Victor Local?

I can remember when I was way younger seeing what I think was an RS-3 or something like it, working on what was the LV Main between downtown Victor and what was Iron City Sash & Door. While I know this section had multiple tracks through the early 1980's, I don't think it ever supported its own local crew. So, where would this engine have come from? If the main from Victor eastward was torn out 77 - 78, that engine would have to have come out from Geneva via Shortsville / Auburn line, right?

The LV ceaased operations April 1 1976, and Conrail operated the line into Victor until September 30 1979 as a designated operator. Ontario Central took over at that point.

The RS3 you saw in the early 1980's was former D&H 4085 which saw service on the ONCT around that time. It is now somewhere in the downstate New York or New Jersey area.

Prior to Conrail, the LV had a local crew originating in Manchester. I don't know how far east they served (if at all), but their westward swing included Victor. A 200 series RS2/3 (whatever) was the usual power.

I did a little research and found that by 1975, there was no local specifically assigned between Manchester and Geneva. Perhaps the various turns from Manchester and/or Geneva handled the jobs as necessary.

I believe they had a P&L local which worked from Manchester to P&L and back. It may take a while but I'll try to come up with confirmation on that.

8222 wrote: A 200 series RS2/3 (whatever) was the usual power.

A great source for this is Mike Bednar's Lehigh Valley RR: Wyoming & Buffalo Divisions, which includes upstate NY. Most of the shots are from the '60s and '70s, with RS-2 #218 being the most frequently photographed. LV used alot of RS-2s on those locals, but SW switchers handled some of the lighter work. One of the more interesting runs was the hospital train, which took bad-order cars from Manchester to Sayre. White the RS-2/-3s usually worked alone, at least one these trains had 'em MUd. I really recommend the book!

According to a few websites I found using Google, Baldwin S-12 switchers worked the Manchester area into the '60s, and occasional GP-9s worked the locals in the'70s (probably because new GP38-2s and U-23Bs were displacing them on the Apollos, FFW-1, etc). The variety of power really makes me wish I could've seen more LV...

The LV ran MR-! from Manchester to Rochester and returned as RM-2,

which would have swithched out Victor. The P&L pickup ran Manchester

to P&L Jct. and would have passed through Victor.

What freight customers did LV switch in Victor?

From the late 1960s until March 1, 1976 the Lehigh Valley Railroad operated a day local freight turnaround job out of Manchester Monday-Friday. The symbol for this job was MR-1 west and RM-2 east. Operation was normally to Rochester Jct. then on to either Rochester or Limon as business dictated. The job was authorized to operate to P&L Jct. if there was work there. Power in the early to mid-1970s was normally a EMD SW8 series locomotive. In the final months of operation a Alco RS2/3 was utilized. There were few customers in Victor in the 1970s: A small Beacon Feeds dealership just west of Maple Avenue received cars on a short spur off the team track. A coal dealer on the team track between Maple Avenue and School Street occasionally took delivery of coal (concrete silos removed several years ago). Iron City, just west of Swamp Road (NYS Route 251) was another customer. On rare occasions a car would be spotted to the team track for loading/unloading. RM-2 normally did the work in Victor. Another day local freight turnaround job operated out of Tifft Terminal Monday-Wednesday-Friday. The symbol for this was BPL-6 east and PLB-5 west. This local normally operated to P&L Jct. but was authorized to go to Rochester Jct. if business required it to. Normal power was a Alco RS2/3. ConRail continued to serve Victor, first coming in over the LVRR MT from Geneva. After the connection in Victor between the old LVRR MT and the former NYC Auburn Branch was completed the LVRR MT near Shortsville to Geneva was abandoned and CR came in to Victor over the Auburn Branch from Canandaigua. When the LVRR/Auburn Branch connection near Shortsville was installed the Auburn Branch between Canandaigua and Victor (Maple Avenue) was abandoned and CR once again served Victor via the old LV MT. The Ontario Central, which had taken over CR operations over the old LVRR Manchester-Victor in late 1979 undertook a track removal/realignment project in the mid-1980s. Much of the old LVRR MT was removed in Victor as well as some unused industrial trackage. A former customer in Victor was Hungerford-Smith. The spur to this facility (which was eventually the CVS warehouse) left old LVRR MT 2 just west of School Street. In the late 1990s it was still extant but disconnected.

First line in post of Nov. 10 should read March 31, 1976 instead of March 1, 1976.
A local freight turnaround job worked out of Geneva, NY in the 1970s. The shedule for this was: Geneva-Odessa Tuesday & Wednesday, A.M. Geneva-Manchester Monday-Wednesday-Friday, A.M. Geneva-Auburn Tuesday & Thursday, P.M.

Reference post of November 10: "Limon" should have read "Lima".

Thanks for the great info, TB! What prompted CR to choose the former LV main over the Auburn Road as the route to Victor?

Thank you. Just a guess, but I would say grade separation and track condition. Reference Hungerford-Smith in a previous post: this should have read J. Hungerford Smith.