by Otto M. Vondrak/photos by the author
The steel door rolls up on the enginehouse as the train crew prepares for their day in rural Lakeville, N.Y. The morning yard crew have wrapped up their work, and now it’s time for the road train to head up to “the city.” The throaty chant of Alco 521 prime movers barks from within as two mighty Century-series locomotives are awakened from their slumber. They wear a gleaming coat of gloss black with bright yellow trim and lettering, a clear sign of company pride. The two units will team up to haul 40 cars north to the interchange near Rochester, and most likely bring an equal number back. What began as a grassroots effort to preserve 12 miles of an old Erie Lackawanna branch line has grown over the last six decades into a nearly 400-mile system across four lines in New York and Pennsylvania.
The Early Years
The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie, and brought increased commerce and prosperity to the cities along its route. Some of the earliest railroads to provide competition to the canal followed this east-west routing, but investors soon turned their eyes to the south. Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad was organized in 1851, and by 1853 rails had reached Avon, 19 miles southward. Connections were made south to Corning, and west to Attica. A branch was built from Avon to Mount Morris in 1859. Through a series of mergers and leases, R&GV came under control of Erie Railroad by 1869. In 1882, the short branch from Conesus Lake Junction to the steamboat pier at Lakeville opened for business.
The Rochester Division proved to be a good investment for Erie, and provided considerable freight traffic through the first half of the 20th century. Passenger service between Rochester and Avon was discontinued in 1941. In 1956, Erie removed 19 miles of track from the middle of the division between Livonia and Wayland. From that point on, Rochester was served by Buffalo crews by way of the branch from Attica to Avon.
ABOVE: Acquired from Buffalo Creek & Gauley in May 1965, 2-8-0 17 ushered in the steam era on LA&L. An afternoon excursion train has just arrived in Livonia, N.Y., in August 1966. Passenger excursions contributed to the bottom line of the new short line in the early years while management worked to grow the freight customer base. —Albert J. Kallfelz, Jr., photo, Jeff Hagan collection
After the Erie Lackawanna merger of 1960, application was made in May 1963 to abandon nearly 12 miles of track between Avon and Livonia, due to decreasing freight traffic. This announcement caught the attention of local business owners who were concerned about the loss of rail service. At the time, the line generated about 150 carloads a year, earning roughly $4,500. Property taxes were estimated to be $6,200, and when you take into account additional operating expenses, it became obvious why EL wanted out. The ICC granted permission to abandon in January 1964.
A citizens’ committee had quickly convened to find a way to save its local railroad, consisting of banker Chester Haak of Security Trust Co., grain mill operator Oscar Smith, appliance store owner Harry Moran, and past Rochester mayor Peter Barry. Upon inspection, the tracks were found to be in reasonable shape, and the bucolic scenery encouraged the possibility of passenger excursions to augment freight revenue. In fact, it was Moran who pushed for steam trains as a potential tourist draw. EL management initially priced the line at a scrap value of $27,000, later increased to $30,000, and gave the committee until April 30 to raise the necessary funds.
What followed was truly a grassroots movement to save the railroad, with the local bank selling shares of stock for $10 each to start. The small community coming together to save its railroad soon became national news, with offers to purchase stock pouring into Chester Haak’s office. In all, 1,200 stockholders were able to raise $40,000. With additional financing, the tracks and right-of-way were purchased for $30,000; an additional $15,000 was set aside for a diesel locomotive, $10,000 for a steam locomotive, and $7,000 for rolling stock. The new Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad was incorporated in May 1964, with the New York State Public Service Commission granting an operating certificate in July. Approval from the ICC came in October.
ABOVE: Built in 1949, Alco RS-1 20 was purchased from Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion in 1972. It is coupled to caboose 2603 (ex-Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh 252) sometime in the mid-1970s. Both pieces are now preserved at Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. —LA&L collection
There was much work to be done before the railroad could turn a wheel, however. The search for suitable motive power and rolling stock proved challenging. Passenger cars were the first to arrive on the property, beginning with a former Lackawanna “Boonton” combine with open vestibules that was repatriated from Canada. The gutted interior was made more comfortable with the installation of retired school bus seats. Two ex-Erie Railroad “Stillwell” heavyweight coaches (2508 and 2619) were purchased from EL’s active commuter pool in Suffern, N.Y., and shipped to LA&L. The three cars were painted Shell Oil Yellow with Tudor Brown trim.
Even though equipment was on the property, there was nothing to pull it with. While following up on leads for possible steam engine acquisitions, railroad management made the acquaintance of F. Nelson Blount, who was searching for suitable candidates to add to his private Steamtown collection in Vermont. He told LA&L of a General Electric 45-ton switcher that was available at a paper mill in New Hampshire. Purchased from Groveton Papers, upon arrival in Avon it was renumbered 97. While LA&L General Manager Reg Nugent spent several weeks making repairs and getting it ready for service, it was soon determined the 300-hp switcher with a top speed of 15 mph would not be a fit for heavy freight service. Fortunately, Vermont Railway had a 44-tonner for sale that was better suited to LA&L’s needs. The 97 was sold to local utility Rochester Gas & Electric, and locomotive 10 took its place in April 1965.
The first LA&L train made its way down the track on April 7. With no regular runs operating for the prior year or so, crews stopped at each crossing to clear flangeways with a pickaxe so trains could safely cross again. There was still much work to be done if the railroad was going to have a chance at capturing some traffic in time for the summer tourist season. Headquarters was established in the old depot in Livonia, built in 1860. Over the course of a weekend, volunteers from the Rochester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society helped the crew make repairs and put a fresh coat of paint on the building. The first passenger train departed Livonia on May 9, with Reg Nugent at the throttle of the 10, hauling 400 passengers on four round trips. Also in that first year, the railroad hauled 50 carloads of freight. The new short line was taking its first steps, and its reputation for good service was growing by the minute.
ABOVE: LA&L 425 hustles its train past Howlett Farms grain co-op in Avon on September 20, 2023. —Otto M. Vondrak photo
In Search of Steam
West Virginia’s Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad became well known to railfans for maintaining steam power through the end of regular operations in late February 1965. The steam locomotives were put up for sale by a broker, and LA&L purchased 2-8-2 17 that May. Built as Savannah & Atlanta 504 in 1919, the BC&G shops in Dundon, W.Va., performed significant work to get the locomotive ready for movement to New York. A tender salvaged from a Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-0 replaced the original. There were serious delays in completing the prep work, and the engine did not arrive in Lakeville until the end of October.
Steam power finally made its debut on LA&L on November 28, but decades of hard work in the coal fields with little in the way of preventative maintenance had taken its toll on the Baldwin. Further investigations showed significant issues with the boiler that were cost-prohibitive. It was withdrawn from service in June 1967, sold to a private owner, and eventually scrapped in March 1970. The search for a replacement began.
This time, the search for steam took LA&L management a little closer to home. Rail City Museum in Sandy Creek, N.Y., was home to a privately owned collection of steam locomotives and other vintage equipment opened by Dr. Stanley Groman in 1955. It was there LA&L found Huntington & Broad Top Mountain 38, a sturdy Baldwin 2-8-0 that was retired by the Pennsylvania coal hauler in 1954. En route to Rail City, the locomotive had the distinction of being one of the last steam locomotives to operate on New York Central east of Buffalo (pulling fan trips). LA&L purchased the 38 from Rail City in 1968, and it was shipped to the EL shops in Hornell, N.Y., for wheel work and a general overhaul. Most likely, this was the last steam locomotive to be serviced at Hornell. The tender was found to be in poor shape, and was replaced with a slightly larger tender from a Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-2.
ABOVE: On a rare morning southbound run, LA&L 425 and 420 prepare to head downgrade into Lakeville at Conesus Lake Junction on June 2, 2011. The track in the foreground is the original main line that now ends at Bronson Hill Road. —Mike Stellpflug photo
By 1969, more than 50,000 passengers had been carried by LA&L. The steam crew usually consisted of W.D. Hutchins, a former NYC engineer who began his career in 1913, and Superintendent George Root as fireman. Aside from regularly scheduled excursions, LA&L also offered “mixed train” service, which allowed passengers to ride along as the steam-powered freight performed its work along the line every Tuesday through Friday during the summer season.
Here Come the Alcos
While the passenger traffic was healthy, the railroad was focused on expanding its freight business. The first big leap came in 1971, when Western New York Sugar & Syrup established a plant in Lakeville to turn sugar into syrup for food production. Revenue, in turn, jumped up to $40,000 in the first nine months of 1972. Traffic was quickly outpacing the little 44-tonner, so RS-1 20 was purchased from Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion, beginning the Alco era on LA&L. Dressed in standard Alco glossy black with yellow stripes and lettering, LA&L adopted this look for its own fleet, adding a touch of modernity with the bold slant Eurostile typeface also used by Penn Central.
After several seasons, LA&L 38 was withdrawn from service in 1975 with serious mechanical issues. With the locomotive due for major boiler repairs, the decision was made to end steam operations for good. Diesel-hauled passenger excursions continued through the end of the 1977 season, but significant jumps in the cost of passenger liability insurance led to the decision to go freight-only in 1978. The 38 was sold to Sloan Cornell, and operated on his Gettysburg Railroad in Pennsylvania. In 1986, he moved it to Knox & Kane Railroad, operating over the former Erie Railroad Kinzua Viaduct in Pennsylvania. Taken out of service in 1989 and involved in an enginehouse fire in 2008, the 38 was subsequently sold to Everett Railroad, where it is being rebuilt for eventual operation.
In 1978, LA&L sold its 44-tonner to Cargill in Toledo, Ohio. To take its place, the railroad acquired Alco S-2 72 from South Buffalo Railway. To handle the increase in freight traffic, 72 could often be found teamed up with 20 on the daily road freight…
