by Andrew Grahl and Raymond Mercado/photos as noted
In celebration of the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad’s 60th Anniversary, the railroad hosted a night photo session Friday evening, April 11, 2025, for 30 photographers at its Lakeville, N.Y., facility. Proceeds from the event went to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, located along the LA&L in neighboring Rush. Livonia, Avon & Lakeville operates in Livingston and Monroe counties, south of Rochester, N.Y., interchanging with Class 1 railroads including Norfolk Southern at Silver Springs, and CSX at Genesee Junction. The short line has grown from an initial 12 miles of former Erie-Lackawanna trackage to 27 miles today. Since its establishment in 1965, LA&L has also acquired the Bath & Hammondsport, Western New York & Pennsylvania, and Ontario Midland, creating a 400-mile system.
Several scenes were available for photographers by skillfully and quickly moving the electronic flash lighting for additional photo angles. Participants were fortunate, as rain was in the forecast for Friday night, but only slight drizzle came for a short time. It was a wonderful event, providing railfans access to an all-Alco railroad facility.
ABOVE:Thanks to the good work of Otto Vondrak coordinating with the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad, 30 photographers were able to enjoy a night photo session in celebration of the railroad’s 60th Anniversary. Here Otto is giving the welcome and safety briefing inside the Lakeville, shops on Friday, April 11, 2025. All proceeds from the event benefited the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. —Raymond Mercado
Special thanks are due Michael Burkhart, John Reagan and John Gabriel for electronic lighting, and to Steve Barry for orchestrating the shots and the photo line. Otto Vondrak was the liaison between the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum and the railroad to set-up the photo shoot and the line-up of locomotives.
This event would not have been possible without the cooperation and encouragement of LA&L President and CEO Bob Babcock. LA&L Trainmaster Greg Peffers was responsible for getting the shop area cleared out and the locomotives posed for the event. He also made sure all participants got a souvenir LA&L baseball hat upon departure!
ABOVE: LA&L C420 – appropriately numbered 420 – pokes its high short hood out of the Lakeville shop during the R&GV Museum night photo shoot. Mercifully, the rain held off for the duration of the event. —James Benetzky
The first LA&L freight train rolled down the tracks on April 7, 1965. The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum helped LA&L celebrate its 60th anniversary with a series of special events this year on April 11 and 12. R&GV hosted a joint press conference marking the 60th anniversary of the railroad, explaining the museum’s ties to the short line, with a special dedication of the museum’s former LA&L Alco RS-1 20 to the memory of past board chairman Eugene Blabey II, who was responsible for ensuring that 20 was donated to R&GV upon its retirement in 2016.
The museum operated special train rides on its grounds on Saturday, with LA&L 20 hauling LA&L S-2 72 (donated in 2023), the museum’s open air car, and LA&L caboose 2603 (also donated in 2023). LA&L brought up its business car LAL 101, E&S Blabey, former-PRR blunt-end observation car Alexander Hamilton, for display alongside R&GVRRM’s Industry depot on Friday and Saturday.
ABOVE: Alco C424 426 (ex-Belt Railway of Chicago) poses with C430 433 (ex-NYS&W, nee-NYC) and former New Haven Railroad C425 425 at the Lakeville shop, Friday, April 11, 2025. Electric flash lighting by Steve Barry, Michael Burkhart & John Regan. Conductor with lantern is Otto Vondrak. —Andrew Grahl