The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railroad was established in 1882, though its owners did not expect it to succeed because they anticipated that Chauncey Depew, who opposed competition with his New York Central Railroad, would buy it as he had other rivals. After only one year of operation, the West Shore was bankrupt and its holdings were purchased by the New York Central. Construction in Clarence Hollow took place between 1882 and 1883, and the first train crossed Main Street on 1 January 1884. The West Shore crossed Main Street west of Salt Road, where a watchman's flag shanty guarded the crossing in the Hollow. The shanty was a small building beside the tracks, furnished with a bench, a comfortable chair, and a small coal stove, and a long-handled stop sign hung outside the door within easy reach when a train approached. In 1959, the watchman's job was abolished. Mrs. Phyllis Ruszaj saved the shanty from destruction, and it was moved by wagon to the Melvin Ruszaj farm on Salt Road. Michael and Barbara Scott donated the shanty to the Historical Society of Clarence in 2004. The West Shore depot in Clarence Hollow was built in 1884.