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A
history of the Finger Lakes Railway..
The
first railroad that makes up part of today's FGLK system wound its way
across
the northern Finger Lakes region in 1840,
the Auburn & Rochester Railroad.
The
A&R became the Rochester & Syracuse Railroad in 1850,
and was finally
consolidated
into the all-powerful New York Central system in 1853.
For
well over a Century, from the 1850's
to the 1960's,
this
line would be known
as
the New York Central's "Auburn Road", a meandering branch line between
Syracuse
and Rochester, just to the south of the New York Central mainline.
Today,
most of the "Auburn Road" makes up the East-West mainline of the
FGLK,
from
Syracuse in the east to Canandaigua in the West. (Auburn Road tracks
between
Canandaigua and Rochester no longer exist.)
The
next railroad that is today part of the FGLK arrived in 1851,
the Canandaigua
&
Corning Railroad. After several name changes, the route became
part
of the
Northern
Central Railroad, and eventually became part of the Pennsylvania
Railroad's
Elmira branch.
The
PRR Elmira branch was used to haul coal from the PA coal fields to Lake
Ontario
freighters at Sodus Bay, and is famous for being one of the last
holdouts
of
PRR steam, (or ANY steam for that matter) in the North East, with steam
locomotives
operating on the branch as late as 1957.
Today,
a remnant of the PRR Elmira branch is operated by FGLK between
Watkins
Glen and Penn Yan.
And
the third major Class-1 railroad making up today's FGLK system was the
Lehigh
Valley Railroad, which opened its mainline to Buffalo in 1892.
Today
the FGLK operates two disconnected segments of former LV mainline,
from
Geneva south to the Seneca Army depot, and from Shortsville, through
the
LV's Manchester yard, to Victor.
The
NYC and PRR merged in 1968
to form Penn Central, and PC in turn became
the
largest portion of Conrail in 1976.
The LV was also absorbed into Conrail
in 1976,
(but Conrail abandoned and never operated the LV mainline across
Western
New York.)
Conrail
operated the former NYC and PRR lines around Geneva from
1976
to 1995 as
its
"Geneva Cluster"
In 1995
Conrail sold its "Geneva Cluster" to the newly formed Finger Lakes
Railway.
Finger
Lakes Railway operates its first train on July 23, 1995.
1995-
July - FGLK starts up with three GP9
locomotives,
1701, 1702 and 1703,
and a few leased units.
The
FGLK owns and operates (in 1995)
two
seperate routes, a remnant of the
former
NYC "Auburn Road" between Solvay (Syracuse) and Canandaigua.
and
a piece of PRR Elmira branch between Watkins Glen and Penn Yan.
The
two routes are connected via trackage rights on Conrail between
Geneva
and Himrod Junction.
A
third piece of FGLK trackage is the remnant of former LVRR mainline
from
Geneva south to the Seneca Army depot, however this line is not
used on a regular basis.
FGLK's
main access to the outside world is Conrail, which it
interchanges
with
at Solvay, Lyons, Geneva and Himrod Junction.
FGLK
also interchanges with the Susquehanna railroad at Solvay, and with
the
small Ontario Central at Shortsville,
(FGLK
is the ONCT's only access to the outside world.)
FGLK is jointly owned by Farmrail System,Inc.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
and two individuals.
1998
- A fourth GP9 joins the roster, number 1751, which had previously been
leased from the B&P until purchased outright in 1998.
1998
-FGLK purchases four ex-VIA Rail passenger coaches for a planned
excursion business.
Due
to delays at the border, the cars did not
arrive until 1999.
passenger
excursions begin in Autumn 2001.
199?
- The 5th unit arrives, GP10 1801, the "Mountain Laurel" unit.
1999-
June - Conrail ends its sucessful 23 year
reign, when it is sold and split-up
beween CSX and Norfolk Southern. Instead of one major Class-1
railroad
in central and western NY, there are now two.
NS takes over, from Conrail, the former Erie "Southern Tier Main"
between Binghamton and Buffalo, and also operates the former NYC
"Fall Brook Sub" between Corning and Lyons, passing through Geneva.
FGLK has trackage rights on NS (and Conrail before it) to access the two
seperate parts of its system.
FGLK and NS interchange at Himrod Junction and Geneva.
CSX takes over the original New York Central mainline from
Conrail,
continuing the NYC mainline as a major American rail route.
FGLK interchages with CSX at Lyons and Solvay.
1999-
June - the "all-EMD, all-GP" streak is
broken
by the arrival of three GE B23-7
locomotives. 1979, 1989 and 2004. (later numbured 2301, 1989 and 2303.)
These are former Conrail units. The roster now stands at eight units.
200?
- A Fourth GE arrives, U23B 2211. (later 2201)
The
roster is up to 9 units.
2001 - October - FGLK begins passenger excursions,
using four ex-VIA Rail coaches
which
were purchased in 1998. (Only two of the four are used in 2001,
"Geneva" and "Seneca")
2001 - FGLK purchases its first two cabooses, 201
and 202, both are former PC transfer cabooses
and
are converted into Remote Control units for operation in the
Solvay area.
2004?
- Two more B23-7 units arrive, FGLK 2304 and 2305.
These
are the two units that began life as Southern Railway high hoods,
and
the "front" of the units was the long-hood end, in typical SOU and
N&W
fashion. Their noses were later chopped, giving them both an
unusual
looking custom low nose, and "front" was changed to the "cab
end".
The
roster reaches Eleven units.
2004
- October -two new coaches arrive! the coaches formerly used on the
Niagara & Western NY
excursion
railroad, which operated between Medina & Lockport, NY
for one season only (2002)
These
two coaches were built for the Norfolk & Western in 1916, and
will become FGLK 1642
and
1643. They were intially stored in Geneva for a private owner, for
a few years, then purchased
by
FGLK.
2005
- FGLK purchases its 7th passenger car, a full baggage car, with plans to
convert it
into
an open air observation car.
2005
- The other
two (of four) ex-VIA Rail coaches, "Canandaigua" and "Cayuga" , purchased in 1998,
are refurbished, repainted and placed
in service.
2006
- The first unit leaves the FGLK roster. 1801, which spent its
entire
FGLK
career
in its Mountain Laurel paintscheme, is sold to the Seaview
Railroad
of
Rhode Island, who gives it a sparkling
new
paintjob in 2007.
The
roster drops from eleven to ten units.
2006
- FGLK purchases it third caboose, the former G&W 1003, which
becomes FGLK 203.
2007
- FGLK takes over the Ontario Central from previous owner Livonia, Avon
& Lakeville. The former ONCT trackage stretches 13 miles from
Shortsville
to Victor, and is a remnant of Lehigh Valley Railroad mainline. The ONCT
Alco RS36 goes "home" to the LAL, leaving behind the leased GSRX EMD
SW9.
2008
- March - GP9 1702 returns to previous owner, Farmrail, after 13 years
serving
with FGLK. 1702 was one of the three original FGLK units, at the
startup
in 1995.
1701, 1702 and 1703 all originally came from corporate relative
Farmrail.
2008
- Yet more B23-7's arrive, FGLK 2306 and 2307 arrive on the
property,
for now remaining in the paintscheme of their former owner the
Providence & Worchester.
Bringing the current roster to 11 units.
As of July 2008, 10 units are operating, and one (2304) is OOS in
Geneva,
2009 - April, B23-7 2305 heads
over to Fort Edward, NY, north of Albany, for some FGLK
contract
work.
(FGLK is not leasing the unit..FGLK is doing
the work!)
2009 - April or May, about two weeks later, FGLK
1703 joins her sister 2305 in Fort Edward.
2009 - May 9th, FGLK 2308, FGLK's 14th unit
arrives in
Geneva.
former
Camas Prairie Railnet B23-7 number 7.
Making 12 units on the FGLK roster. (1703
and 2305 are in Fort Edward, and 2304 is still OOS.)
2009 - June, FGLK 2304, which
has been OOS in Geneva for two years, returns to service!
2010 - February - News hits
the internet that FGLK may be ceasing passenger excursions!
they
are looking for an independant operation to take over the
excursion business.
Some
excursions were operated however, through 2010, by FGLK.
2010 - March - news first hits
the
internet that a new FGLK locomotive is on the way!
to
become FGLK 2309
2010 - April - It is confirmed
as TWO new units! FGLK 2309 and 2310. Two B23-7's, originally
Santa
Fe units. The units will arive still wearing their original ATSF yellow & blue Warbonnet
paint!
These
will be FGLK's 15th and 16th units, and will make 14 on the
active roster.
Thanks
to Mike Rujak, for the first photos of the new units, taken at
Mingo Junction, Ohio
on
March 16, 2010: Photo
of
2309 - Photo
of
2310.
Final Finger Lakes Railway
Passenger Excursions?
2010
- November 6, FGLK annouces it will operate its last passenger
excursion December 19, 2010.
the news is published in local newspapers:
Railway to give up excursions.
By David L. Shaw / Finger Lakes Times
Sunday, November 14, 2010 12:09 AM CST
GENEVA ” Finger Lakes Railway will sponsor its last passenger train
excursion Dec. 19.
The company will not resume booking passenger excursions in May, as
usual, but is looking for another party to manage and operate the
passenger services.
“We are going to keep the passenger coaches, locomotives and
infrastructure for the passenger service,” said Deb Najarro, director
of passenger service for the railway. “We’ve put a lot into them and
it’s not a good market to sell such assets. “We want someone to come in
and manage the passenger services so we can concentrate on our main
focus, which is freight.” There was an excursion yesterday to the
Granger Homestead in Canandaigua. The next excursion is planned for
Nov. 21 to Cayuga. Najarro said there is at least one interested party
and she’s hopeful an arrangement can be made so the new party can
resume excursions next spring without interruption.
FGLK would operate a
total of 32 passenger excursions, on 11 days,
in November & December of 2010:
Victor Rock-n-Roll Wine & Beer Tasting Train
Excursion
Date:Saturday, November 6, 2010
Departures:4:00PM
Boarding Location(s):Village of Victor
Fare: Adult (14+):$40
Fare: Senior (62+ or retired):$38
Board the train in Victor and have some fun!
The train will head east for 90 minutes then return 90 minutes to
Victor.
Trip includes Finger Lakes beer and wine tasting (5 each) and hors
d'oeuvres onboard. (Pizzas, finger foods, veggies, wraps, etc.) Trip
also includes live rock and roll music. (TMP band)
3 hour ride.
Child Policy: No children under 21
Christkindl Market Ride in Ontario County
Saturday, November 13 from 10am to 5pm
Enjoy a day long trip from Geneva to Canandaigua. Travel by rail in the
morning from Geneva Station, just off Exchange / Rt.14 at The Shops at
the Station historic depot.
Arrive in Canandaigua at noon for a 3-hour layover. During the layover,
you have the option to visit Granger Homestead or walk-about downtown.
Return Departure time is 3pm.
Granger Homestead is hosting their seasonal Canandaigua Christkindl
Market and Christmas Tree display. Market is full of juried crafts and
trees are decorated. Downtown is full of shops, eateries, and boutiques
for visiting strollers. It is a One-mile walk to lakefront. Train will
depart Canandaigua at 3pm and arrive in Geneva at 5pm. Snacks, drinks
and some souvenirs available onboard. We are NOT wheelchair accessible.
Passengers must climb 5-7 stairs to enter the train. Walking is
necessary, however a wheelchair can be folded and brought along for use
in Canandaigua. Please call with special concerns.
Cayuga Harvest Train SURPRISE
Sunday, November 21 at 12pm and 2:30pm
SURPRISE - Santa will visit the Village of Cayuga a little early for a
Harvest Surprise train ride. We will ring in the holidays early with
hot cocoa, carols, and goodies for the whole family during a 75 minute
train ride across Cayuga Lake and back. Of special note for this trip:
Parking is limited in the Village of Cayuga. We are asking people to
park along the streets above the historic train depot, which is now the
Village Hall. The Depot is located at Harris Park on Cayuga Lake.
Walking is necessary. We are NOT wheelchair accessible. Passengers must
climb 5-7 steps to enter the train. However, there are 5 handicap
spaces at the bottom of the hill for parking near the depot. Thank you
for your patience in advance when attending this ride.
SANTA TRAINS
SELECT Saturdays & Sundays, November 27 - Dec 19
The Finger Lakes Railway Santa Trains have become a family tradition.
Each 75-min trip offers a visit with Santa onboard and carol singing.
Starting with the Santa rides in Shortsville and ending with Auburn
Santa Extravaganza, we will be visiting a community near you.
Shortsville - Sat. Nov 27 - 5 Trips
Victor - Sun. Nov 28 - 4 Trips
Geneva - Sat. Dec 4 - 5 Trips
Seneca Falls - Sat. Dec 11 - 3 Trips
Watkins Glen - Sun. Dec 12 - 2 trips
Camillus - Fri. Dec 17 - 2 Trips - PM
Camillus - Sat. Dec 18 - 4 Trips
Auburn - Sun. Dec 19 - 3 Trips
For a complete listing of all Santa Trains, visit our Excursions page
online and scroll through the dates and locations. Any Santa Ride can
become a "Pajama Express" at your own discretion. Just wear your
Jammies! We will have hot cocoa, concessions, and some souvenirs
available to purchase onboard. Each trip is listed online with the
BOARDING LOCATION first and in date order. Refer to list above as you
begin planning for your visit. We appreciate that it takes time to
coordinate family and friends for a ride together. We suggest buying
tickets together for families and boarding early and together to ensure
family seating together. All tickets are for General Seating.
Lapsitters 2 and under are FREE.
2010
- December 19 - Finger Lakes Railway operates its last passenger
excursion.
(update! not the last afterall! there are Autumn 2011
excursions, see below)
Auburn Santa Extravaganza - sponsored by
CNY Model Railroad Club - (3 TRIPS)--SOLD OUT-
Date: Sunday, December 19, 2010
Departures:
10:30AM
12:30PM
2:30PM
Boarding Location(s):
Auburn
Fare: Adult (14+):$12
Fare: Child (3-13):$12
Enjoy a train ride with Santa and sing carols with everyone. Hot cocoa
and snacks available. Some souvenirs too. Santa is sure to see each
child that wants to.
Boarding location is linked in red above. Location is on Rt 5 heading
east to Elbridge / Syracuse. Just outside Auburn city limits, across
from Grant Ave Plaza with theatre and tractor supply store. There is an
old gas station with Angel's Auto office. Park along tracks and where
marked. Tickets Redeemed onboard. Please have confirmation from your
purchase below.
There are 3 trips to choose from.
BUY TICKETS NOW. TRIP #1 - 10:30 am --SOLD OUT--
BUY TICKETS NOW. TRIP #2 - 12:30 pm --SOLD OUT--
BUY TICKETS NOW. TRIP #3 - 2:30 pm -- SOLD OUT--
Child Policy: Lapsitters - 2 and under FREE
As of December 2010, there are no future plans
for excursions, none are scheduled for 2011, and there are no known
"operators" lined up for future excursions. but for now, FGLK is
keeping their passenger car fleet, in the hopes that excursions might
yet operate in the future.
2010 - December - 2309 is repainted
from her ATSF yellow & blue "warbonnet" colors into the
standard FGLK scheme, and is in service.
2011 -
January - 2310 remains in her ATSF colors, and remains
OOS in Geneva.
2011 -
May 13 - news first
hits the internet that FGLK may be considering trading in their
high-hood
GP9,
number 1751, for more GE's..possibly making FGLK an all-GE
railroad in the future.
(in
recent years the EMD roster has dropped from 5 to 3 units, while
the GE roster has grown
to
eleven units!) however, this trade of the 1751 remains only
speculation, for now.
2011 -
Autumn - Turns out 2010 was *not* the last excursion season afterall!
Finger Lakes Railway
came
back in 2011 with a full calendar of excursions in September through
December
2011!
-
Fall Festival
Express, sponsered by the Geneva Rotary Club (1 Trip)
Saturday,
September 17, 2011 - Geneva Station
-
LVRRHS Fall
Foliage excursions, sponsored by LVRR Historical Society (4 Trips)
Saturday,
October 8, 2011 - Shortsville
-
Saturday,
October 29, 2011 - Village of Victor
-
Sunday,
October 30, 2011 - Waterloo
-
Saturday,
November 26, 2011 - Shortsville
-
Sunday,
November 27, 2011 - Village of Victor
-
Saturday,
December 3, 2011 - Geneva Station
Will the 2011 excursion season end up being the last? lets hope not!
2011
- October - FGLK's 17th (all time) unit arrives
in Geneva, the Eleventh B23-7 on the roster!
The unit is the former NYSW 2300.
FGLK 2300 (unit will likely be renumbured)
GE B23-7.
built 1978
ex NYSW
2300 - P&W 2214 - CSX 3126 - SBD 5127 - Nee L&N 5127
This unit will most likely become FGLK
2311. The all-time roster increases from 16 to 17 units,
and
the current roster increases from 14 to 15 units.
2011
- December - The speculation above, from May, about GP9 number
1751 perhaps being traded
for
more GE's, is true! FGLK 1751, the high-hood GP9, was sold to the
Conway Scenic railroad
of New Hampshire in
2011. 1751 left Geneva for the last time in early December, 2011.
As
the 1751 goes to Conway Scenic, two GE's are coming from Conway Scenic
to FGLK.
FGLK's 18th and 19th (all time) units.
Conway Scenic U23B 2820 and B23-7 1943 are on the way. The two GE's
have not arrived in
Geneva as of the end of 2011.
The
exact status and future plans for the three new GE's is uncertain at
this time, the former:
NYSW
2300
CSRX
2820
CSRX
1943
Two
of the three are rumoured
to be OOS and not in operating condition..perhaps FGLK has
aquired some GE parts units
to keep the rest of the fleet going? perhaps..
we
will have to wait for 2012 to find out.
2012
- January 6 - FGLK's 18th and 19th units arrive
in Geneva! dead in tow. These are the two former
Conway Scenic Units.
FGLK 1943 (unit will likely be renumbured)
GE B23-7
built 7/1978
Serial -
42056
ex CSRX
1943 - CSRX 23 - QBT 23 - nee Conrail 1943
FGLK
2820 (unit will likely be renumbured)
GE U23B
built 2/1975
Serial - 40130
ex
CSRX 2820 - CSRX 21 - QBT 21 - R&N 2390 - CSX 3320 - SBD 3320 -
nee L&N 2820
~
found some references that 2820 might have been rebuilt at some point
to B23-7 specifications,
and
so might be considered a dash-7 mechanically, but still in its
original U23B carbody..
havent confirmed this.
2012 -
October - Roster update from "checkit" on railroad.net
by CHECKIT
» Mon Oct 01, 2012 9:26 pm
As of 10/1/12:
1701 Auburn Running AY1
1703 Geneva Running GK2
1943 Geneva Running Not yet
in service
1989 Geneva OOS Engine
failure
2201 Geneva Running Shop
2301 Solvay Running SH1
2303 Geneva Running GS2
2304 Geneva Running GS2
2305 Ft Edward Running G.E.
Hudson River
2306 Geneva Running Shop
2307 Geneva OOS Engine
possibly failed. Being evaluated
2308 Ft Edward Running G.E.
Hudson River
2309 Himrod Running HG2
2310 Geneva Running GY1
2300 Geneva Bought for parts
2820 Geneva Bought for parts
708 Geneva Running, private
owner, not in service
2012 -
December.
The leased EMD SW9, GRSX 708,
is for sale.
2013
- April - Roster update
from "checkit" on railroad.net
by CHECKIT
» Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:30 pm
Scot,
Here's a few clarifications on some of the questions lately.
GCK 154 is definitely the former Salt City Ventures #2 (Trigen, Suez
etc.)
#1 is still on the property at Suez, will be GCK 153 and is sold and
will move out when made safe to do so.
901 is still on the property at Suez. No plans for it yet.
The former Alco now in use will see service until coal is done in the
summer. I was thinking it was re-engined with a Detroit Diesel, but
that was on hearsay and it could well be a Cummins.
In Geneva, the 2310 has been in service for several months. It has
lately been the GY1 switcher power as U23B 2201 undergoes some repairs.
The 1989 has been OOS for about a year now after a failed conrod
bearing scored the crank. It may be repaired at some point.
2307 suffered a similar fate a few months later, and will donate parts
for now. Status uncertain.
2300 and 2820 were secured for parts.
1943 is in service and working pretty well after initial repairs after
receiving it from the Conway Scenic. Nicknamed "Rusty" ! In time it
will receive body work and touch-up.
Finger Lakes opted to invest money into engine warming systems to save
fuel, over spending on painting, but painting could take place here and
there going forward.
Hope this helps answer some questions!
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