Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad transportation |
| Predecessor | Erie-Lackawanna Railroad branch line (Avon to Lakeville and Livonia) |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Founder | Chester A. Haak, Harry J. Moran |
| Headquarters | Livonia, New York , United States |
Area served | Livingston and Monroe Counties, New York State |
| Products | Rail freight transportation (primarily food-related commodities including grains and corn syrup) |
| Website | www |
The Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad (LAL) is a short line railroad serving Livingston and Monroe Counties in New York State. It connects with CSX at Genesee Junction located in Chili, exchanges traffic with the Rochester and Southern Railroad (RSR) at both Genesee Junction and Brooks Avenue Yard in Gates, and interfaces with the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum at Industry. The railroad primarily transports food-related commodities, including grains and corn syrup. In recognition of its performance, LAL was honored as Short Line Railroad of the Year by Railway Age in 1997. Additionally, the company owns the Bath and Hammondsport Railroad, Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad, and Ontario Midland Railroad.
Origins
The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville line traces its roots back to the mid-1800s as part of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad, which completed an 18-mile stretch from Rochester to Avon by 1851. This route later became incorporated into the Erie Railroad system, and subsequently the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad following its 1960 merger with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
LAL was established in 1964 when a group of Livonia residents, led by Chester A. Haak and Harry J. Moran, acquired the Erie-Lackawanna branch line from Avon to Lakeville and Livonia—facing abandonment—for $13,000. The company was formally incorporated that May and commenced passenger excursion services using a GE 45-ton switcher numbered #97, which was replaced after one year by a GE 44-tonner designated #10. In 1966, LAL purchased a 2-8-2 steam locomotive (#17) formerly operated by the Savannah and Atlanta Railway; this engine became central to excursion activities based out of the Erie depot in Livonia. Due to mechanical challenges, #17 was substituted in 1969 by a 2-8-0 locomotive (#38); the original #17 was ultimately scrapped. The railroad introduced its first ALCO diesel locomotive in 1972 with RS-1 #20. By 1975, #38 was withdrawn for extensive boiler maintenance.
Conrail era
On April 1, 1976, a consolidation of six major northeastern railroads formed Conrail, resulting in interchange operations at Avon shifting from Erie-Lackawanna to Conrail. LAL sought to acquire the Avon-Caledonia branch to establish connections with both Chessie System and Conrail lines; however, this segment was excluded from acquisition and subsequently abandoned. Increasing insurance expenses forced LAL to discontinue passenger excursions in 1977.
In 1980, LAL expanded its roster by adding an ALCO S2 locomotive (#72) while divesting GE 44-tonner #10. The Livonia segment was abandoned in 1981 due to insufficient state funding for bridge repairs; nonetheless, a team track facility was constructed at Lakeville to continue serving customers. That same year saw the addition of an ALCO C-425 unit (#425). By 1988, a classification yard had been developed in Lakeville to accommodate rising traffic volumes, followed by construction of an engine maintenance shop and office building in 1990.
The locomotive fleet grew further with an ALCO C-420 (#420) acquired in 1995 alongside expansion of shop facilities to service multiple road locomotives simultaneously. Under the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995, LAL took over operation of Conrail’s "Rochester South Cluster" in 1996, relocating interchange activities northward to Genesee Junction with Conrail and initiating a $1.4 million track rehabilitation project.
In that same year, LAL began running operations on the former Champagne Railroad—renamed Bath and Hammondsport Railroad—acquired from Steuben County Industrial Development Agency. This expansion added approximately 65 miles of track and included two ALCO S1 locomotives (#4 and #5). Additionally, four ALCO C-424m units were purchased. Recognition came from the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce when it named LAL "Industry of the Year."
Ongoing Growth
In 1997, during the Conrail division approval process involving CSX and Norfolk Southern, LA&L obtained authorization from the Surface Transportation Board to eliminate interchange limitations with Rochester & Southern at Genesee Junction, despite opposition from CSX. This decision granted LA&L trackage rights through Genesee Junction Yard and haulage privileges on R&S lines extending to Silver Springs, thereby facilitating connections to three Class I railroads: CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Canadian Pacific.
The year 1998 saw significant enhancements to infrastructure, increasing speed limits from 5-10 MPH up to 25 MPH along the corridor between Lakeville and Genesee Junction. Additionally, the Bath & Hammondsport line reinstated ten miles of track between Cohocton and Wayland and constructed new rails serving a road de-icing facility. LA&L acquired a controlling stake in Ontario Central Railroad, which gained from improved competitive access following the Conrail division.
In 1999, upgrades to the Pole Bridge Road bridge allowed support for heavier railcars weighing up to 286,000 pounds. Avon Yard underwent reconstruction, and the Lakeville maintenance shop was expanded to accommodate three coupled locomotives alongside repair facilities. Two ALCO C-424m locomotives were refurbished and renumbered as #423 and #424.
By 2001, LA&L initiated operations on the former Erie-Lackawanna mainline under the name Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (WNYP), starting service between Olean and Jamestown with gradual reactivation of inactive segments. The Cohocton Valley Rail Corp. was rebranded as Bath & Hammondsport Rail Corp. In 2005, WNYP leased Norfolk Southern tracks running from Meadville to Oil City.
In 2007, Finger Lakes Railway purchased Ontario Central from LA&L. That same year, LA&L upgraded its mainline rails from jointed to welded steel, enabling faster train speeds with increased load capacities. Barilla Pasta inaugurated a manufacturing facility in Avon reliant on rail logistics—a key factor highlighted by Barilla’s U.S. executive Kirk Trofholz.
WNYP further expanded by leasing Norfolk Southern trackage spanning Machias through Olean to Driftwood and acquiring eight six-axle Alco locomotives.
LA&L commemorated its 50th anniversary on May 9, 2015, with special excursion trains operating between Lakeville and Henrietta.
On September 16, 2022, LA&L acquired a majority interest (55%) in Ontario Midland Railroad (OMID), which manages 52 miles of track across Wayne and Monroe counties in New York—broadening its regional presence as documented in Surface Transportation Board records.
Locomotive roster
The Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad predominantly utilizes ALCO locomotives across its fleet. This includes an S-2 (#72, built in 1941), an RS-1 (#20, 1949), two S-1 units (#4 and #5), one C-420 (#420), seven C-424 models (#421–428) with four modified C-424m variants, a single C-425 (#425), four C-430 units (#430–433), one C-630 (#630), one M-630 (#631), and an RS-36 (#418). Several locomotives sport liveries representing LA&L subsidiaries such as Bath & Hammondsport or Western New York & Pennsylvania.
Historically, the roster featured a Baldwin 2-8-2 (#17), a GE 45 Tonner (#97), a GE 44 Tonner (#10), and a 2-8-0 (#38). These earlier engines have since been retired or preserved; for instance, #38 operates on the Everett Railroad, while #97 has been restored at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum as RGE #1941.
Trackage
The LAL possesses trackage rights within CSX's Genesee Junction Yard, enabling seamless interchange operations with both the Rochester and Southern Railroad and CSX. The tracks owned by LAL commence at Genesee Junction and follow routes formerly operated by Conrail, Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, and Lehigh Valley Railroad. Near Jefferson Road (NY-252), the line diverges: one spur caters to commercial clients along Lehigh Station Road (NY-253) before concluding, while the other extends southward toward Avon and Lakeville, terminating close to Conesus Lake, which historically served as a steamboat dock.
A branch located in Avon provides service to Kraft Foods, representing the final portion of Erie’s former line leading to Mount Morris, New York. In 1994, LAL reinstated a spur connecting to a grain elevator on Bronson Hill Road, thereby revitalizing part of the abandoned Livonia Branch.
To accommodate increased volume from Barilla Pasta’s production facility inaugurated in 2007, the Avon yard was expanded in 2008 to include three tracks. At Lakeville, there is a classification yard with five tracks, an engine house containing four tracks, and infrastructure supporting key customers such as ADM and Sweeteners Plus.