This is the first episode of Living with Steam EXTRA, where between episodes of the main podcast, I'll share railroad recordings made by folks other than John Prophet.

On a cold, early evening in February 1993, I was inside Central Terminal in Buffalo, NY having a "look-around" with several friends. While everyone was off exploring the tower section, I wandered up to the 10th floor because I wanted to attempt to make a recording of what the outside of the facility sounded like. The mainline of the NYC (then Conrail) was obviously several hundred feet in front, and the tracks coming off the Belt Line (heading east) were right below the window I was looking out from. I lowered microphones out from two windows facing the tracks and connected them to a portable cassette deck I had brought with me. For 16 minutes, I sat in the window watching everything unfold outside the Terminal while the tape recorder captured it all... including some of my friends walking around the floor. Quiet, please!

This may not be a recording of steam engines, but the recording might give you a good representation of what it may have sounded like to work at Central Terminal with the continuous and often very busy rail activity going on outside.