The ARA's main business is handling agricultural products (e.g. soybeans, corn, and fertilizer), lumber, dairy feed, and other commodities between Arcade and North Java.

On February 28, 1870, the Attica and Arcade Railroad was organized and began purchasing the right of way with construction of the line scheduled for completion by October 1, 1876.

The company planned to build a 24 mi (39 km), narrow gauge line from Attica, through Curriers Corners, to Sardinia to connect with the Buffalo, New York, and Pennsylvania Railroad.

In October 1880, the Tonawanda Valley Extension Railroad was organized to extend the line from Curriers to Sardinia.

By December 1897, the company had laid a 2 mi (3.2 km) segment to connect with the Pennsylvania Railroad near Arcade.

By January 1902, the company had built a line from Arcade to Sandusky with the ultimate goal of reaching Crystal Lake.

The Arcade & Attica Railroad brought in the raw supplies and shipped out the finished product across the US, its orange and white boxcars becoming iconic in the process.

Other events included speeches at the station, employee photographs, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a cake-cutting at the Curriers Depot.

Railroad freight traffic started to decline due to advances made by the automobile and trucking industries following World War II, and the Arcade & Attica was no exception.

A solution was to purchase a light steam locomotive and a couple of passenger coaches for a tourist excursion service.

In addition to regular seasonal excursion services, the A&A also hold various events that can be read about on their website, such as their annual Maple Run (Sponsored by Charlotte House) which takes riders all the way to the mill at North Java, Murder Mysteries,Train Robberies and World War 2 weekends, which offer unique and interactive experiences.

)There has also been a train for the Winterfest town celebration, a low mileage 20-30 minute run with the coaches to the Arcade Junction and back to the Depot.

Over the years the A&A coaches have sported four distinct schemes- The iconic orange they wear today, a bare orange scheme with a red stripe near the roof in the 70's ("Redline"), a return to form in the 80's incorporating the large font with the "Redline" scheme, and an era where the coaches were painted a pseudo Pullman Green, due to A&A's involvement in a movie and public opinion.

The gondola has only had a handful of variations through the years but obtained a roof in the mid-2000s to shield folks from rain and/or soot on the return trip to Arcade.