Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum

To the new siding...

2012-01-27T20:11:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, January 15th, 2012, the R&GVRRM in cooperation with the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad moved the museum's ex-New York Central Empire State Express passenger train set to its new siding after two years of work by the museum's volunteers excavating, building, leveling and tamping the track.

The R&GVRRM's ex-U.S. Army Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 #1843 has two of the museum's passenger cars already switched out of Industry yard and on to the LA&L mainline.
Photo by: C.R. Hauf

With LA&L crews in charge and working in cooperation with the R&GVRRM Operating Department, all seven cars were moved to the new siding west of the LA&L across this Sunday. The museum's ex-Lehigh Valley Railroad caboose #95100 and NYC flat car #506102 were moved back to the museum from storage on the new siding.

USA #1843 sits with NYC #506102 and LV #95100 in front of the Industry depot. These cars were returned from storage on the new siding to the R&GVRRM so that restoration work could begin.
Photo by: C.R. Hauf

R&GVRR GE 80-tonner #1654 brings another coach down the R&GVRRM's restoration shop where they have been stored and worked on. The car will be switched out on to the LA&L main to a waiting USA#1843 and two of the ESE cars.
Photo by: C.R. Hauf

All seven cars sit on the new siding. The R&GVRRM's Industry depot is in the distance on the far left of the image.
Photo by: C.R. Hauf

The R&GVRRM would like to thank the LA&L for their continued help and support! We would also like to thank everyone who has donated money toward our Donate-A-Ton fundraising campaign which was used to purchase ballast for the new siding. While we still need a few more tons donated for some more ballast to complete some leveling work on the siding in the spring and for future extensions of the siding, the great support we have received has allowed us to "move in" to the siding and achieving our goal! Thanks!!!

A look inside LV #95100 - Before restoration

2012-01-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

With Lehigh Valley Railroad caboose #95100 now in the R&GVRRM shop, we thought we would share some pre-restoration photos of the interior of the caboose shot from our first work session on the car during our Tuesday, January 18, 2012 evening volunteer session. The car is remarkably complete inside and is in good shape overall. There are some missing parts and fixtures which we will need to replicate and construct, but it is nothing we can't handle or haven't tackled already on other projects. It will also need all new windows, and all new paint.

We also have lots of questions about the caboose. We are searching for information and photos of the interior and exterior to help aid us in doing the restoration right. Please contact us if you have something you can share with us. You can also visit us on Facebook and post right to our wall.

Here are some additional photos with have posted to our R&GVRRM Flickr site.

LV 95100 enters the Restoration Shop

2012-01-16T15:33:00.001-08:00

The newest addition to our museum's historic fleet of railroad equipment was moved into the Restoration Shop on Sunday, January 15, thanks to the hard work and dedication of many museum volunteers as we rearranged the location of many pieces on our railroad. Lehigh Valley caboose 95100 was built in 1941, and served through the Conrail era. Purchased by a private individual, it was moved to Manchester, New York, in 2005. In 2011, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum rescued this historic car from a local scrap yard, thanks to generous donations by individuals and volunteers, and thoughtful cooperation from the scrapper. The car was trucked to our museum in October 2011, and the brakes were repaired in November to allow for safe movement up to our shop.

This caboose is a significant addition to our collection of railroad equipment that is relevant to Rochester's railroading history, as the LV served the city directly with a branch line that terminated at Court Street (now home to well-known Dinosaur BBQ restaurant). It is our goal to restore this car to its mid-1970s appearance as an example of a Lehigh Valley caboose, to pair with our perserved LV RS-3m 211. The car will be restored through volunteer labor. We will be depending entirely on outside donations in order to complete the work. Please visit www.rgvrrm.org/support to help us return this car to the rails!

Or make a donation via PayPal here:
Thank you!

—Photo by Joseph R. Nugent

Latest newsletter available - January 2012

2012-01-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the January 2012 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We now have fifteen previous years currently available!

Happy New Year!

From the archives... AFT at Rochester's Regional Market

2012-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

In 1975 and 1976, the American Freedom Train toured the United States behind steam power. Rochester was a stop and the train was on display at the Rochester Regional Market in Henrietta, NY. The AFT was at the Market from May 7-12, 1975. The engine #1, ex-Reading T-1 #2101, is seen here in an image from the Charles Belt Collection of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.

According to this timeline, the train traveled to Cleveland, OH following the Rochester stop where there was finally time to give the engine, "a proper paint job." The auxiliary tender seen behind #1 above appears to be in primer. The timeline also states that at Cleveland, "Artist Bob Lorenz gives the former #2101 the second of three paint schemes she will wear during her Bicentennial journeys."

And more to come... From the archives...

Latest newsletter available - December 2011

2011-12-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the December 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We now have fifteen previous years currently available!

Happy Holidays!

Holly Trolley & RIT Tiger Tracks Train Show

2011-12-09T07:51:00.001-08:00

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.

Restored and in the sun - #1941

2011-12-03T19:55:00.001-08:00

With yet another nice sunny and rather warm Saturday for early December and with ex-Rochester Gas & Electric #1941 just washed last Tuesday evening to remove a layer of dust off of the new paint, the decision was an easy one to bring it back out of the shop for a few pictures in its all new paint and lettering. So here it is! We still have some more small details to complete in the cab and a little fine tuning on one engine governor. The 'to do' list keeps shrinking and then growing just a little as we fall prey to "While we are at it" syndrome, but overall, the majority of the work is complete. Thanks to everyone that has contributed to both the mechanical and cosmetic work!!! It has been a real team effort.

Please enjoy these images of the engine along with a YouTube video of #1941 coming in and out of the shop the Tuesday evening before. All images - C.R. Hauf

And then back into the shop...

Air brake work on LV #95100

2011-11-27T20:15:00.001-08:00

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum has had a lot to be thankful for in 2011! And the year is not over yet... We would like to thank our members & volunteers past & present for all of their contributions along with all of our visitors and supporters for making our 40th anniversary at our ex-Erie Railroad Industry depot so great!

We hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Latest newsletter available - November 2011

2011-11-22T07:51:00.001-08:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the November 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We now have fifteen previous years currently available!

RG&E #1941 - Restoration update

2011-11-13T17:15:00.001-08:00

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.

2011-11-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

With the last few shingles installed in the fading evening sunlight on Tuesday evening, November 8, 2011, the R&GVRRM's former Rochester, Lockport & Buffalo Railway interurban waiting room sits with its new roof complete! Thanks to the R&GVRRM volunteers that made it happen including Mark Wilczek, Steve Wilczek, Steve Huse, Rob Burz, and Dan Waterstraat. The next step for the building will be a total repaint in the spring when the warm weather returns. For now, however, we have a solid roof to keep the weather out for many years to come.

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...

2011-11-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

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!

Touchdown! - Lehigh Valley Railroad #95100

2011-10-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

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...

back to this...

LV 95110 at Sayre, Pa., in March, 1976. Photo by John Dziobko, Jr.

From the archives... Ride the Auburn Road on October 3, 1965

2011-10-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, October 3, 1965, the Rochester & Buffalo Chapters of the National Railway Historical Society ran an Autumn Leaf Special with a portion of the ride on the then freight only New York Central 'Auburn Road'. The trip started in Buffalo with the route being the New York Central main to Lyons with stops in Batavia & Rochester then the Fall Brook to Geneva then the Auburn Road to Syracuse and then the main line all the way back from Syracuse to Buffalo. Cost for this all day excursion? $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids!

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

2011-10-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the October 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We now have fifteen previous years currently available!

Contribute to the restoration of LV 95100!

2011-10-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

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 PayPal 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!

2011-10-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Help us save a local Lehigh Valley caboose from the torch!

2011-09-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

Updated Oct. 6 morning: $9800 raised!

(Note: The caboose pictured is NOT the one we are trying to save)

Our museum has been presented with the opportunity to acquire a Lehigh Valley "northeastern" style steel caboose! Since the LV served Rochester, and this caboose has specific ties to the area, we feel it will make a great addition to our operating collection. It is our goal to restore the caboose to operation, and pair it with our RS-3m LV 211! The caboose is in very good structural condition inside and out, making it an excellent restoration candidate.

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.

It is our goal to restore this caboose to full operation on our museum railroad where everyone will be able to enjoy it! Please help us save this important part of Rochester's railroading history! Use this link to PayPal below to donate today!

#1941 - Major paint work complete!

2011-09-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Unwrapped! ex-Rochester Gas & Electric (nee General Electric Lynn, MA) #1941 sits in the R&GVRRM's restoration shop late on Tuesday evening, 9.27.2011. The masking protecting the green and yellow from the black paint overspray has been removed as the black on the undercarriage was completed the day before, the trackmobile that has allowed the engine to be towed in and out of the shop for painting has been uncoupled for the last time, and the south footboards reinstalled. More finishing details like sliding window painting, wood backer board install on the footboards, and the application of the replica RG&E decals to the engine's sides will take place during the upcoming work sessions. Stay tuned for more updates, but this evening marks a major milestone in the restoration of #1941 as all of the major paint work is complete, and we soon hope to have it out of the shop running!

Progress on ex-RG&E #1941 - Last major painting step completed!

2011-09-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

With a fresh delivery of over forty tons of ballast, the R&GVRRM's heavy equipment crews went to work with the museum's backhoe and front loader to help the track department place the new ballast on to the recently completed extension of the west passenger car siding. Once the ballast is place, the track will be leveled and tamped preparing it for service later this Fall. Here are some photos from today's, 9.17.2011, work in placing the ballast.

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

2011-09-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the September 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We now have fifteen previous years currently available!

September meeting at Industry Depot

2011-09-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

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!

Some photos from Diesel Day 2011

2011-08-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

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!

New lettering for RG&E 1941

2011-08-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

General Electric 45-ton diesel switcher RG&E #1941 sits inside the museum's restoration shop with the yellow paint coats complete, the "BEEBEE STATION" lettering applied, and the R&GVRRM logos added to the newly constructed and painted step boxes to go with the engine. We now need to start putting parts back on, get the RG&E logos made and on the cab sides along with tackling the black paint on the deck and undercarriage. We are also still waiting on the newly fabricated cab slider windows so we can paint and install them.

This historic locomotive was donated to the museum in 1991 after working for Rochester Gas & Electric's BeeBee Station for more than 26 years. Originally built in 1941 for use at General Electric's Riverworks Plant, it was later sold and operated by a number of different owners before coming to the Rochester area in 1964. It was originally purchased by the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville to be their first diesel locomotive, but was sold to Rochester Gas & Electric in 1965 before ever seeing service on the railroad.

We hope you'll join us this weekend for Diesel Day on Sunday, August 21 so you can see the results of all our hard work! —Photo by Chris Hauf

Industry Depot finish painting starts

2011-08-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

After many hours of hard work of scraping, sanding, and priming, the finish painting on the south end of our ex-Erie Railroad Industry, NY depot started in earnest on Saturday, August 14. With a crew of 6+ volunteers, the work progressed well throughout the day.

The crew is well into the repainting just after lunch. This is looking north at the south end of the depot. NYS Route 251 is in the foreground. The tracks to the left are of the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad and the tracks to the right are the museum's Industry yard.
Photo by: C.R. Hauf 8.13.2011

There is still much more to do including completing the work on the south end and starting the prep work on the north end, but here are some images from our R&GVRRM Flickr site of the work in progress and the results from day one of the repainting.

And as always, we welcome new hands to come out and help us on projects like this. Click here for more information on volunteering.

More progress on ex-RG&E #1941 - Timelapse

2011-08-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Since our last post, much more progress has been made on the repainting of ex-Rochester Gas & Electric GE 45-tonner #1941. The engine and most of the Brewster Green parts are complete as seen below in both the image and timelapse videos. Next up will be masking the green to allow the yellow to be painted.

#1941 sits in the shop in its final coat of Brewster green and after all of the masking was removed.

Timelapse video of #1941 being pulled out and finish painting started.

Timelapse video of #1941 being unmasked.

Please stay tuned for more updates soon as we work hard to have #1941 out of the shop and operating for Diesel Day!

Latest newsletter available - August 2011

2011-08-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the August 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We now have fifteen previous years currently available.

Panoramic progress on our passenger car siding!

2011-08-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Panoramic progress! Our R&GVRRM Track Crew was again working on the extension of our passenger car siding on Tuesday evening, August 2, 2011. With the east rail set and spiked, work was well underway to continue to gauge and spike the west rail. In this panoramic image (the tracks are actually straight!), you can see the siding extension in the middle, the mainline of the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad under that, and then our museum mainline under that to the left and right. Once the track is completely spiked, it will be ballasted, leveled and tamped. Panoramic image by: C.R. Hauf 8.02.2011

First coat of Brewster Green!

2011-07-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Work has continued in earnest on the repaint of Rochester Gas & Electric GE 45-tonner #1941. After several weeks of paint prep and masking along with the painting of many parts from the engine, the first coat of Brewster Green was applied to the engine on Tuesday evening, July 19th. This included both the fronts and backs of the engine hood doors which is why they are all open to dry. A second and final coat is planned for the following Tuesday evening's work session so long as Mother Nature dials the temperature back a little. Once the green is well dried, we will move on to complete the yellow and then the black on trucks and undercarriage. We also plan to reletter the engine back to its RG&E BeeBee Station lettering and logo.

Here are some photos of the #1941 in the shop with the first coat applied taken during the museum's July membership meeting on Thursday evening, July 21.

The R&GVRRM continues to welcome donations to offset the nearly $2000.00 cost of repainting the #1941. You can donate via PayPal via the link or send a check to the address both of which are included in the right hand column of the R&GVRRM's Support page on its website.

Thanks again for the continued interest, and we are working hard to have this engine complete for our Diesel Day evening in August which is also #1941's 70th birthday.

Painting Rochester Gas & Electric #1941

2011-07-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, members of the museum have been very busy working on completing the mechanical and cosmetic restoration of ex-Rochester Gas & Electric GE 45-ton locomotive #1941 prior to its 70th birthday in August 2011. The mechanical work is done and the engine was test run on July 2, 2011.

In the following week, the paint work has continued in earnest. Many parts of the engine were removed to simplify the mechanical work and to allow for the parts to be prepped and painted like the switching steps that affix to the ends of the locomotive. All of the engine hood doors and covers were also painted.

With the parts with their initial coats of paint, they were reinstalled on the locomotive during the Saturday, July 9th work session. Now back together, the finish painting can start on the locomotive in the coming week.

Please stay tuned for more updates on our paint progress on the #1941 as we strive to complete it for its 70th birthday in August and for our Diesel Day special event on August 21st.

The R&GVRRM would also like to again thank the Amherst Railway Society for their $550.00 grant that is paying a portion of the $1750.00 expended to date for the 1941's cosmetic restoration. The museum would also welcome donations to offset the portion of the cost of restoring the #1941 not covered by the grant. Donate via PayPal or send a check to the address included on the right hand column of the R&GVRRM's Support page on its website.

Thank you!

Photos from Railroad Day 2011

2011-06-20T07:40:00.001-07:00

Railroad Day 2011, a set by Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum on Flickr.

For those who may have not made it out this year for Railroad Day on Sunday, June 19, here is a set of photos by museum photographer Chris Hauf. Enjoy the photos and thanks to everyone for volunteering their time to make this another great event for our two museums. See our calendar of special events scheduled throughout the season!

Join us for Railroad Day on June 19!

2011-06-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

Get "up close and personal" with the exciting world of railroading! Find out how to couple train cars together, learn what makes a diesel locomotive go, take a turn at the Morse Code ticker in our 100-year-old country station, and discover the rich railroading history of our region. Board an antique electric trolley car which will bring you to our vintage diesel-powered trains. Ride in a real caboose and see how railroaders once lived and worked. Tour our equipment displays and restored country depot to learn how railroads were once the center of life in every American town. No reservations required! Special Event admission applies: $8 Adults, $7 Seniors, $5 Children (3-15)

Two new R&GVRRM YouTube videos...

2011-05-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Please check out our latest videos on our R&GVRRM YouTube channel. First up is a video of a some of the diesel operations from our very soggy opening day.

A few days later and still in the rain, we find the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad's ALCO Centuries running south past the R&GVRRM's new passenger car siding. This siding will see more work this year as the museum continues to ballast and level the already installed portion while working to install several hundred more feet of new siding as seen by the stone on the ground awaiting ties and rail.

May membership meeting - Thursday 05.19.2011 @ 7PM

2011-05-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum/Rochester Chapter NRHS are pleased to announce that they will hold their general membership meeting on Thursday, May 19th at the 40&8 Club. The meeting will feature contributions from our members and friends. Our Member Slide Night offers you a chance to share a few of your most favorite images. A Kodak Carousel projector will be available (please bring slides in trays) along with a PC hooked to an LCD projector for digital images on thumb drives or CDs. We will also have tables available to share photographic prints, models, and railroadiana. For those contributing slides or digital images, please restrict your show to a maximum of 20 images and preferably around 15. We want to insure everyone gets their chance to show their images.

Visitors are welcome! You do not need to be a member to attend. The meeting starts at 7PM with some time to socialize and peruse the Museum's book store. You can also check out our new larger railroad library co-located at the 40&8 Club. The library will be open at 6:30PM. A short business meeting will take place between 7:30PM and 8PM with the show starting around 8:15PM. The meeting is held at the 40&8 Club which is located at 933 University Avenue(Across from the Gleason Works between Culver Road and Goodman Street) in the City of Rochester. More information is available on our website, http://www.rgvrrm.org/.

We hope those in the greater Rochester area will come out to see this great program. Everyone is always welcome! You do not need to be a member.

Latest newsletter available - May 2011

2011-05-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the May 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

Join us for opening day on May 15!

2011-05-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

The combined New York Museum of Transportation and Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum ride season opens Sunday, May 15, with activities based on the PBS Kids series Dinosaur Train. Throughout the day kids will enjoy Dinosaur Train crafts, having their picture taken in front of a 6-foot tall free-standing Dinosaur Train standee, watching an all NEW episode of Dinosaur Train, and collecting Dinosaur Train giveaways. The event is free with admission. Our museums offers the only combined train and trolley ride in New York State, with departures from NYMT every half-hour starting at 11:30 a.m. The trolley connects on this special day with a diesel train for continuation to the railroad museum.

Entrance for the event is at 6393 East River Road, and can be reached from I-390 exit 11, taking Route 251 West 1 1/2 miles to East River Road, turning right and going 1 mile. Admission: $8 adults; $7 seniors age 65 and over; $5 children age 3 through 15. The museums are run entirely by dedicated volunteers and are open Sundays only, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

All aboard!

Rules Class for Train Service Volunteers

2011-04-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

Our first Rules Class will be on May 1. As in years past this will include Rule Book and Air Brake/Train Handling classes - To attend both classes, they will be from 9:00AM until 5:00PM. If you are only interested in the Rule Book, then plan on about half that time.

We're always looking for new volunteers to help in all aspects of train service! If you've ever dreamed of working on a real railroad, here's your chance! We will teach you everything you need to know to perform your duties safely.

I would ask for a RSVP so that we can schedule the best location for the class dependent on it's size. I apologize for the late notice, and we will work to offer several more classes in the coming month if May 1 does not work for you.

—David Scheiderich, Museum President

April membership meeting - 4.21.2011

2011-04-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum/Rochester Chapter NRHS are pleased to announce that they will hold their general membership meeting on Thursday, April 21st at the 40&8 Club. The meeting will feature museum member Tom Brewer on the "Charlotte Coal Docks & More". Tom grew up and still lives in the Charlotte, NY area and has documented the history of the coal docks with color slides and movies as well. He will also have some images of the BR&P car ferry operation. This is a program not to be missed.

Visitors are welcome! You do not need to be a member to attend. The meeting starts at 7PM with some time to socialize and peruse the Museum's book store. You can also check out our new larger railroad library co-located at the 40&8 Club. The library will be open at 6:30PM. A short business meeting will take place between 7:30PM and 8PM with the show starting around 8:15PM. The meeting is held at the 40&8 Club which is located at 933 University Avenue(Across from the Gleason Works between Culver Road and Goodman Street) in the City of Rochester. More information is available on our website, http://www.rgvrrm.org/.

We hope those in the greater Rochester area will come out to see this great program. Everyone is always welcome! You do not need to be a member.

Progress around the shop...

2011-03-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

With an above freezing sunny day, it was nice to be able to see the ground again as all of the snow has gone.

The stone base for the next phase of the Empire State Express cars' siding west of the LA&L sees the light finally with the snow all gone. Pretty soon we will be able to get back to extending the siding.

It was also nice to throw the doors open on the shop and get to work readying equipment for the spring. The R&GVRRM owns three ex-US Military Chevy trucks (two pickups and one ambulance). Earlier in the winter, we replaced the starter flywheel on truck #3 and put it back into service. Next up was truck #1 that needed a broken starter bolt removed and the starter installed. Here the truck sits after successful surgery and is again on the operational board.

Also in the shop, our Bobcat 610 skid steer has received a new rear rim to replace the original rim whose mounting holes had become egg-shaped from use. We are still looking for a smaller bucket for this unit since the bucket it has is just too big for stone work. Please let us know if you might have something.

With truck #1 out of the shop, our Trojan loader was the next piece to come in to receive work in the form of new brakes all around and some cosmetic improvements.

With it sitting on the concrete portion of the shop floor, it was quick to jack it up, remove the rear wheels, and start the process of disassembling the hubs to see what we are up against.

Meanwhile in another portion of the shop, our new to us Schramm compressors were getting prepped to have a new valve installed. The goal is to make one usable compressor out of the two, and hopefully we will see completion soon; giving us another good size portable compressor for track work and more. To augment the Schramm, the R&GVRRM could still use a good towable jackhammer compressor. Any leads, please contact us.

All in all, a very good day! We are looking forward to even more progress as the weather continues to improve. Please stop out soon to see what we are up to.

Latest newsletter available - March 2011

2011-03-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the March 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

March membership meeting - 3.16.2011 @ 7PM

2011-03-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum/Rochester Chapter NRHS are pleased to announce that they will hold their general membership meeting on Thursday, March 16th at the 40&8 Club. The meeting will feature the program, "Contemporary Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Railroading", with Irene Szabo.

Visitors are welcome! You do not need to be a member to attend. The meeting starts at 7PM with some time to socialize and peruse the Museum's book store. You can also check out our new larger railroad library co-located at the 40&8 Club. The library will be open at 6:30PM. A short business meeting will take place between 7:30PM and 8PM with the show starting around 8:15PM. The meeting is held at the 40&8 Club which is located at 933 University Avenue(Across from the Gleason Works between Culver Road and Goodman Street) in the City of Rochester. More information is available on our website, http://www.rgvrrm.org/.

We hope those in the greater Rochester area will come out to see this great program.

From the archives... Diesel-Electric Locomotive School - On Wheels

2011-02-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

For this post, we pull another edition of ALCO-GE News from the archives. This time we look at the November 1952 edition that highlights their classroom on wheels, the ALCO-GE Instruction Car. This movable classroom allowed them to bring instruction right to the roundhouse or backshop.

With space to train forty people at a time, the car could accommodate one hundred and twenty students per day over three shifts. Courses in operation, terminal maintenance and heavy maintenance were offered. The air conditioned car had separate classrooms for electrical and mechanical training. It included cutaway and working models of major locomotive components including the diesel engine, turbosupercharger, control stand, governor, bearings, and more. The R&GVRRM has two cutaway diesels on display at the New York Museum of Transportation including an ALCO 244 and an EMD 567.

This is a very neat car. Does anyone have any info about its usage and disposition? Please contact us or make a post on our Wall on our R&GVRRM Facebook page. Thanks and look for more issues of ALCO-GE News coming in the future.

February membership meeting - 2.17.2011 @ 7PM

2011-02-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum/Rochester Chapter NRHS are pleased to announce that they will hold their general membership meeting on Thursday, February 17th at the 40&8 Club. The meeting will feature a program on the San Louis Valley & Rio Grande and Cumbres & Toltec with Ted Miller.

Visitors are welcome! You do not need to be a member to attend. The meeting starts at 7PM with some time to socialize and peruse the Museum's book store. You can also check out our new larger railroad library co-located at the 40&8 Club. A short business meeting will take place between 7:30PM and 8PM with the show starting around 8:15PM. The meeting is held at the 40&8 Club which is located at 933 University Avenue(Across from the Gleason Works between Culver Road and Goodman Street) in the City of Rochester. More information is available on our website, http://www.rgvrrm.org/.

We hope those in the greater Rochester area will come out to see this great program.

Back on the road...

2011-02-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

With its new flywheel installed to remedy the broken starter ring gear teeth, the R&GVRRM's plow pickup is back on the road. And none too soon! While most of us were fixed at the possibility of temperatures in the 40s next week, we missed the snow predicted for and delivered on Saturday AM during our weekend work session. The good news is that the truck received a good workout clearing this recent snow away from the museum's property. Here are some images of the truck in action along with an additional improvement on our plow.

Running & ready to plow...

New plow runners...

Plowing... Nice to have this truck back in service.
Now back into the shop to get our other truck repaired and in service.

We welcome your help if you are interested?

Looking back... Delivery of Car #168 from Iowa - 11.7.1996

2011-02-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a new video from our Looking back... series of YouTube videos showcasing some of the events from the past that have made our museum what it is today. For this video, we watch the delivery by low boy trailer of the New York Museum of Transportation's ex-Philadelphia & Western 'Strafford' car #168 on November 7, 1996. The car was trucked by Silk Road Transport of Arkport, NY from Keokuk, Iowa to the R&GVRRM in Rush, NY. With no grade level rail at the NYMT, the interurban car was delivered to the R&GVRRM where it was offloaded on track #4 in our Industry yard. Approximately one week later, #161 was delivered and offloaded in the same manner. These cars now operate every weekend during our joint museum operating season from mid-May to the end of October.

We hope you enjoy Looking back... with us, and we hope to have more videos coming soon.

Latest newsletter available - February 2011

2011-02-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the February 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

Shop floor paying dividends already...

2011-01-31T19:14:00.000-08:00

With the install of a portion of our restoration shop's concrete floor fall late last fall and with it fully cured now, the floor has already started to pay off dividends in terms of productivity. Our backhoe has already been serviced, and now we are starting to work on some of our other support equipment. First in is one of our '84 Chevy pickups. It came to us with a pretty chewed up flywheel ring gear, and we finally decided it was time to fix the problem so the truck would start reliably again. Last Saturday, January 29, down came the transmission so we could pull the flywheel for replacement. It was so nice to be able to work out of the dirt and be able to roll jacks with ease.

We are planning to reinstall the transmission during our Tuesday, February 1, 2011, afternoon/evening work session. Once this truck is out, our other truck will come in for starter work as well. Once that truck is complete, we will bringing in our Trojan loader for brake work.

We always welcome new hands to help continue the progress. We will soon be kicking off our Pour the Floor annual fundraising campaign to raise the additional funds we need to complete the floor in the rest of the shop in 2011. With the dividends we are already seeing from the pieces we have, a full floor will certainly have a huge payoff for us in terms of capability and productivity. Please stop back soon for more details on how you can help us...

From the archives... Auditing the Erie's Rochester station - 1/24/1927

2011-01-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

The Erie Railroad had a station in downtown Rochester.   Located on the south side of Court Street on the west side of the Genesee River, the station was the end of the line for the Erie's Rochester Division which passes by the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush.    Long gone having been torn down many years back, one can only wonder about the details of the daily operation of the Erie's downtown station.    Well... Here is a snapshot in time of the station; an audit form from January 24, 1927 showing its employees with their wages, its scope & equipment and its revenue.
The Erie station had ten employees, at least two of which were women.   We find that Mr. C.J. Gilbert was the ticket agent at the time.   He made $198.00 per month.   There were 3 ticket clerks, one telegraph & information clerk, one station baggage agent, one day baggage man, one night baggage man, one baggage agent's helper, and one janitress.
We find that the office was 20'x20' with 9250 square feet of passenger platforms. The depot was equipped with three two-wheel and five four-wheel baggage carts along with a Fairbanks Standard #23 platform scale.
Monthly revenue was $8582.00 while the station handled 600 bags and 2100 parcels "under check" while serving a population of 330,000.
   Finally we note that at this time, the Erie's Rochester station not only served the Erie, but also included the interurban lines: the Rochester & Syracuse RR and the Rochester, Lockport & Buffalo RR.
   A very interesting snapshot in time of one of Rochester's several railroad stations.

January membership meeting - 1.20.2011 @ 7PM

2011-01-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum/Rochester Chapter NRHS are pleased to announce that they will hold their general membership meeting this Thursday, January 20th at the 40&8 Club. The meeting will feature the program Railroads of Livingston County with Douglas Morgan.

Visitors are always welcome! You do not need to be a member to attend. The meeting starts at 7PM with some time to socialize and peruse the Museum's book store. You can also check out our railroad library co-located at the 40&8 Club. A short business meeting will take place between 7:30PM and 8PM with the show starting around 8:15PM. The meeting is held at the 40&8 Club which is located at 933 University Avenue(Across from the Gleason Works between Culver Road and Goodman Street) in the City of Rochester.

We hope those in the greater Rochester area will come out to see this great program.

Latest newsletter available - January 2011

2011-01-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the January 2011 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

Progress on the evening of 1.11.11

2011-01-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

It just so happened that 1.11.11 fell on the R&GVRRM's Tuesday work session. Even with cold temps and the start of a snow storm later in the evening which would eventually pile up nearly a foot of snow, much progress was had around the museum's restoration building. Here are a few photos to show that progress...

Ballast has been added to track #8 at the south end of the shop to make a level surface to walk across. In the background, the museum's backhoe has seen its preventative maintenance completed.

On the east side of track #8, the large work bench has been moved back into the shop on to the new concrete floor, and is ready for projects from around the shop.

Inside ex-New York Central coach #2567, the car's baggage racks are being sanded and prepped for painting. As built in 1941, the racks were not painted. They were plated metal. For our work, we are going to keep them painted for now since they would need to be removed from the car to be properly stripped and replated. That is a lot of work although sanding them is no small job given all of the racks in the car.

Close-ups of the racks as they are being prepped. In the image on the left, you can see the wear from years of bags being put up on to the rack. Even the plating is worn in some spots where you can see the copper under the nickel-like finish.

More progress on the restoration of the southeast cove lighting was also accomplished with the aluminum trim strips getting cleaned and polished.

Across the shop, volunteer, Rob Burz, chisels away the edge of a concrete electrical box to prepare for some additional electrical improvements to the shop prior to the installation of the concrete floor in this area later in 2011.

New shop floor in service...

2011-01-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

The R&GVRRM has had a rock solid start to 2011! After having to wait out all of December for the new shop floor to cure, the floor is now in service. The first project in the shop is the museum's Case backhoe in for some routine maintenance and repairs. After the backhoe, the Trojan loader and the museum's ex-military pickup trucks will see shop time to get repaired and ready for the spring and summer. The new floor certainly makes it much easier to work on our all of our equipment, and we would welcome more hands to help make the equipment repairs and maintenance happen.

We are in need of people willing and capable to working on our heavy equipment and our railroad equipment. From engine/transmission repair to metal fabrication to those trained in heavy equipment or locomotive operation, the museum needs people capable of all of them. Interested? Please stop out during one of our regularly scheduled work sessions or drop us an email to learn more. And we welcome people who can contribute weekly, monthly or every so often. We understand life is busy, and appreciate everyone who is willing to lend us a hand when they can.

Thanks!

From the archives... Safety Wherever!

2011-01-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

Safety has been something that railroads have tried to keep in the forefront for many years. They have used many different methods to try to convey good safety practices which are typically spelled out by the railroads' rulebooks. Here we have a few examples of New York Central Railroad safety posters from the 1950s from the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's collection.

We at the R&GVRRM certainly plan to

MAKE 2011 - - - ACCIDENT FREE

From the archives... Merry Christmas from ALCO-GE News

2010-12-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

For the holidays, we jump back into the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's archives where we find the December 1952 edition of ALCO-GE News from the American Locomotive Company and General Electric Company. This monthly newsletter appears to have been sent to ALCO customers to keep them up to date on different things related to ALCO products.

In this case, first we find holiday wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the American Locomotive and General Electric Companies. A sentiment we echo at the R&GVRRM. We also find out that Mr. P.T. Egbert has been promoted to ALCO President after starting his career at American Locomotive in 1922. On the back, we also find an up-to-date list of carbon brushes to be used in the various electric equipment on ALCO-GE locomotives including traction motors, traction generators, auxiliary generators and more. A very useful sheet then and possibly useful information today for those of us working to preserve ALCOs of this vintage.

The R&GVRRM has several years of ALCO-GE News in our collection, and we will share more each month. For now, we will again echo the same sentiment of this newsletter and hopes everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Last weekend to ride the Holly Trolley!

2010-12-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

As Christmas draws closer, it is also means the end of Holly Trolley season is drawing closer as well. The good news is that you have one more chance to ride this weekend, December 18th (10:30AM to 4PM) and 19th (11AM to 4PM). Details are available on the NYMT's website. Don't miss your chance to enjoy this unique holiday event. We hope to see you out at the NYMT this weekend!

Not able to ride this year, but curious about the operation. Here is our latest YouTube video featuring Holly Trolley operations from Saturday, December 11, 2010.

Latest newsletter available - December 2010

2010-12-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the December 2010 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

"45 Tons of Fun" in January issue of Railfan & Railroad Magazine

2010-12-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

It takes a lot of volunteer work to keep the trains running at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. Many of our volunteers work behind the scenes in our Restoration Shop keeping our equipment in top shape. There are some projects that seem to take on a life of their own, due to any number of factors. Locomotive restorations are no different. When our General Electric 45-tonner entered the shop more than 10 years ago, no one knew what to expect once the engine was disassembled and inspected. Further challenges ensued when one team picked up where the last one left off and the time came for reassembly. In the January issue of Railfan & Railroad magazine, Motive Power Superintendent Joe Nugent pens a guest column describing the process of the last few years as we work to get RG&E 1941 back on the road. The article is a nice little promotion for our museum that lends some insight into the world of preservation that our visitors might not ordinarily see! The article also features photos by Joe and volunteer Chris Hauf. Find it at the newsstand or your favorite hobby shop!

Penn Central Deepwater Green

2010-12-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

In 2002, the R&GVRRM repainted ex-Penn Central transfer caboose #18526 back into its as built PC 'Deepwater Green' paint color and Penn Central lettering. Choosing an accurate color was important to the museum and after much research, a paint code for 'Deepwater Green' was uncovered in an online Sherwin-Williams fleet color database. The color listed and used was a General Motors color (supplier color code WA5764 / Sherwin-Williams formula number 2312).

With the formula code along with colorimetric measurements made off of the green samples taken from the car prior to sandblasting to insure a match to the mixed paint, the museum worked with its local Sherwin-Williams automotive paint dealer, Rochester Auto Color, to have the formula code 2312 turned into paint for the caboose. With Rochester Auto Color having success in getting paint formulas from Sherwin-Williams, they mixed both Sherwin-Williams Acrylyd Plus urethane enamel for the sides of the car and Acrylyd acrylic enamel for the roof in Deepwater Green. After spraying out some test samples, the resulting paint was colorimetrically very close when measured to samples taken from the car in locations where UV fading would have been minimized. Thus, the car was painted with the supplied paint.

After eight years, the car's paint has stayed in excellent shape. In 2011, we do plan to polish the car to remove a little haze on the paint and return it to its as painted shine, but we remain very pleased with our investment in the Sherwin-Williams paint.

The caboose can be seen here in service at the R&GVRRM in October 2011.

We hope this information helps others restoring Penn Central equipment. There are many other codes for other railroads and construction equipment within that database by searching from this page. There is no guarantee Sherwin-Williams will have a paint formula for the codes, but it is a place to start to get the information needed to work with your local Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes dealer just as we did.

From the archives... The New Empire with WAUGHMAT Twin Cushions...

2010-12-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

As we continue to look at materials published in celebration of the relaunch of the New York Central's re-equipped Empire State Express, we find a very high quality brochure put out by the Waugh Equipment Company highlighting many of the details on the new Empire. Most importantly, of course, was Waugh's selling of the WAUGHMAT Twin Cushion draft gear which was installed on all of the couplers of the new Budd built ESE cars. Yet the brochure below spends most of its pages highlighting the train and not their product.

So please take a look at this brochure which has many nice photographs of the interior of the Empire State Express as it went into service on December 7, 1941 along with many details on the train's appointments.

From the archives... An Empire State Express souvenir...

2010-12-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

While December 7, 1941 is best known for one anniversary, Pearl Harbor Day, it is also an anniversary for those interested in the passenger operations of the New York Central Railroad.   On this day, the New York Central debuted its newly re-equipped Empire State Express.   Two trains of new Budd built streamline equipment went into service as the Empire celebrated its 50th anniversary. To let riders know about the special day, a souvenir was offered. A postal cover from the first run canceled on the train's RPO car which included a specially printed envelope and the card to the left highlighting details of the streamliners inaugural run.

Here we have two examples of the cover's specially printed envelope.   One for Mr. Earl Horsington in Skaneateles, NY and one for Mrs. M. Munson in Whitesboro, NY.   One typed and one handwritten.

Thus as we remember Pearl Harbor Day, some railroad historians take note of this New York Central anniversary. It has a special meaning for the Rochester Chapter NRHS and its Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum as the museum rosters seven cars from the 1941 re-equipping of the Empire.    Six coaches and one RPO (possibly the RPO that made the cancellations above) are under active restoration at the museum for continued use in excursions.    So the Empire State Express lives on here in the archives of and in the preserved equipment of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.    Want to help us continue to preserve both? Please consider a donation to help support our museum efforts.   We also welcome people to come out to help us work on both our archives and our equipment.

And more to come... From the archives of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.

From the archives... Advertising for the new 'Empire State Express'

2010-12-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

In 1941, the New York Central was preparing to re-launch its Empire State Express passenger train in its golden anniversary year. Print advertising was critical to getting the word out about how this already famous train was about to become the "World's Newest and Finest Streamliner" when it was re-equipped with all new Budd built stainless steel passenger cars. A sample of the advertising is shown to the left. It is interesting to see the different points they used to sell the train including, "...historic murals and fluorescent lighting beautify its spacious parlor cars and coaches...". The Empire was relaunched on December 7, 1941.

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is proud to have preserved seven of the cars from the original 1941 Empire State Express. The R&GVRRM has six coaches and one of the two Railway Post Office cars. The cars are currently located at the R&GVRRM with work underway across all of the cars including the replacement of all of the window glazing; a job that was recently completed with the window modules completely rebuilt in the five in service coaches. Additionally, NYC #2567 is currently in the museum's restoration shop receiving restoration work on both the interior and exterior.

Come ride the Holly Trolley...

2010-12-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

The NYMT's Holly Trolley will be running again this weekend. Please stop out to enjoy this fun holiday event.

NYC #2567 - Working on the details...

2010-12-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

While we continue to work on prepping the upper walls, ceiling and baggage racks for repainting inside NYC #2567, our restoration team is also spending some time working on some smaller details in the restoration of the car. One project is the in-place restoration of the cove lights in the south end of the car. While the cove lights at the north end of the car have been removed for restoration and installation of new internal light fixtures, it was determined that it would be easier to leave the south end lights in place; removing only the internal light fixtures for rebuilding.

One of the steps in the restoration process was to repaint the interiors of the fixtures shells white; returning them to their original state. To make this happen, that portion of the car was cordoned off with plastic sheeting and with the car pre-heated, the fixtures were masked and painted. Here are some before & after photographs of the painting progress achieved during the Tuesday evening work session on November 30th.

Before

After

More progress across the museum...

2010-11-29T18:42:00.000-08:00

While the major focus over the past few weeks has been the install of the floor in the museum's shop, other progress has been made across the museum. Here are some photos of other work that has taken place over the past two weeks.

Progress has continued on the interior restoration of NYC #2567. Museum volunteer, Joel Shaw, paints a window surround. Once the surround is dry, the interior gasket is reinstalled and then the reglazed window module will be permanently reinstalled in the car. Nearly all the windows on one side of the car has been prepped, painted, and windows permanently installed this fall.

The museum has acquired an RTO Cummins diesel to replace the damaged engine in ex-Rochester Gas & Electric GE 45-tonner, #1950. The engine was just delivered and was soon placed in storage out of the weather.

With our dual museum operating season over, it was time to address some track work. Two of the switches in Industry yard along with the switch on top of the hill that allows access to the museum's shop have seen both tie and ballast work over the past two weeks. This work builds on previous work done a few years back.

With stone coming in for the trackwork, additional ballast was also brought in for sub-ballasting for the recently excavated extension to the museum's Empire State Express siding west of the LA&L. Some of it can be seen spread here in anticipation of track installation as the Rochester weather permits.

We would also like to remind people that we continue to raise more funds for the ballast needed to complete our new siding. If you can, please Donate-A-Ton. Just $20 donated buys a ton of ballast, but any amount smaller or larger is welcome. Donation mailing information along with links for online donations are available on our R&GVRRM Support page. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum has a lot to be thankful for in 2010. We would especially like to thank our members & volunteers along with all of our visitors and supporters for making 2010 such a great year! And it is not over yet...

We hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

From the archives... Take a trip on the Erie from Rochester to NYC on May 2, 1899

2010-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

The broadside poster was once the staple of railroad special trip advertising. Here we find one from the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's archives advertising a May-Day trip from Rochester, NY to New York City for "Only $7.00 Round Trip!" It helps that this poster is for May 2, 1899, and to get this price, you need to return before May 7, 1899. Departures were 6AM or 5PM from Rochester, and you needed to see the Passenger Agent if you wanted to make Pullman accommodations. Jump ahead 111 years, the cost as of November 23, 2010 for a coach round-trip ticket for May 2, 2011 on Amtrak is... $114.00.

The finished product...

2010-11-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

Two days after it was poured, the new floor has had all of the forms removed, has been sealed, and some of the protective plastic removed from the surrounding equipment. It will be a month before it is fully cured, and we can start to use the center section to work on our various museum support vehicles. When that time comes, it will be a very nice change and should allow us to do much more much faster and safer.

On the east side of the shop, the new slab will allow us to create a more permanent place for our tools and the install of a new shop air compressor.

Finally, it was nice to finally have a real use for one of these inside our shop. I had to borrow this one from our depot! We continue to look forward to the day we will be able to use it across the entire shop. We will soon be releasing details on a new fundraiser to help raise the needed additional funds to complete the rest of the floor and our inspection pit in 2011. Please stop back soon for details...

The shop floor...

2010-11-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

For twelve years, there has been dirt...

For one day, there was stone...

And finally there was concrete!

While only the first phase, the install of this piece and another piece of the floor to the left of the RG&E #1941 (shown below) marks a major milestone in the completion of the interior of the museum's restoration shop. Kudos to all who helped make this portion a reality and here is looking forward to the coming phases and completion in 2011!

More progress on the west ESE siding.

2010-11-14T20:19:00.000-08:00

On a very nice mid-November day, the museum's heavy equipment crews went to work excavating and grading for the next extension of the new siding west of the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad which will hold the museum's ex-Empire State Express cars. This is in addition to all of the progress made earlier in the year. First the area on the east side of the area was graded for a haul road and then the crews set out in the afternoon to grade for the next portion of the siding using the museum's equipment and a rented Cat D4 dozer. Here are some images of the progress.

Unable to see the slideshow, check it out the images on Flickr here.

Latest newsletter available - November 2010

2010-11-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the November 2010 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

From the archives... Three ways to Rochester

2010-11-07T19:12:00.000-08:00

At one time in Rochester's history, a passenger who found themselves in Syracuse, NY had at least three choices of how they could come to the Rochester area by rail... Just on the New York Central! From the Central's Water Level Route main line coming out of Grand Central Terminal in New York City to the Hojack Line or the Auburn Road, a passenger had choices on how to get to Rochester and its surrounding communities.

Here we have three New York Central cash fare receipts from the R&GVRRM's archives for three different routes that included both Syracuse and Rochester which lets us see just how many communities one railroad served and how one could travel just between two of upstate New York's larger cities and beyond.

New York Central - Main Line
Fare was for travel between Rochester & Buffalo

New York Central - Auburn Road
Fare was for travel between Camillus and Martisco

New York Central - Hojack Line
Fare was for travel between Rochester and Forest Lawn (one stop from Webster, NY)

While a passenger no longer has three choices, they still can travel between Rochester and Syracuse by rail via Amtrak on the former New York Central 'Water Level Route' main line.

More to come... From the archives...

From the archives... Car illustrations from a 1928 MDT calendar

2010-11-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Merchants Despatch Transportation called East Rochester, NY home and most of its railroad cars were built there starting in 1898. Here are several illustrations scanned from a 1928 MDT 12-month calendar showing some of the different cars and specifically refrigerator cars that were built by MDT for different purposes.

Can't see the embedded player? Here is a direct link.

NYC #2567 - More progress

2010-10-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

The team working on the interior restoration of ex-New York Central Empire State Express coach #2567 continues to make progress on the car. The interior walls from the windows down have seen their last coat of new paint. The south end walls were also completed and some of the details started to see paint including the cover for the toilet tank, the electrical locker, and the bump out that held the water cooler. More paint preparation is underway so the area above the windows and the ceiling can be painted. This includes sanding and seam sealing. Our "window team" has been removing the windows, prepping and painting the openings, and now has four of the windows permanently installed. Work continues both Tuesdays and Saturdays. New hands are always welcome!

New paint including the window openings and four permanently installed windows!

New paint at the north end as well with the water cooler bump out, electrical locker, and toilet retention tank cover getting their first coats of paint.

Last chance for 2010 - Fall Foliage by Trolley & Train this Sunday, Oct. 31st...

2010-10-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

Our Fall Foliage by Trolley and Train special events have been taking place every Sunday in October. This coming Sunday, October 31, is the last Sunday of this special event and the last day of joint museum operations and rides between the R&GVRRM and the New York Museum of Transportation.

Enjoy the later Autumn in western New York State from the window of an authentic 80-year-old electric trolley car. One of the R&GVRRM's diesel locomotives with two cabooses will meet the trolley each day for the continuation to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. Trolleys depart every half-hour starting at 11:30, and no reservations are required. We hope to see you this weekend as the weather looks to be nice!

From the archives... Attention please!

2010-10-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

In the archives of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum are several reel to reel tapes of Penn Central train announcements which were played in many stations across of the Penn Central and previously the New York Central System. The Museum has transferred these and would like to share two of them here with you as MP3s.

'Attention please! Empire Service...' - A Penn Central Railroad train announcement announcing Train 61 departing from Harmon Station.

'Atention please! A local train to NY...' - A Penn Central Railroad train announcement announcing a local train departing from Harmon Station and headed toward Grand Central terminal.

We will share more of these announcements in the future. We hope you enjoy them.

Fall Foliage by Trolley&Train continues through October...

2010-10-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Our Fall Foliage by Trolley and Train special events have been taking place every Sunday in October, and they continue this Sunday through Halloween. Enjoy the beauty of Autumn in western New York State from the window of an authentic 80-year-old electric trolley car. One of the R&GVRRM's diesel locomotives with two cabooses will meet the trolley each day for the continuation to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. Trolleys depart every half-hour starting at 11:30, and no reservations are required. We hope to see you this weekend as the weather looks great!

Volunteer open house this Sunday, October 24, 2010

2010-10-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday October 24, 2010, the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum will be hosting a fall open house for prospective volunteers at 10:00 am.

Reservations for this event are recommended. Please contact us if you are interested in attending.

This event is a great way to get an inside look at the many different ways that potential volunteers can participate in museum activities. There are hands-on opportunities ranging from railroad equipment restoration, railroad operations, to operating/maintaining the museum's construction equipment. We are also looking for people to help with creative services such as graphic design, marketing and publicity, exhibit creation, and historical research.

The volunteer open house will be held at our Industry depot with a tour of the depot, museum exhibits, railroad equipment, restoration facilities and projects, and our construction equipment.

Hittin' the dirt again!

2010-10-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

After a summer that saw a lot of clean-up around the museum, the land needed to further extend our Empire State Express train set siding was clear and ready to meet the museum's heavy equipment. On Tuesday afternoon, October 19, volunteers Scott Gleason and Dan Waterstraat had the yellow fleet fired up and working. Here are some photos of the progress.

The work site with the end of the current siding just behind the dozer just to left of center.

Scott Gleason has a full blade as he passes in the low Fall evening sunlight.

Making another pass. The railroad cars at the top of the image are in the north yard of the museum's restoration shop.

Ready... Set... Go! The museum's restored 1968 Cat D7E next to the museum's Galion road roller. The Galion does good work, but a newer vibratory rubber tired roller would be a great addition to the museum's construction arsenal. Anyone have any leads?

Looks can be deceiving... While the roller looks to be in the lead, the dozer has already been down the job site and back. The museum's restoration shop sits in the back on the hill.

October membership meeting @ 7PM - 10/21/2010

2010-10-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum/Rochester Chapter NRHS are pleased to announce that they will hold their general membership meeting this Thursday, October 21st at the 40&8 Club. The meeting will feature 16mm films of the New York Central Railroad by museum member, Peter Gores.

Visitors are always welcome! You do not need to be a member to attend. The meeting starts at 7PM with some time to socialize and peruse the Museum's book store. You can also check out our railroad library co-located at the 40&8 Club. A short business meeting will take place between 7:30PM and 8PM with the show starting around 8:15PM. The meeting is held at the 40&8 Club which is located at 933 University Avenue(Across from the Gleason Works between Culver Road and Goodman Street) in the City of Rochester.

We hope those in the greater Rochester area will come out to see this great program.

From the archives... A wonderful surprise inside a small envelope.

2010-10-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Along with our depot and railroad equipment collections, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum has some fairly extensive archival holdings of railroad photographs and paperwork. To share some of that archive, we are starting a new series of blog posts called From the archives... that will interspersed amongst our regular preservation and museum news updates. At the start, we will be sharing some posts originally found on our blog for the Rochester Chapter National Railway Historical Society. We thought they were interesting enough to share them again here along with a whole bunch of new upcoming posts. We hope you enjoy this new series, and we welcome suggestions.

"A wonderful surprise inside a small envelope"

While looking through the Museum's archives, I came upon a small envelope. Inside was a letter, business card, and a punched New York Central passenger cash fare receipt. Not much at first until I read the letter.

Then I realized this was a really neat piece of Rochester railroad and Rochester Chapter NRHS history. A last ride on a last New York Central train... A souvenir saved... A nearly by-gone form of communication in a type written letter... An experience shared between friends (A. Whitman Crittenden & Wallace Bradley) now preserved and left to share with us...

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is always looking for new people to help us with our archives and to see what other discoveries there are to find and share. Interested? Please contact us or come to one of our monthly membership meetings.

Fall Foliage by Trolley&Train continues through October...

2010-10-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Volunteer open house - October 24, 2010

2010-10-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

On Sunday October 24, 2010, the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum will be hosting a fall open house for prospective volunteers at 10:00 am.

Reservations for this event are recommended. Please contact us if you are interested in attending.

The volunteer open house will be held at our Industry depot with a tour of the depot, museum exhibits, railroad equipment, restoration facilities and projects, and our construction equipment.

Tamper engine rebuild nearing completion

2010-10-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Back in August, the R&GVRRM's Jackson tamper's engine suffered a crankshaft failure. Since then, the engine has been removed and has been undergoing rebuilding by one of the museum's volunteers, Bob Ziegler. Given the engine is less than new and somewhat unique as a two cylinder Detroit Diesel, parts have been been a little more challenging to find, but Bob did a great job locating a new crank and all the necessary gaskets needed. At this point, the engine is back together with just the auxiliaries to be bolted on. Here are some recent pics of the work on the engine.

The Detroit Diesel engine for the museum's Jackson tamper sits in the shop and is under reassembly after replacement of its broken crank shaft. Here the gear train is exposed (left) and with the cover reinstalled (right).

Museum volunteer, Bob Ziegler, fits the cover over the gear train as the engine continues to be put back together. Bob has done all of the repairs to the engine including finding the right parts needed to do the job.

Latest newsletter available - October 2010

2010-10-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the October 2010 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. If you would like to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

Fall Foliage by Trolley&Train continues through October...

2010-10-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

NYC #2567 - More finish painting progress

2010-10-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

Work has continued in earnest on the interior painting of NYC #2567. The final coat of paint has been applied to the new lower walls while the panels between the windows have seen their first coats of paint applied. Additionally, our "Window Team" has started the process of removing the reglazed windows, prepping and painting the openings and permanently installing the windows in the car. After having their glazing replaced, the window modules were temporarily installed back into the car. The next step in the car will see the painting of the areas under the baggage racks and the racks themselves on our way up to painting the ceiling. Work on the car takes place during our Tuesday day and evening work sessions and our Saturday work sessions. Please enjoy the pictures of the progress.

Looking from north to south. The south end walls have also seen painting applied while the door is waiting for its first coat. The white window trim remains in primer and will painted later in the project.

Other details like the toilet tank cover have also seen new paint applied to stabilize it for the future.

NYC #2567 - Finish painting has started!

2010-09-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

A significant milestone was reached during the September 21, 2010, evening work session. The first coat of finish paint was applied to the new lower walls of ex-New York Central Empire State Express coach #2567. Nearly two years into the interior restoration, this marked the start of the end of the work as the finish painting has begun. While there remains some prep work on the upper walls, the museum hopes to complete that and complete the entire interior painting of the car within the months of September and October. Updates will be posted here and on the museum's Facebook site. New hands to help paint are also always welcome! Here are some pictures of the results from last Tuesday evening.


The first coat of finish paint has been applied to the new lower walls of NYC #2567


The first coat has been applied. This color will be applied throughout the car and is a close match to what we believe was the original 1941 as built interior paint color.


Looking from north to south.


The car is equipped with a Microphor toilet system. The retention tank also received a fresh coat of paint during the work session to protect it. When the car is complete, this tank is hidden behind a sheet metal cover painted the same color as the car. All photographs by: Christopher R. Hauf 9.21.2010

Latest newsletter available - September 2010

2010-09-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the September 2010 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. And if you want to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

Car #161 returns to service!

2010-09-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

In May of 2010, the R&GVRRM's partner, the New York Museum of Transportation, discovered their primary operational interurban car, ex-Philadelphia & Western 'Strafford' car #161, needed to be taken out of active service for truck repairs & maintenance. Throughout the late spring and summer, the NYMT along with volunteers from the R&GVRRM jacked the trolley up, removed the trucks, repaired electrical wiring, repacked the motor suspension bearings, and performed other maintenance to both of #161's trucks which should allow it to run for many more years worry free. This was another great joint effort between the two partner museums.

#161 departs the NYMT on 9/12/2010.

On September 12, 2010, #161 took back over the reigns from the NYMT's other ex-P&W car #168 and returned to regular service hauling passengers during the museums' normal Sunday operating hours. While a cloudy day, #161 looked good back out on the road and ran without issue.

The museums' will be running trolleys to diesels every Sunday this Fall starting on 9/19 until the end of the joint operating season on 10/31. The NYMT will also be running their very popular Holly Trolley Rides both Saturday & Sunday this holiday season starting in late November.

NYC #2567 - Primer!

2010-09-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

More progress has been made on the interior restoration of ex-New York Central Empire State Express coach #2567. This past Tuesday evening, September, 7, the priming of the newly installed lower walls was started with one side completed during the work session. It is hoped the other side will be completed next Tuesday evening so that finish painting of the entire interior of the car can begin once a little more prep work is completed on the ceiling and upper walls.

In the meantime, here are some images of the progress from Tuesday evening.


Looking north from the south end of the car. The newly primed wall can be seen on the lower right side of the images.


Close-up of the new primer.


The lower wall on the west side still waiting for primer.

Looking from the north to the south.

Trolleys to diesels every weekend this fall!

2010-09-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

Did you miss Diesel Days and still want to see what it is like to experience the ride behind a diesel powered train along with our trolley ride? Maybe add in some fall foliage as well? You are in luck! Starting Sunday, September 19th and every Sunday through the fall foliage season to the end of our operating season at the of October, the R&GVRRM's diesel powered caboose trains will be meeting the NYMT's trolley.

We hope to see you out for our fall season! Our cabooses are even heated for those cooler late fall days.

Diesel Days is this weekend - 8/21 & 8/22

2010-08-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

These kings of the rails come in all sizes, and the collection at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum gives visitors a close-up look. Learn what makes a diesel go. See several different diesel locomotives under power, and take a ride on them! Extended hours (10A.M.-6P.M.) both Saturday and Sunday. This is the only Saturday the museums will be open during the day in 2010, so please take advantage. Special Event admission prices apply. Adults $8.00 Seniors $7.00 Children $5.00

Start your Diesel Days experience and purchase your tickets at the New York Museum of Transportation at 6393 East River Road.

We hope to see you at the museums this weekend!

Latest newsletter available - August 2010

2010-08-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the August 2010 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. And if you want to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.

Paint progress - RG&E #1941

2010-08-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

Work on the cosmetic restoration has continued in earnest on ex-Rochester Gas & Electric GE 45-tonner #1941. This time around it is work on the painting of the interior of the engine hoods to insure this restoration will be top notch inside and out. Here are some photos of the work and the results from this evening's work session.


Project Manager, Joe Nugent (top two photos), and volunteer Luther Brefo work on the painting of the interior of the engine hoods on #1941.

The results!

Uh oh!

2010-08-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

One of the challenges of being an operating railroad museum with operating equipment is that even the best maintained equipment occasionally suffers a breakdown. In the midst of tamping our new siding west of the LA&L, our Jackson tamper had such a failure. After 20+ years of faithful service to our museum, it began to make an awful sound while operating. It was still running, but was quickly shutdown.

After removing and dismantling the engine, this is what we found:


The broken crankshaft from the museum's tamper.

The crankshaft broken in three pieces! Yikes!

Luckily, we have several qualified diesel mechanics who have already been hard at work on the engine, but have also been searching for parts for this two cylinder Detroit. Parts have been located alas at a cost of $1600.00. Since we need the machine, we have made the parts purchase, but we could really use your help to Donate-A-Ton. The money we raise for ballast frees up other monies to repair and maintain our equipment like our tamper. Thanks for your consideration and here are a few more images of the work on the tamper and its engine.


Tamper minus one engine.

A little tight on space in the shop, a work bench has been placed behind our Gradall which is also seeing work. Volunteer, Bob Ziegler (left), is leading the rebuild effort and is working here to disassemble the lower half of the engine to remove the crank.

Engine with the broken crank removed. The new crank is on order, and the engine will soon be back together.

Latest newsletter available - July 2010

2010-08-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about what is going on at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum? Please read the July 2010 issue of our newsletter, The Semaphore, online in PDF. And if you want to read more, please check out our online newsletter archive. We have nine previous years currently available.