by David Baer/photos as noted
For decades, motive power from American Locomotive Company has been inseparable from the identity of Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad. Long after most railroads had retired their Alco fleets, WNYP continued to put the distinctive locomotives to work across western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania, making the railroad a destination for enthusiasts eager to see and hear them in regular freight service.
That era is now beginning to draw to a close. As aging Alcos become increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain, WNYP has begun acquiring secondhand EMD locomotives to gradually assume their duties. The transition will not happen overnight, but the direction is clear — one of the nation’s most prominent remaining strongholds of Alco road power is entering a new chapter.
In May 2024, Livonia, Avon & Lakeville marked 60 years of service between Avon and Lakeville, N.Y., a history that included a 1996 expansion to reach the Genesee Junction interchange near Rochester (see “60 Years: Livonia, Avon & Lakeville,” April 2025 R&R). In April 2026, LAL subsidiary Western New York & Pennsylvania marked its own milestone — 25 years since operating its first train on April 23, 2001.
WNYP was assembled from routes with deep Erie Lackawanna and Pennsylvania Railroad roots. Conrail had taken the Southern Tier Line between Hornell, N.Y., and Corry, Pa., out of service in 1991, severing it as a through route. WNYP management eventually built a system around the former Erie Lackawanna main line between Meadville, Pa., and Hornell, along with the former Pennsylvania Railroad Buffalo Line route over Keating Summit between Machias, N.Y., and Driftwood, Pa. The two lines intersect at Olean, N.Y., where WNYP maintains its locomotive repair shop.
ABOVE: WNY&P’s Olean to Salamanca, N.Y., turn ducks under Buffalo & Pittsburgh (former Baltimore & Ohio) at Carrollton, N.Y., on October 10, 2014, with cars it picked up at the B&P interchange. WNYP 426 was reassigned to Lakeville in August 2024. —Mike Stellpflug
In 2005, WNYP further expanded by leasing Norfolk Southern’s former Conrail Franklin Secondary between Meadville and Rouseville, Pa., where it connects with Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad.
After more than two decades of relative stability, WNYP has been forced to adapt to changing traffic patterns. With little local business between Olean and Hornell, and Norfolk Southern shifting through traffic to other routes, the line east of Olean now sees only limited use. Among the occasional movements are Amtrak equipment transfers as Alstom ships completed next-generation Acela trainsets from its Hornell plant.
Another major change came in spring 2024, when the western end of the WNYP main line was taken out of service between Jamestown, N.Y., and Seagertown, Pa. The roughly 70-mile segment had few remaining customers and handled just three carloads in 2023. That left the western portion of the railroad operating between Seagertown and Meadville, along with the Oil City Branch from Meadville to the Oil Creek & Titusville interchange at Rouseville.
ABOVE: On May 7, 2026, eastbound WNYP Train ME-1 departs Meadville Yard with ENEX RS-3 1077 en route from the Age of Steam Museum to Oil Creek & Titusville at Rouseville, Pa. The locomotive trails three cars for Franklin Industries as the train approaches McHenry Street. —Eric Filo
In recent years, NS closed the interchange at Emporium as traffic that was routed over Keating Summit has been diverted to Salamanca, N.Y., or Meadville. However, WNYP continues to maintain a transload side at Emporium.
With the line west of Seagertown out of service, Meadville effectively became the western end of the WNYP system. At the same time, the eastern end had already largely been converted to EMD power. That left the railroad’s final three Alco products concentrated at Meadville, where they have made what may prove to be their final stand.
WNYP Roster and Dispositions
With Western New York & Pennsylvania marking 25 years of service in 2026, it is worth looking back at how the locomotive roster has evolved over the past two decades and where some of its former units have gone.
In 2005, the WNYP roster included C-424 426, C-430s 430–433, C-630m 630, and M-630 631, although not all were in service at the same time. In addition, Livonia, Avon & Lakeville C-424ms 421–424 frequently spent time on WNYP.
By 2016, the roster had grown considerably. It included RS3m 406; C-424m 421; C-424s 426–428; C-430s 430–433; C-424 435; C-630m 630; M-630 631; and M-636s 632, 636–638, 643, and 685. Two RRPX M-636s were also on the property; RRPX 41 was in service, while RRPX 2338 was stored as a parts source. As in previous years, locomotives continued to flow between LAL and WNYP as needed…
