Citizens of Medina first heard rumors of a railroad in 1848, when the Rochester and Lockport Railroad Company wanted to route its line through the village, and by 1852 the line had been completed from Niagara Falls to Rochester. Trains on the "Falls Line" traveled at times 40 miles an hour, and throughout the 19th and into the 20th century the line played a major role in Medina's growth as an industrial town, with the rail yard moving raw materials, goods, and people. Passenger service greatly benefited the village for generations, with as many as twelve trains each way scheduled every day. Medina's Medina Sandstone passenger depot was completed in 1908, and the New York Central freight depot, built in 1905-06, was one of the largest at 301 feet by 34 feet and is one of the last surviving wooden freight depots in the United States. That railroad heritage is preserved in Medina in the old freight depot, which attracts thousands of visitors each year and houses a major collection of railroad artifacts and memorabilia along with a 14-foot by 204-foot HO scale layout and diorama.
