The moments that defined the LA&L railroad family.
Explore the dates, people, locomotives, customers, projects, and achievements that shaped the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad family from the 1850s to today.
Milestones that reflect growth, resilience, and regional impact.
From the community campaign that preserved the original line to the growth of a four-railroad regional system, LA&L’s history has been shaped by practical decisions, committed people, and customers who depend on local rail service.
Search the timeline by year, locomotive, customer, award, or subject. Each entry highlights a moment that changed the railroad or strengthened the communities and industries it serves.
Six moments that mark the growth of the LA&L family.
Discover the milestones, people, equipment, and achievements.
Search by year or subject, browse by category, or jump directly to a decade.
Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Is Chartered
The predecessor corridor was organized to connect Rochester with the Genesee Valley and the east–west rail network at Avon.
The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Company was organized in 1851. Its route would become the northern backbone of the modern LA&L corridor.
View sourceRail Service Reaches Avon
The Rochester & Genesee Valley line reached Avon, establishing the rail corridor that would later connect LA&L with the Rochester market.
Historical sources distinguish the 1851 organization of the R&GV from the railroad reaching Avon in 1853. This corrects the older page’s single 1851 construction date.
View source
A Community Saves Its Railroad
Local leaders and approximately 1,200 shareholders rallied to preserve rail service between Avon, Lakeville, and Livonia.
Stock was sold for $10 per share as the community raised roughly $40,000. The line and right-of-way were purchased for about $30,000, with additional financing committed to locomotives and rolling stock.
View sourceLA&L Is Incorporated and Authorized to Operate
The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad was incorporated in May, received New York approval in July, and secured federal approval in October.
The sequence transformed a grassroots rescue campaign into an authorized common-carrier railroad prepared to restore service.
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The First LA&L Freight Train Runs
Crews moved the first train over the reopened railroad, stopping at crossings to clear long-unused flangeways by hand.
The first operating year included approximately 50 freight carloads—an early foundation for what would become a regional freight system.
View sourcePassenger Excursions Begin
Four opening-day round trips carried roughly 400 passengers and helped generate revenue while the freight business developed.
The early excursion program paired community enthusiasm with practical financial support for the young railroad.
View sourceSteam Locomotive No. 17 Enters Service
Former Buffalo Creek & Gauley 2-8-2 No. 17 brought steam power to LA&L excursions.
The locomotive made its LA&L debut in November 1965. Mechanical and boiler issues ultimately limited its service, but it established the railroad’s early steam-era identity.
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Baldwin 2-8-0 No. 38 Joins the Railroad
LA&L acquired former Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain No. 38 and had it overhauled at Erie Lackawanna’s Hornell shops.
No. 38 became the best-known locomotive of LA&L’s steam excursion era and likely was the last steam locomotive serviced at the Hornell facility.
View sourcePassenger Ridership Passes 50,000
Excursions and mixed trains had carried more than 50,000 passengers, making LA&L a recognized regional attraction.
Midweek mixed trains let passengers experience the railroad while freight work was performed along the line.
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Sweetener Traffic Anchors Freight Growth
A new Lakeville sugar and syrup operation generated the traffic base that helped secure LA&L’s long-term freight future.
The customer’s arrival shifted the railroad’s economic center toward Lakeville and created the volume needed for continued investment.
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No. 20 Begins the ALCO Tradition
LA&L purchased ALCO RS-1 No. 20, establishing the locomotive tradition and black-and-yellow identity associated with the railroad.
Built in 1949 for the Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion, No. 20 became LA&L’s first ALCO diesel and a cornerstone of early freight operations.
View sourceThe Railroad Transitions Fully to Freight
Conrail became LA&L’s interchange partner in 1976, while rising liability costs brought the regular passenger-excursion era to a close.
The transition concentrated people, equipment, and capital on freight service as customer volumes increased.
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ALCO S-2 No. 72 Expands Freight Capacity
LA&L sold its original GE 44-tonner and acquired ALCO S-2 No. 72 from South Buffalo Railway.
No. 72 frequently worked with No. 20 on heavier road freights and later served for decades as a Lakeville yard locomotive.
View sourceOperations Consolidate Around Lakeville
The lightly used segment into Livonia was retired, and Lakeville became the railroad’s southern operating center.
A team track supported remaining customers as LA&L increasingly focused on Lakeville’s growing industrial traffic.
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Five-Track Lakeville Yard Is Completed
A new classification yard added the capacity needed to organize growing traffic from Lakeville-area customers.
The yard established the operating footprint that continues to support switching, staging, and customer service today.
View sourceModern Lakeville Engine House Opens
LA&L constructed a dedicated shop and office complex that became the mechanical headquarters of the expanding system.
The facility supported the railroad’s growing road-locomotive fleet and long-term in-house mechanical capability.
View sourceAgricultural Transload Service Expands
LA&L reactivated the Bronson Hill segment to serve a new agricultural transload operation.
The project broadened the railroad’s role in fertilizer, grain, feed ingredients, and regional agricultural logistics.
View sourceRochester South Cluster Extends LA&L to Genesee Junction
LA&L acquired Conrail’s Rochester South Cluster, nearly doubling the railroad and moving its northern interchange to the Rochester area.
The acquisition created a direct LA&L route between Lakeville and Genesee Junction and launched a major rehabilitation program.
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LA&L Assumes Operation of the B&H
Steuben County selected LA&L to operate the combined Bath & Hammondsport rail lines.
The move expanded the company beyond its original Livingston–Monroe County territory and began the modern LA&L family of railroads.
View sourceRailway Age Names LA&L Short Line of the Year
LA&L received one of the short line industry’s most prominent national recognitions.
The award recognized the railroad’s operating progress, customer service, infrastructure investment, and regional impact.
View sourceCompetitive Interchange Access Is Secured
Federal action granted additional rights at Genesee Junction and access toward Silver Springs, broadening LA&L’s competitive rail reach.
The decision helped remove a long-standing interchange barrier and strengthened access to major connecting railroads.
View sourceHeavy-Rail and 286K Improvements Modernize the Main Line
Bridge, rail, yard, and shop improvements increased capacity and positioned the railroad for modern 286,000-pound freight cars.
These investments were critical to later industrial recruitment and major customers requiring contemporary railcar weights.
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Western New York & Pennsylvania Begins Operations
WNYP began operating the former Erie main line between Hornell, New York, and Corry, Pennsylvania.
The new railroad returned a strategic Southern Tier corridor to locally focused short line operation and set the stage for extensive rehabilitation.
View sourceB&H Service Extends to Painted Post
The B&H network expanded from Bath to a Norfolk Southern connection at Painted Post.
The extension created a stronger freight outlet for Steuben County customers and supported future transload and industrial service.
View sourceWNYP Reconnects Corry and Meadville
Acquisition of the Corry–Meadville segment restored continuous railroad operation over a corridor broken since the early 1990s.
The project strengthened northwestern Pennsylvania service and expanded WNYP’s industrial reach.
View sourceWNYP Expands Toward Oil City and Driftwood
Additional leases and operating arrangements extended WNYP service to the Franklin–Oil City area and over the Buffalo Line to Driftwood.
The staged expansion created a broad western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania network with multiple interchange opportunities.
View sourceSix-Axle MLW Power Joins the System
Large MLW M-636 locomotives arrived for WNYP service and became signature power over the railroad’s demanding Pennsylvania grades.
The locomotives gave the system distinctive heavy-haul capability while extending its long association with ALCO and MLW power.
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Barilla Opens Its Avon Pasta Plant
The $100 million rail-served manufacturing plant became a landmark industrial-development success and a major LA&L customer.
Rail access capable of handling 286,000-pound cars was an important site-selection requirement and helped bring the project to Livingston County.
View sourceLA&L Marks 50 Years of Service
Community events and special excursions commemorated five decades since the first year of operation.
The anniversary connected the railroad’s excursion-era beginnings with its modern freight role.
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Historic ALCO No. 20 Is Donated for Preservation
LA&L transferred its first ALCO diesel to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.
The donation preserved a locomotive that shaped LA&L’s mechanical identity and black-and-yellow appearance.
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Avon Railroad History Marker Is Dedicated
The Town of Avon commemorated the community’s long rail history and the corridor that remains active today.
The marker recognizes Avon’s position as a major regional rail junction and the continuity of LA&L service.
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Eugene H. Blabey II Enters the Short Line Hall of Fame
ASLRRA inducted LA&L’s long-time chairman as a member of its inaugural Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame class.
The association recognized his innovation, perseverance, service, and decades of leadership across the short line industry.
View sourceLA&L Earns an ASLRRA President’s Safety Award
LA&L was recognized as the Eastern Region’s lowest-frequency-rate railroad in its employee-hours category.
The award was based on federally reported safety performance and represented one of ASLRRA’s highest annual safety distinctions.
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Ontario Midland Joins the LA&L Family
LA&L acquired a controlling interest in the Ontario Midland Railroad, bringing the system to four affiliated short lines.
The transaction added more than 50 miles of service in Wayne and Monroe Counties and expanded the family network to more than 400 track miles.
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Additional Historic Equipment Is Donated
LA&L donated S-2 No. 72, caboose 2603, snowplow 4410, and work flat 4400 to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.
The equipment tells the story of daily operations, snow service, work trains, and the railroad’s long ALCO tradition.
View sourceRail Service Returns to Diamond Packaging
A long-dormant Henrietta industrial spur was restored to support inbound boxcar service.
The project demonstrates how existing rail infrastructure can be reactivated to create new freight efficiencies for established regional manufacturers.
View sourceA Second Recent President’s Safety Award
ASLRRA again selected LA&L as the Eastern Region’s top safety performer in the under-50,000-person-hour category.
The 2024 honor was based on 2023 FRA-reported performance and reinforced the railroad’s sustained safety record.
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The System Honors Eugene Blabey’s Legacy
The railroad industry remembered a long-time LA&L chairman, investor, advocate, and builder of the modern four-railroad system.
Blabey’s involvement with short lines spanned more than 50 years. He helped raise the initial capital for WNYP and played a central role in developing and promoting the LA&L family.
View source
Sixty Years of Continuous Service
LA&L and the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum marked six decades since the first freight train operated in April 1965.
A night photo session, museum train rides, historic equipment displays, and public programming connected the operating railroad with the equipment and people that shaped its history.
View sourceRailfan & Railroad Documents the LA&L Story
A major anniversary feature traced the railroad’s rise from a volunteer-supported startup to a nearly 400-mile regional system.
The feature brought together company records, photography, equipment history, and the community story behind the railroad’s survival and growth.
View sourceAwards that reflect performance, safety, and industry leadership.
The strongest recognition on this page is independently documented by Railway Age and ASLRRA.
Railway Age Short Line of the Year
National recognition during a defining period of infrastructure rehabilitation, competitive access, and system expansion.
Short Line Industry Hall of Fame
Eugene H. Blabey II entered ASLRRA’s inaugural class of short line visionaries.
President’s Safety Award
ASLRRA’s top Eastern Region safety recognition for LA&L’s employee-hours category.
President’s Safety Award
A second recent regional category win based on 2023 FRA-reported safety performance.
From steam excursions to modern industrial freight.
Drag the divider to move between two eras. The equipment, customers, and territory have changed dramatically, but the railroad’s core purpose remains the same: preserving practical rail access for the communities and industries it serves.
Steam era
Modern freight
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Behind every milestone are the people who kept the railroad moving.
The LA&L story belongs to its original shareholders, generations of railroad employees, customers, directors, development partners, and communities that understood the value of dependable local rail service.
Their work transformed a threatened branch line into a regional railroad family serving industry across New York and Pennsylvania.
Learn more about the railroad’s people, equipment, and operating history.
The timeline draws on company archives, railroad museums, industry publications, regulatory records, and regional historical sources.
View principal research sources
Explore the story, the railroad family, and the next chapter.
Read the full company history, learn more about the four affiliated railroads, or contact LA&L to share a historic photograph, memory, or milestone connected to the railroad.