Not sure if you all heard or not. Fire at Despatch Junction, East Rochester, 5/26/14 Firefighters battle large warehouse fire in East Rochester | WHEC.com Tom
Yes, unfortunately the store is a total loss. It was not only the largest train store in my local area, it was also the oldest building in the village of East Rochester (formerly called "Despatch" after the NYC shops that were there). Despatch Junction was also a meeting place for model railroaders. It will be missed. There's no word on the cause of the fire as of yet. Local news reports that it could take days or weeks to determine.
Determining the point of origin is probably the easy part, determining what was the cause becomes another. The insurance company won't come in with their people until the official investigative agency clears the scene and releases it back to the owners. Since it was a commercial establishment ATF may also become involved. Provided the cause is determined to be accidental it will probably be a number of months before any settlement is reached so I would not expect to see them back in business this year and longer if a decision is made to rebuild and not just relocate.
At this writing, the owner of Despatch Junction hasn't made any public statements about the fire or whether there will be any reopening. He's said to be very emotional about what happened, and I can't blame him. I believe he owned the business for more than 20 years. I've been in this area since 1989 and he was here before I was. Rebuilding isn't possible... the structure was a 1890's era passenger station, then freight station, built by the then-New York Central Railroad. It's a pile of rubble now. My own personal opinion is that Despatch Junction will not be reopening in any location. I'm hoping I'm wrong about this.
Stan Slade (the owner) is a good friend of mine. I was just in Despatch a few weeks before. Stan and I had a good chat and he was in good spirits. The Despatch was a haven for me when I lived in Fairport, NY (next to East Rochester, NY) from 99 to 02 and I was delighted to be back living in the area again starting in Jan 14 and being able to wander the isles of the Despatch looking at every scale model railroad item new and used that Stan stocked. Stan is a fantastic guy. He gave me some drawings and photos of the Despatch back in 00 and I stratch built it in Z and made several kits with my partner Russ Kaufman (The N Scale Architect) in N scale but they never sold. Here it is on my Z scale module: And here it is on my unfinished N scale layout (in the middle of the layout): Here is some video of the fire that destroyed it on May 26th 2014. http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/2014/05/26/east-rochester-fire/9607477/ I went to see for myself on May 27th and took some photos. Total devastation. I wish I could get a hold of Stan and see how he is holding up but the only contact information I have for him was at the Despatch and their website is down. I will miss one of the BEST model railroad hobby stores I have ever known in one of the most historic NYC stations that was still fully intact. John
I have a Z Scale Model of the structure on one of my modules, painted up fantasy scheme. The structure had great lines and makes a cool model:
Robert, You did do a great job prototyping this kit for me in Z for NSM, too bad it never was mass produced. John
Don't know how not to be morbid about this, but there might be more interest in the kit now that the prototype is gone. There's been no update on the fire or its cause of which I'm aware.
It's being rumored locally but not officially reported that the proprietor may rebuild something on the site. I have not seen anything official, nor has there been any news published anywhere I could find. The website is still "down for maintenance." I had also heard that the web presence would be restored for online sales only. Gotta like conflicting rumor mills.
No license required, to participate in silly season. If you started a rumor they'd decided to build a new submarine repair shop on that site, someone would believe it.
I visited many times as I grew up in Brighton. You were always welcomed to look around and take as long as you want. As far as I know, it was a total loss with no insurance. But reporting can be wrong. The last thing I got from there was a video on the car shops in East Rochester that used to make reefers. Unbelievable to watch! I would be very interested in getting an N scale kit of the place, if possible! SuperSteam
Reports I've heard range from zero insurance to fully covered by insurance. There is precious little actual information following the initial reports of the fire.
I have many fond memories of Despatch. When I lived in Oswego growing up and would visit my dad in Rochester, we would visit the local model rr stores. We spent many hours perusing, and just hanging out. A lot of the N scale equipment I have, some with the stickers still attached, show Despatch Junction as the place of purchase. It was an awesome building and a pleasurable experience to visit. It will be missed.
Anything more about Despatch Junction? Has Stan Slade made decision on whether to rebuild or not? Tom
Tom... I haven't heard or read anything new in either the press or the local YahooGroups. I haven't been in touch in the last few weeks with my Tuesday Night Gang so I'm not up to date on that branch of the Rumor Mill either.
