A veteran Alco S-2 is the latest vintage diesel locomotive to be preserved, thanks to upstate New York short line Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad. The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush, N.Y., took delivery of Alco S-2 72 on November 5, along with two other donated pieces of equipment: snow plow 4410 (ex-Milwaukee Road X900242) and work car 4400. These pieces join caboose 2603 (ex-Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh 252) that was donated to the museum by the LA&L over the summer.

One of more than 1,500 units built by Alco between 1940 and 1950, former LA&L 72 was built for South Buffalo Railway in July 1941. Equipped with a 539 prime mover generating 1,000 horsepower, these units helped usher in the diesel era replacing smaller steam switchers in yards and local service. After decades of serving the steel industry on Buffalo’s waterfront, it was acquired by LA&L in 1978 to help cope with heavier freight traffic on the Rochester-area short line. Following the acquisition of larger Alco Century-series locomotives in the 1980s, LA&L 72 could still be found in almost daily use as the switcher assigned to Lakeville Yard until it was stored in 2021.

Livonia, Avon & Lakeville delivered Alco S-2 72 to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush on November 5. —Otto M. Vondrak photo

Livonia, Avon & Lakeville began operations in 1965 on eight miles of former Erie Lackawanna track between Avon and Livonia, N.Y., and has since expanded to include Bath & Hammondsport, Western New York & Pennsylvania, and Ontario Midland. The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is home to the largest collection of historic trains in New York State and is celebrating more than 50 years of preserving Rochester’s rich railroading heritage hosting public train ride events May through October.

—via Press Release