An extra touch of class

Thanks to the RIT Model Railroad Club, and specifically project leader, volunteer Joe Werner, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum was the recipient of some very nicely decorated step boxes that were painted and lettered to match some of the museum's equipment. Building on a concept that museum volunteer Chris Hauf started with the building and painting of matching step boxes for ALCO RS-1 EK#9, Joe ran with the idea and improved on it.

Working with Otto Vondrak, the two volunteers created a workable prototype step box. With sponsorship from the club along with some painting and lettering assistance from Chris Huaf, the step boxes were debuted during the Diesel Days weekend. The step boxes help our guests make an easier entrance to and exit from our historic railroad equipment, especially in uneven areas beyond our depot yard. Take a look! Kudos to Joe and his helpers for their generous donation!

Lehigh Valley #211 was the third piece to receive a matching set of painted and lettered step boxes.

The C254 with the new step boxes ready and waiting for passengers.

Diesel Days 2003 a success!

Diesel Days 2003 was a great success for the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum this year. With over 1,050 visitors over the weekend, it was our busiest Diesel Days event and our second largest weekend ever! Three locomotives from our historic operating collection were out this weekend, including Lehigh Valley Alco RS3m #211, U.S. Army Fairbanks-Morse #1843, and Nickel Plate Road Alco S-4 #79. All three were celebrating their fiftieth birthdays that weekend, quite the milestone for our historic diesels. Our restored Penn Central and Erie cabooses were pressed into service to transport visitors across our demonstration railroad. Thanks must go out to our partner museum, the New York Museum of Transportation, for all their help at their end getting visitors ticketed and loaded on track cars. And we must thank all of our volunteers for their work both before and during the event. All we can say is THANKS! Photos by Chris Hauf

Ready to go! The engine line-up awaits the start of the operations on Saturday morning. Lehigh Valley #211, 50 years old this year, was running, but was not operated for the event. Visitors, however, were allowed the tour the cab and hear the 211 idle.

Another 50 year old... USA 1843 pushes the museum's Erie caboose around Scanlon's curve along the museum's demonstration railroad. Museum volunteer Mike Smith guards the rear platform of the historic F-M locomotive.

The last of the three 50-year birthdays was for NKP 79. Here #79 pulls the museum's restored Penn Central transfer caboose during the 2003 Diesel Days event.

Also operated, ALCO RS-1, Eastman Kodak Company #9, descends the hill block with a combination of museum volunteers and Diesel Days visitors. Volunteer Joe Werner helps keep visitors safe as the train decends into Indsutry Yard.

Ready for the big weekend!

Our two ALCO roadswitchers Lehigh Valley RS-3m #211 and sit on Track #6 waiting their chance to be part of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's Eastman Kodak Company RS-1 #9Diesel Days event on August 23-24, 2003. See you there!