How I spent the 37th anniversary of C-Day

[Matt L]

Those of you who saw http://www.jreb.org/ns/index.php?topic=14345.0 know I spent Easter weekend trackside with NS. As I've often done in recent years, I took a day off on Easter Monday. This year was a rare opportunity to be trackside on the anniversary of C-Day i.e. when Conrail took over operations in upstate NY from EL, LV and PC.

My original plan was to chase the Bath & Hammondsport RR, but it did not run that day. On the other hand... the B&H's parent shortline, the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville RR, did run on some former CR trackage.

Here we see LA&L's #428 lead a train off the former LV Rochester Branch and onto the ex-NYC/PC West Shore Bypass in Brighton. Yes, it was cold!  



The LA&L's nicely matched pair of C425s shoves a train into the Rochester & Southern RR yard at Behan Road in Chili. This line is actually ex-B&), but PC and CR had trackage rights on it during the 1970s and early '80s. The LA&L gained trackage rights here after the CR split, as the R&S brings up freight to the LA&L from a connection with NS in Silver Springs.



After fetching a few hoppers from the R&S, the LA&L returned to the yard at Genesee Junction in Chili to pick-up some cars dropped off by CSX. The NYC (West Shore), Pennsy, LV and B&O all interchanged at this yard back in the day. Prior to the CR-split, LA&L trains terminated here.



Once the switching was completed, the LA&L pulled out of Genesee Junction and headed out on the ex-LV Rochester Branch. This is the Jefferson Road crossing in Henrietta.



CR stitched pieces of the LV and EL together in the late '70s to create a branchline between Brighton and Avon. The LA&L purchased it from CR in 1996. This chase was my 1st time catching a freight train on the former Erie RR/EL at Brooks Road in Henrietta.







All photos in this post were taken by me Monday 4/1/2013 in Monroe County, NY. All rights reserved.




 

[Matt L]

Moving south to the Village of Avon, I caught the LA&L working at Barilla Pasta. Erie/EL had a wye near here, but the Rochester Division west of the wye was not included in CR.



The LA&L crew works the former Erie yard in Avon. CR removed a few tracks here, but the majority of the yard remains intact.



The Alcos shove a string of tank cars into the Kraft plant at Avon. This ex-Erie/EL spur was not used by CR. The LA&L attracted Kraft here in the '80s.



Conrail did use the ex-Erie depot in Avon for a while, but they eventually sold the building and it became a restaurant.



In addition to spending much of my day along former Conrail tracks, I spent it with a former CR Alco. LA&L pulled this former NH/PC C425 out of the deadline in 1981 and has been using her ever since then. Number 425 is leading the southbound train out of downtown Avon.



The LA&L south of Routes 5 & 20, including this piece of track in Avon, was never part of CR. Rather, it was purchased by the LA&L in 1964 when they began operations. Avon was the interchange point for CR and the LA&L from 1976 to 1996. here we see the LA&L local leaving town.



All photos in this post were taken by me Monday 4/1/2013 in Livingston County. As always, a big thank you goes out to the employees of the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville RR for their friendliness and professionalism. Alot has changed along the rails in NY since Conrail started in 1976, and sometimes even for the better. I am quite happy with the current state of operations in my neck of the woods- NS, CSX and shortlines like the LA&L are keeping former CR routes alive and well.   

[dschlegel]

This is a great post, thank you for sharing. While I was around for C day, I don't remember it.

I do remember lots of black ex PC units with a smattering of the other fallen flags mixed in though, and remember lots of CR branch lines getting ripped up or spun off to short lines. For a young boy it was neat and sad at the same time.

Thanks for this post,
Dan

[tah1015613]

I agree with Dan that this is a great post.  Never realized it's been 37 years ago.  The snow and history add to the photos and makes me try to imagine how things used to be even though I've never been there.  Thanks

[Matt L]

Thanx, guys. I was just 7 years old on C-Day, so it took me a few years to realize just how much routes and traffic flow changed. Dan- I agree with you about the mixed emotions. I wish I'd been able to document the changes at the time...

[dschlegel]

Thanx, guys. I was just 7 years old on C-Day, so it took me a few years to realize just how much routes and traffic flow changed. Dan- I agree with you about the mixed emotions. I wish I'd been able to document the changes at the time...

I was about 10 months old on C day. While I know from stories my pop tells that he had me trackside on March 31, I sure wish I could remember it!

[NSMoWandS]

Reading this bring back the faintest of memories of my father, my brother, an a very very young me standing near Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and seeing black GG1's with "conrail" on their sides... too bad I wasn't a photographer back then... Other Dan