New Lockport Railyard Skatepark
2024/04/28
This past Friday I visited Lockport's new Railyard skatepark for the first time. The concrete skatepark replaced the wooden skatepark that was torn down last year.
I won't include any pictures here, but I have some in the skatepark's SkateBuffalo entry.
I never skated the old, wooden skatepark, so I can't say how the new one compares. That said, I really like the new skatepark. If I lived closer to it, I'd be there all the time.
The skatepark has most of the staples. There's a ledge, a down ledge (is it still a hubba if it's not next to stairs?), 3 flat rails, a hand rail, a 5-stair, banks, and lots of transition.
The park also has some unique features uncommon in the area. This includes a miniramp with a spine, 2 hips, and slappy curbs that ring the inner cut-out.
Railyard's most notable feature is its gap. The ledge, a flat rail, and a bump-to-bump span the gap. At one end is a roller next to transition with pool coping.
While I was there, I spent most of my time using these features and the gap. I was able to do some ollies over the gap and 50-50s across the ledge that spans it. I tried to ollie the bump-to-bump, but I couldn't. I'd like to boardslide the rail across the gap, but I didn't even try it. I'd love to go back and try the bump-to-bump again.
My biggest complaint is that the only flat ledge is on the small side; some might call it a manual pad, though it's somewhat narrow.
Location-wise, it would be nice to have bathrooms nearby. There are bathrooms in the park, but they were locked in the middle of a spring day. I imagine the adjacent pool has bathrooms, but it was locked up as well. (Side note: I can imagine wet children running from the pool to flop around the skatepark.)
Railyard's definitely one of the best skateparks in the area. The people of Lockport are lucky to have it. I hope they keep the park in good condition for many years.