Take a ride on the Erie... with rare mileage and Alcos

[Matt L]

Oh yeah, I got a chance to ride on the former Erie RR Rochester Division this past weekend. The Rochester & Genesee Valley RR Museum teamed up with the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville RR to operate a rare mileage excursion. The last time I rode the LA&L was in 1977, when the shortline regularly operated passenger trains.

The excursion train comes out of the mist and rain to approach the loading site at the Conesus Lake Sportmans' Club.




The LA&L provided the Alcos and locomotive crews. The train operated pull-pull, with LA&L Alco C425 on the south end.



The RGVRRM provided the restored Budd coaches and volunteer staff.



All aboard!



Getting my ticket punched as the train departed the Conesus Lake Sportmans' Club:



All photos in this post were taken by me Saturday 10/27/2012 in Lakeville, NY.

   

[Matt L]

It was nice to see Bullhead Pond again. This was one of my favorite spots on the LA&L when riding the line 35 years ago.



We had several photo run-bys. The first was near the Papermill Road crossing:



The next photo run-by was at an ex-Erie RR depot and yard:







While we were stopped in the yard, my friend Ken and I were able to check out some vintage Lackawanna rail that we couldn't normally approach while chasing the LA&L's freight train. Note the date on the rail is 1921!



All photos in this post were taken by me Saturday 10/27/2012 in Avon, NY.  

[Matt L]

We had a lunch and photo run-by at Mortimer Junction in Henrietta, NY. This section of track was built as a connector by Conrail circa 1979 to stitch together Erie and LV branchlines.



BTW, the power at the north end of the train was also an Alco C425. Number 428 was originally built for the SP&S and came to the LA&L a few years ago. She is rounding the curve in Henrietta, NY.



Our final photo run-by was at the RGVRRM depot in Rush, NY. Alco  #425 was posed next to a GE switcher, which was the first power purchased by the LA&L in 1964.



I saw this switcher in service with her final freight operator (Rochester Gas & Electric) about 20 years ago. She was recently restored by the RGVRRM at Rush, NY.



The run-by itself involved the former Erie semaphore and depot at Rush, NY.



All photos in this post were taken by me Saturday 10/27/2012.


 

[Matt L]

With our photo stops completed, we headed back to the Conesus Lake Sportmans' Club for unloading.



After I got off the train, I took a couple final shots of the train. Did 5+ hours really pass in the blink of an eye? Yes!!!







All photos in this post were taken by me Saturday 10/27/2012. I will take this time to thank the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville RR, the Rochester & Genesee Valley RR Museum and the Conesus Lake Sportsmans' Club for a job well done. It was especially nice to meet LA&L VP Vince Milliken after speaking with him on phone several times in recent years. This trip was worth the cost of the ticket... and I can only hope it happens again someday. 

[NSMoWandS]

Nice shots! Esp. the one with the semaphore. Dan

[Matt L]

Thanx! That is a genuine Erie semaphore- not many of them are left.