Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad
| File:Lallogoc ,.gif | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Lakeville, New York |
| Reporting mark | LAL, WNYP, BH, ONCT |
| Locale | New York |
| Dates of operation | 1964–Present |
The Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad is a Class III short line railroad that operates in Livingston County and Monroe County in New York.
In 1997, the railroad won the Short Line Railroad of the Year award.
The railroad interchanges with CSX at Genesee Junction in Henrietta, New York, the Rochester and Southern Railroad at Genesee Junction and the R&S's Brooks Avenue Yard, and with the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Industry.
A Living History of the Livonia Avon & Lakeville Railroad
The Livonia Avon & Lakeville Railroad was born when members of the Livonia community decided to rescue the railroad after news came that the Erie-Lackawanna was to abandon its line from Lakeville to Livonia, NY. In 1964, members of the community, led by Chester A. Haak, began a campaign to purchase the soon to be abandoned line from the Erie Lackawanna for $13,000. After its incorporation in May of that year, passenger excursions begin with the use of GE 45-Tonner #97. This engine is later replaced by GE 44-Tonner #10. The next year, after acquiring #17, a 2-8-2 steam engine, the LA&L uses this engine for all passenger excursion operations with the old Erie depot in Livonia as excursion headquarters.
In 1968, after #17 begins to develop mechanical issues, it is replaced with #38, a 2-8-0 steam engine. Four years later, the railroad acquires #20, an Alco RS-1. Three years after this, in 1975, #38 is place out of service in need of major boiler repairs.
After the governments re-organization of six major railraods in the Northeast, Conrail becomes the LA&L's only interchange point in Avon, NY. Despite the LA&L's desire to operate the Avon-Caledonia branch, the line is excluded from Conrail and is later abandoned. In 1977, growing insurance costs force the LA&L to discontinue passenger excursions.
A year later, after acquiring # 72, an Alco S2, the LA&L sells #10. In 1981, the line to Livonia is abandoned due to a lack of support from the State of New York to repair an aging bridge. After the abandonment, the LA&L builds a team-track in Lakeville to service its customers. In this year, the LA&L also acquires another Alco, this time a C-425, numbered 425. When 1982 rolled around it is decided that a yard is needed in Lakeville to handle the growing amount of traffic that the railroad is receiving. Later in 1988, this five track yard is completed. Two years later, an engine shop and office building are built next to the yard.
In 1995, the LA&L acquires yet another engine, an Alco C-420 numbered 420. The shop is extended to hold two coupled road engines. In 1996, after acquiring Conrail's "Rochester South Cluster", the railroad launches a $1.4 million rehabilitation effort. Later, the LA&L begins operation of the former Champagne Railroad, previously owned and operated by the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency. With this deal, the LA&L inherits use of the railroads two remaining Alco S1 engines, number 4 and 5 to service the newly acquired railroad. With this acquisition, the railroad grows to 65 route miles. Also, four Alco C-424m locomotives are purchased. The LA&L is also named "Industry of the Year" by the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce.
After CSX and Norfolk Southern decide to split Conrail, the LA&L filed an application to remove the paper barrier that has kept the railroad from interchanging with the Rochester & Southern at Genesee Junction. With fierce opposition from CSX, the STB grants the LA&L trackage rights across the Genesee Junction Yard, trackage rights into the R&S and its yard at Brooks Avenue, and haulage rights on the R&S to Silver Springs, NY. This gave the LA&L access to three Class One railroads including CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Canadian Pacific.
At the conclusion of several infrastructure rehabilitation projects in 1998, the ex-Conrail trackage from Avon to Genesee Junction has 17,940 ties replaced and 11,400 tons of new ballast installed and tamped. The upgrades of this project turn a 5 - 10MPH railroad into a 25 MPH railroad.The Lakeville to Avon section is refitted with 4,123 new replacement ties and 5,600 tons of ballast. The ballast shoulder is widened for future installation of welded rail. Last but not least, the Bath to Cohocton section has 7,704 ties replaced and the Cohocton Industrial Track is replaced with all new track. On the Cohocton Valley Rail Corp. line, ten miles of previously unused rail between Cohocton and Wayland is re-opened. New track is also built to serve a new road de-icer processing facility. Also in this year, the LA&L gains controlling interest in the Ontario Central Railroad. Due to the Conrail split, the ONCT finally receives competitive connections to CSX and NS.
During 1999, the bridge on Pole Bridge Road is upgraded to handle 286,000 pound railcars. Avon Yard is also rebuilt into its current configuration. The Lakeville shop is expanded to now accommodate three coupled road engines with additional floor space in a separate bay to facilitate locomotive repair. Two of the Alco C-424m engine purchased in 1995 are repaired and reactivated. They emerge as numbers 423 and 424.
In 2001, the LA&L begins operations on the ex-Erie Lackawanna mainline between Hornell, NY and Corry, PA as the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad. The railroad initially provided rail service between Olean, NY and Jamestown, NY but eventually extends to more of the line as out-of-service sections are reactivated. In October of that year, the Cohocton Valley Rail Corp. is renamed as the Bath & Hammondsport Rail Corp.
Towards the end of 2005, the WNYP, leases more trackage from Norfolk Southern in Pennsylvania and continues to service more of the line. At present, the line extends from Hornell, NY to Oil City, PA. -From the LAL Railfan Network
Locomotive Roster
The Livonia Avon & Lakeville Railroad has a roster made up of primarily ALCO locomotives. The LA&L rosters an S2 (#72) built in 1941, an RS-1 (#20) built in 1949, two S1's (#4 and 5), one C-420 (#420), seven C-424s (#421, 422, 423, 424, 426, 427, 428), four of which are of the C-424m rebuilt variant, one C-425 (#425), four C-430s (#430, 431, 432, 433), one C-630 (#630), one M-630 (#631), and an RS-36 (#418). The only non-ALCO engine on the roster is a leased EMD SW-9 from the Golden Spike Railway (GRSX).
Before the road became an all-ALCO road, their roster consisted of a Baldwin 2-8-2 (#17), a GE 45 Tonner with side rods (#97), and in later years, one GE 44 Tonner (#10) and one 2-8-0 (#38). Number 17 was scrapped in Lakeville after being sold to a Rochester area business-man. Number 38 survives on the Knox and Kane Railroad. Number 97 spends it days as RG&E 1941 at the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, a customer of the Livonia Avon & Lakeville Railroad.
For more information visit *LA&L Locomotive Roster @ LALRailfan.net
Trackage
The LAL's trackage technically begins at the west end of CSX's Genesee Junction Yard, on which it has trackage rights, allowing the LAL to interchange with the Rochester and Southern Railroad as well as CSX. LAL ownership continues along the former Conrail non-controlled siding that runs parallel to the West Shore Branch from Genesee Junction Yard to MP 360, then south onto what was once Erie Lackawanna and Lehigh Valley trackage. Shortly after crossing Jefferson Road (NY-252), the track splits, with one track, the ex-LV Rochester Branch, heading southeast to a pair of online businesses on Lehigh Station Road (NY-253) before coming to an end, while the other track, ex-EL trackage, continues south/southwest towards Avon and eventually hits the Lakeville terminus.
The LAL has a three-track yard in the town of Avon, as well as a five-track yard and a four-track engine house in the town of Lakeville further south. The LAL's southern terminus is at the tip of Conesus Lake just across NY Route 15 and US Route 20A in the heart of Lakeville.
Recently, the LAL reactivated a spur to a grain elevator on Bronson Hill Road. This spur was formerly part of the Livonia Branch of the LAL.