these railcars are considered an eyesore, neighbors are more concerned for what might happen if someone climbs it and falls.

"The kids are going to get hurt," Gall said.

There are people partying on the railcars already according to Gall, but he said nothing bad has happened yet.

This isn't the first time Buffalo Pittsburgh railcars have been parked behind Orchard Place. The number of times its happened in the past year vary between neighbors, but they all agree it happened three to five times in the past year.

The Genesee and Wyoming spokesperson also said that they are willing to permanently move their railcars from the location behind Orchard Place if the city "commit(s) to find other permanent railcar storage trackage within the next six months."

Have a news tip, question or comment?