Happy Holidays!
Latest newsletter available - December 2011
Happy Holidays!
Holly Trolley & RIT Tiger Tracks Train Show
The NYMT's Holly Trolley will be running again this weekend. Please stop out to enjoy this fun holiday event.
More details can be found on our Events page or on the NYMT's website.
The R&GVRRM will also be displaying and have our sales tables at the RIT Tiger Tracks Train Show this weekend in the Gordon Field House on the RIT Campus. Before or after your trolley ride, please come to the show, stop by our tables, say hi and maybe purchase a book or video for your favorite railfan or maybe even yourself. We will have the new BluRay version of the 1950s video, 'Vanishing American', for sale. This movie shot & edited by the Kodak Camera Club on full color and sound highlights the last days of steam passenger service on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from Rochester to Salamanca, NY.
The R&GVRRM will also be displaying and have our sales tables at the RIT Tiger Tracks Train Show this weekend in the Gordon Field House on the RIT Campus. Before or after your trolley ride, please come to the show, stop by our tables, say hi and maybe purchase a book or video for your favorite railfan or maybe even yourself. We will have the new BluRay version of the 1950s video, 'Vanishing American', for sale. This movie shot & edited by the Kodak Camera Club on full color and sound highlights the last days of steam passenger service on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from Rochester to Salamanca, NY.
Air brake work on LV #95100
With the planned upcoming move of Lehigh Valley caboose #95100 from the
museum's passenger car siding west of the LA&L Railroad to the museum's restoration shop east of the LA&L, the caboose's air brake system needed to be returned back to full function after years of storage. To do so has required the rebuilding of some parts and the replacement of some parts. Here is a video of the #95100's first brake application after the rebuild work by our museum volunteers was completed along with some photos of the recent progress leading up to the successful test and operation on Sunday, November 27, 2011.
Air brake system test using one of the museum's Schramm air compressors as an air source.
Video by Luther Brefo
Video by Luther Brefo
The brake cylinder(top) and piston(bottom) were opened/removed and cleaned. The piston is show with a new rubber packing cup installed on the top, and is ready to go back together which it was on Sunday, November 27, 2011.
New air hoses were installed on either end of the car.
Under the car, the museum had a new crossover hose fabricated and installed. This hose connects the brake valves and cylinder to the hard piped brake line that runs from end to end. New parts do not come cheap as this hose was nearly $170.00 so donations are still welcome to offset the cost of restoration which is only just beginning. The work will really accelerate once the car is inside the museum's restoration shop in the coming weeks.
All photos by: J. Nugent
All photos by: J. Nugent
Latest newsletter available - November 2011
RG&E #1941 - Restoration update
Work has continued is earnest on the continued restoration of ex-Rochester Gas & Electric GE 45-tonner #1941. Over the past month or so, the attention has shifted to work on repainting the cab interior which is now nearly complete sans some small touch-ups of the newly applied dark Brewster green across the cab & ceiling, lighter green on the window band, and gray on the floor and horizontal surfaces.
#1941 cab interior repaint in nearly complete seen here sans some small touch-ups.
With the interior painting drawing to completion has also let the completion of another project, the total re-glazing of the cab with all new glass and newly fabricated sliding windows on both sides of the cab. While most of the cab glass had been installed a while ago, the install of the new sliders had to wait until they could be painted, glazed, and assembled and the cab interior repaint was done. Well... Both things came together on Saturday AM, 11/12/2011, and the windows were installed as seen here.
Newly installed slider windows on the engineer's side.
This completes the re-glazing of the cab, and the R&GVRRM would again like to thank the Amherst Railway Society who funded the work through a grant. Hopefully within the next work session or 2, we will have all of the cab paint work complete which will bring the entire repaint of #1941 to completion after many months of hard work.
RL&B waiting room roof complete.
Photos taken over the course of the project can be see in the album below from the R&GVRRM's Flickr site:
Re-roofing our RL&B waiting room begins...
With the 2011 joint operating season over and winter snows just around the corner, the R&GVRRM decided to undertake the replacement of the roof on our ex-Rochester, Lockport and Buffalo Railway interurban waiting room, seen here this past summer, that acts as our 'Midway' station where we transfer people from the New York Museum of Transportation's trolleys to our diesel powered trains.
Here are some photos posted to the R&GVRRM's Flickr site of the tear off work which took place today, 11.2.2011.
We hope to have more updates soon on the progress which is planned to continue during our upcoming volunteer work session this Saturday. The new shingles are already on the property and our crews are ready to go. New hands are always welcome!
Here are some photos posted to the R&GVRRM's Flickr site of the tear off work which took place today, 11.2.2011.
Touchdown! - Lehigh Valley Railroad #95100
Touchdown! Lehigh Valley caboose #95100 was mated back with its trucks at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum this morning. Saved from a local scrap yard and with the car now on the museum's property, work will shift to its restoration once it can be moved up to our shop. Congratulations to our R&GVRRM move team, and a HUGE thank you to the many people who contributed funds to allow us to save and move the car!
We now need to focus on raising the funds for restoration and information on how to donate can be found by clicking here so we can go from this today...
LV 95110 at Sayre, Pa., in March, 1976. Photo by John Dziobko, Jr.
From the archives... Ride the Auburn Road on October 3, 1965
Thanks for looking. For those who may not know, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum was originally founded in 1937 as the Rochester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. In 2011, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum decided to leave the NRHS; officially changing its name and becoming an independent railroad museum.
Latest newsletter available - October 2011
Contribute to the restoration of LV 95100!
LV 95110 in Sayre, Pennsylvania on March 31, 1976. Photo by John Dzibiko, Jr.Thanks to so many generous donors, we have been able to raise the money to purchase and save Lehigh Valley caboose 95100 from a local scrap yard! Our intention is to move this historic piece of equipment to our museum as soon as possible to begin stabilization and restoration efforts this winter. We are seeking additional contributions to help pay for the restoration and repainting of this caboose into its historic Lehigh Valley colors. You can donate immediately using the Donate button here, or you can mail your contribution to us (make sure you note "LV 95100" on your check). We're also seeking donations of materials and paint to help complete this restoration. Every little bit helps!
Thank you for your support!
Logos applied!
Another milestone was reached in the restoration of ex-Rochester Gas & Electric (nee-GE Lynn, MA) 45-tonner #1941 on October 1, 2011 with the application of replica RG&E logos on the cab sides which completes the major paint work and lettering. There are just some small details and some paint work in the cab to do before the restoration is complete, and the museum is working in earnest to complete that work in the coming weeks with hopes that #1941 may be able to pull some of our Fall Foliage by Trolley & Train special events this Fall.
Here are some photos after the logos were applied.
Here are some photos after the logos were applied.
Help us save a local Lehigh Valley caboose from the torch!
Updated Oct. 6 morning: $9800 raised!
(Note: The caboose pictured is NOT the one we are trying to save)
This opportunity was presented to us earlier this week, and we have half of the money needed to purchase and move this historic caboose to our museum in Industry. We have three days to raise $5000 to purchase this caboose and move it to our museum... or else it will be lost forever. That is 50 people each donating $100, or 20 people each donating $250, or 10 people each donating $500. Any level of support will help us meet our goal, but time is running out! Use the PayPal button below to make your donation instantly! The R&GVRRM is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational group, so your donations are tax-deductable to the fullest extent allowed by law.
LV 95110 at Sayre, Pa., in March, 1976. Photo by John Dziobko, Jr.
#1941 - Major paint work complete!
Progress on ex-RG&E #1941 - Last major painting step completed!
With continued work during just about every museum work session and beyond, we are pleased to report that the last major repainting step on the exterior restoration of ex-Rochester Gas & Electric #1941 was completed today with the repainting of the undercarriage. With the fresh green and yellow masked with plastic to protect it, the undercarriage black paint was renewed today. The engine is seen here early in the evening with the black complete. Just after the photo was taken, the engine was shoved back into the shop by the museum's Trackmobile. We hope the next time it leaves the shop it will do so under its own power with its exterior paint complete.
There is still some work to do. We have some newly fabricated sliding cab window frames we need to paint and have glazed. We need to unmask the engine. We also have to reinstall the south switching steps, fit the wooden backer boards on the steps, paint, and install them. And just a few other details like adding the RG&E decals to the sides. We should be able to get a good start during the Tuesday evening, 9.26.2011 work session, and hopefully wrap it up over the next few work sessions. The end is near! We also always welcome new hands to help us and visitors are always welcome in the shop to see the progress. We are also planning a night photo session with the engine when it is complete, and we will have details posted here and on our R&GVRRM Facebook page.
Ballasting the passenger car siding extension - 9.17.2011
To help the museum continue to make progress on the siding and to help defray the cost of the ballast, please consider giving to the museum's Donate-A-Ton fundraiser. A $20 donation pays for a TON of ballast. We have already had 150 tons donated, but we are looking for donors for the other 150 tons we have or need to purchase. Can we please put your name next to one of more of those tons? More information and the ability to donate online is available on our website here.
Latest newsletter available - September 2011
September meeting at Industry Depot
To take advantage of the enjoyable late-summer weather, we are having our September meeting at our Industry Depot! Come on out Thursday, September 15, and enjoy our museum grounds and a track car ride! This event is open to everyone and is FREE. A brief business meeting starts at 7:30 followed by rides and tours. Bring a friend!
Photo location id help sought
For many years, this image has hung in our volunteer office area inside the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's ex-Erie Railroad Industry depot.
Over pizza after the Tuesday evening, September 7th, 2011 volunteer work session, a discussion was started amongst several volunteers as to where this photo was taken. After lots of careful study down to carefully removing the 16"x20" print from its frame, an answer has still eluded us.
There are four steam engines in the image. On the left hand side, there appears to be a freight car lettered 'P&R' which could be Philadelphia & Reading. Based on other contents, the image appears to date to somewhere around 1910 give or take a decade. The R&GVRRM has received many donations from Rochester based General Railway Signal over the years, and we are thinking this may have come from them many years earlier. Some have hypothesized that it may have been from around the Boston, Massachusetts area. It has also been hypothesized that it is a SOCONY (Standard Oil Company of NY) storage tank at the left hand side of the image.
With that said, we are looking for your help. Do you know where this photo was taken? If you have some idea, please drop us an note here or please feel free to make a post to our R&GVRRM Facebook wall.
Thanks for the help!
There are four steam engines in the image. On the left hand side, there appears to be a freight car lettered 'P&R' which could be Philadelphia & Reading. Based on other contents, the image appears to date to somewhere around 1910 give or take a decade. The R&GVRRM has received many donations from Rochester based General Railway Signal over the years, and we are thinking this may have come from them many years earlier. Some have hypothesized that it may have been from around the Boston, Massachusetts area. It has also been hypothesized that it is a SOCONY (Standard Oil Company of NY) storage tank at the left hand side of the image.
With that said, we are looking for your help. Do you know where this photo was taken? If you have some idea, please drop us an note here or please feel free to make a post to our R&GVRRM Facebook wall.
Thanks for the help!
Some photos from Diesel Day 2011
Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed Diesel Day 2011 at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum! Photos by Otto M. Vondrak.
Volunteers gather for a briefing before the event starts on Sunday morning.
Our first visitors lining up to board our diesels at the Transfer Point.
Visitors board our restored Erie caboose at the Transfer Point.
Supervised cab rides are part of the Diesel Day event! Visitors carefully disembark from Lehigh Valley 211.
Volunteer Mike Root directs visitors to board our former US Army diesel for a ride back up to the Transfer Point.
Eastman Kodak diesel engine 9 was on display at Industry Yard.
Visitors enjoyed our Despatch Shops display inside our steel refrigerator car parked at Industry Depot.
A little rain could not dampen the spirits of this young visitor aboard our restored Penn Central caboose!
Visitors learned about telegraph technology and the duties of the station agent inside our restored Industry Depot museum.
Volunteer engineer Ron Amberger on board the 1654 at Industry Yard.
Volunteer engineer Steve Huse shares a laugh with his conductor while waiting in the station.
Thanks also to the volunteers from the New York Museum of Transportation who helped make this event a success!
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