Special Trains to Mark Railroad’s 50th Anniversary

In honor of the 50th birthday of the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum will sponsor special excursion trains.

Two-hour train rides between Lakeville and Henrietta, N.Y., will operate on May 9, leaving Lakeville at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for seniors and children. For more information, go to www.rgvrrm.org/lal50.

The trains will have 1940s era streamlined coaches pulled by LA&L diesels. The LA&L is known for its Alco locomotives.

The railroad was started after officials in Lovnia sought to save a spur to Avon that the Erie Lackawanna wanted to abandon.

The community raised $13,000 to buy the 13-mile line. The LA&L later grew to encompass 400 miles of track in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.

The railroad today operates in Livingston and Monroe Counties, south of Rochester. B&H Rail Corp. serves Steuben County, northwest of Corning.

The affiliated Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad extends across southwestern New York and northwestern Pennsylvania from Hornell to Meadville and Oil City and north and south of Olean, N.Y.

Fall Foliage Trips Set in Western New York

The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad in conjunction  with the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum will operate a series of fall foliage trips in western New York on what is usually freight-only trackage on former Erie Railroad tracks.

The trips will run on Oct. 18 and depart from Lakeville, N.Y., at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The station is the parking of the Conesus Lake Sportsmen’s club.

The trains will be pulled by Alco diesel locomotives owned by the railroad and will operate between Lakeville and Industry.

The rolling stock will be refurbished Budd stainless steel coaches built for New York Central’s Empire State Express in 1941.

Currently, volunteers are working to prepare the coaches, which are stored on a siding alongside the museum property and the LA&L main line, for use in October.

Tickets for the Fall Foliage can be purchased at Wegmans supermarket service counters.

“We’re really looking forward to operating these trips, and we are very grateful to the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville for their cooperation,” said museum President Mike Dow. “Our volunteers have been working round the clock, and we can’t wait to welcome the public aboard once again.”

For more information, visit www.rgvrrm.org/fallfoliage

Diesel Day Set at Western NY Museums

It will be a celebration of diesel locomotives on Aug. 17 at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in partnership with the New York Museum of Transportation.

Among the locomotives appearing will be Rochester Gas & Electric No. 1941, a General Electric 45-ton side-rod switcher once used to shuttle coal hoppers for local power plants; U.S. Army No. 1843, a Fairbanks Morse H12-44 retired from the nearby Seneca Army Depot; and R&GV No. 1654, a rebuilt GE 80-ton switcher formerly assigned to the Defense Distribution Depot in New Cumberland, Pa. Also on display will be Lehigh Valley No. 211, a high-hood Alco RS-3 originally built for the Pennsylvania Railroad, as well as Kodak Park Railroad No. 9, an Alco RS-1 retired from the company’s sprawling film products factory located in Rochester. The museums will operate two diesel trains over their shared demonstration railroad, meeting a shuttle provided by NYMT’s electric trolley. The site is located 15 miles south of Rochester.

“It can be a challenge keeping up with a locomotive that is 50 years old or more,” said Joe Nugent, R&GVRM motive power superintendent. “Diesel Day is our chance to shine a spotlight on the collection and highlight the accomplishments of our volunteers as well.”

Visitors will ride behind vintage diesels aboard the museum’s restored Erie Railroad and Penn Central cabooses.

Supervised cab rides and visits will also be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The train ride connects the extensive trolley and transportation displays at NYMT with the restored 1909 Erie Railroad depot and exhibits at R&GV.

The special event also has extended hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Directions, ticket information, schedule, and full event details are available at www.rochestertrainrides.com.