Inside the building... Inside the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's Restoration Building, we find Plymouth BL #1 with its replica front grill installed. Its replica side frames were off of the engine to allow them to have their steel skins installed.
From F-M to GE... With the passenger cars delivered, the museum shutdown its Fairbanks-Morse H21-44 for the winter. In its shop space, former Eastman Kodak Company GE 80-tonner #6 was brought into the shop for air brake and other work over the winter. The #1 still looks small next to the #6.
Another GE... Another GE "tonner" was also continuing to receive attention inside the museum's restoration shop. Here we see #1941 which has received a successful prime mover rebuild along with other cosmetic and mechanical repairs and improvements. The locomotive's cosmetic restoration will be completed in 2008 thanks in part to a grant from the Amherst Railway Society. The R&GVRRM has also started a Locomotive Preservation Fund to help finance some improvements to the museum's motive power collection. The first will be new starting batteries for Lehigh Valley #211. Would you consider a donation today?
The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's Restoration Building north yard can be seen with all of the museum's ex-New York Central Budd built 'Empire State Express' cars. This yard was built through the museum's "Building Tracks to the Future" capital fundraising campaign in May of 2007. It has given the museum a place to relocate its cars to. In 2008, the museum will be expanding the restoration building's south yard to better house all of the museum's railroad collections.
A panoramic view... The restoration building and the cars can be seen in this stitched panoramic image.
A different view... Here the museum's cars are seen on this day after Christmas. This view is looking north.
A wider view... Here we see the cars again looking south at the Restoration Building. The museum plans to further excavate the hill on the left hand side to give additional area to the east and northeast of the restoration building.
Out to the main... Looking north, the yard throat can be seen leading to the R&GVRRM's museum mainline.
At track level... At track level, the all stainless steel Empire State Express cars can be seen on this sunny day after Christmas.
RPO in the yard... Here we see where NYC 5021 landed after being delivered. This is one of two Railway Post Office cars the museum owns. The R&GVRRM also rosters a PRR BM70nb railway post office car. Sadly both cars had their RPO interiors removed prior to coming to the R&GVRRM.
The south side... A view of the south side of the museum's restoration shop. With tracks already coming out of the large door on the left hand side, tracks will be extended out of the right hand side large door in 2008. The shop is 60' by 140' long.
Out of the house... Today marked the day that the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum was taking delivery of its seven ex-New York Central Railroad 'Empire State Express' cars which had spent many years operating on the Ontario Midland Railroad. Here we see R&GVRR #1654 pulling a warm and pre-lubed #1843 from the restoration building to get the #1843 started as both engines would be needed in the car delivery. With a puff of white smoke, #1843 roared to life and both engines set out for the day's work.
Its empty now... To handle the incoming passenger cars, the R&GVRRM moved all of the cars stored in its new restoration building north yard into storage on the museum mainline leaving the yard ready to accept the passenger cars.
RPO delivered... Along with six coaches, the R&GVRRM owns one of the two Railway Post Office (RPO) cars from the original "Empire State Express." Here we see NYC 5021, the "Alonzo B. Cornell" as it comes in and then heads up the hill to storage in the upper yard. Tied on to the north end of the #1843 was the museum's restored Erie caboose #C254. This was used to give the crews a place to warm up in between car moves.
Last car comes in... The last of the seven cars heads for track #4 in Industry yard with R&GVRR #1654 leading the way. The car will soon head to storage in the upper yard.
Out of the barn for Holly Trolley Rides... In December 2007 the New York Museum of Transportation ran "Holley Trolley Rides" in conjunction with Remelt's Evergreen Acres Christmas Tree Farm that sits adjacent to the railroad at NYMT. Here we see NYMT's Car #161 exiting the car barn in preparation for the day's runs. #161 is an ex-Philadelphia & Western 'Strafford' car and shares the car barn with sister #168.
Out on the line... #161 accelerates northbound on its way back to the Remelt's boarding area on the first run of the day. Mother Nature added a nice coat of snow for the first day's operations.
Clear, graded & ready for stone... To continue to finish areas around the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's Restoration Building, the east side of the building was graded with plans to install crusher run to provide a solid surface next to the building as both a road and a place to park our volunteer's vehicles.
More dirt to go! Although the R&GVRRM has moved thousands of cubic yards of dirt to allow it to install the restoration building north yard seen to the left in this image, there is still lots more dirt to be moved to further level the area north and east of the building.
On this sunny day, we find the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's ex-New York Central Railroad Pullman PS-4 flatcar #506102. The museum continues to remove the rotted deck with the goal of restoring the car to its NYC paint scheme and replacing the deck.
Close up... A closer view showing the deck removed from the south end of the car.
Rebuild continues... The rebuild of Rochester Gas & Electric GE 45-tonner #1941's #1 primer mover took further steps today with more components reinstalled. The oil pan and manifolds have been cleaned, painted, and reinstalled amongst other engine accessories including the air cleaners.
Muffler repair... In the process of rebuilding the #1 prime mover, it was discovered the bottom of the engine's muffler had rusted away. Here volunteer Kevin Klees brazes a patch on to the bottom of the muffler to repair it and prepare it for reinstallation.
BL restoration progress... Our Plymouth Model BL gas-mechanical #1 continues to see work. Additional cab and hood sheet metal has been installed along with the hinges to hold the engine side covers.
BL restoration progress... More wiring has been done and the instrument panel inside of the cab is nearing completion. The small wheel at the bottom center of the image moves the drive flywheel to the left or right to adjust the locomotive's direction, speed, and starting torque.
Another Scout visit...Railroad Merit Badge time... The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum hosted another troop of Boy Scouts today to help them complete the requirements for the Railroading merit badge. The Scouts were given a tour of the museum, instructions on different parts of railroading and a train ride. Here are the Scouts gathered up on R&GV #1654 prior to departure.
Here we see the Boy Scouts switching between the locomotive and caboose prior to returning to the R&GVRRM so all of them could ride both the engine and the caboose. Do you have a Scout Troop interested in obtaining their Railroading merit badge? We can help. Please contact us.
Clean-up continues... The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum has been working hard to tidy up around the museum. Part of this project has been sorting through our holdings of track parts and scrapping out those parts that are no longer usable. Volunteer, Jeremy Tuke, hauls one of the filled scrap bins by the restoration building using the museum's Ford forklift to position it for pick-up.
Grading... With the rail yard installed north of the R&GVRRM's restoration building, it is time to start grading south of the building for additional track installation. Volunteer, Joe Scanlon, is at the controls of the Huber-Warco road grader as he works the dirt south of the building.
Time to sleep... With freezing weather looming, it was time to put the museum's larger, water cooled locomotives to bed for the winter. Here Eastman Kodak Company #9 is having its coolant water drained into its winter storage tank. With a few other small items to do, the locomotive will be set to weather the cold Rochester winter.
Engine side cover fabrication... As part of the continued restoration of Plymouth Model BL #1, new engine side covers are being fabricated to match the what the engine would have had originally. Here is one of the new panel frames made of pressure treated wood set into place on the engine for final fitting and hinge installation.
Switching... To reposition some of the museum's cars closer to the restoration building to work on them, a switch crew was assigned to work the restoration building north yard with USA #1843. Here they are moving over to Track 8 to drop off the museum's N-5C caboose, PRR #477822, prior to making some additional moves.
