Some old ferroequinology memories...all good!

In a prior post, one of my readers mentioned the Finger Lakes of New York.  Having lived in the Finger Lakes region "back in the day," I can confirm that the area is visually spectacular, with its hills and lakes.   But one of those lakes has something special in its memories...

Keuka Lake (the one shaped like a "Y," pronounced "Key-you-ca" and translated, means "Canoe Landing" in the Iroquois Language or "lake with an elbow" in Seneca) had a little railroad which ran from Bath to Hammondsport (right on the lake.)  This railroad served the wine industry, and appropriately connected with the DL&W/Erie at Bath.  The wineries/warehouses were just outside of Hammondsport, and there was a small station there, named Rheims (as in the French town and cathedral). 

Over the years its fortunes waxed and waned, and it took over operations of the old DL&W line which used to run to Buffalo (but was cut off at a town called Wayland.)   Reportedly in the mid-'60's it was taken over and operated by none other than an investor group and headed by Tony Hannold, operator of many Alco-only railroads.

Along came a Hanmondsport entrepreneur (Stan Clark) who in '93 was involved with the local Industrial Development folks in buying and keeping the railroad running.  In addition, he added an excursion train over not only the original 9 miles from Bath to Hammondsport, but also the extension from Bath to Cohocton.

Below is a picture of the Alco engine (reportedly ex-NYC 852) which was operating cab forward heading west in the mid 90's, shown pulling freight at Avoca NY in about 1993.

Stan Clark obtained a number of used passenger cars, and did a quick repaint/rehab of them on railroad property near Hammondsport.   Then in about 1995, he put them in tourist service on a train called the "Champagne Trail Excursion" which ran from Bath to Hammondsport, and from Bath to Cohocton, the terminus of the active railroad even though tracks remained in place to Wayland.  Below are the cars, as they were being worked on.  When I took this picture, I did not have permission to go in, thus stayed on public property and used a telephoto lens.

On two separate occasions, I rode the trains as a paying passenger.  Once from Bath to Hammondsport with a tour of the winery at the layover, and once from Bath to Cohocton and back.  The station in Cohocton was very nice.

The inside of the "coach converted to a diner."

Memory fails me on whether my wife and I rode the "dinner train" part of it.  I suspect we did, but can't find any pictures.  These trains were slow and fun (in a few places you could keep up with it by walking fast for a short distance) but unfortunately they didn't last long.  By the spring of 1996 Mr. Clark had passed, the passenger trains quit running and the line from Bath to Hammondsport was quiet again. 

I'm sure glad I took those pictures.

Segue to the present: the Livonia Avon and Lakeville has taken over operation of the Bath & Hammondsport, and part of the line to Hammondsport has been revived, at least as far as the business park.  The line to Wayland/Cohocton is active and hauls a lot of farm products, plus I believe some sand for the oil industry.

Following is the old station at Rheims - on the property of Taylor Winery, in 2013.   Taken with permission, though I was not allowed inside.  Tracks were behind the station, still in place, though unused.  And when I rode the excursion "back in the day", we deboarded from the train on the spur leading to the warehouse behind me.

Following is the trackless downtown Hammondsport train station, now a part of Depot Park.  A beautiful setting.  I was inside "back in the day,"  I spoke at some length with the manager, in his office on the second floor.  These days, it's a police station.  How the mighty have fallen...

And lastly, the old, disused engine house.  Though still behind a locked fence, it appeared to be in pretty good shape.  All equipment maintenance is done in Cohocton now.  Not sure if it is trackless, or if there is an engine marooned inside, but the tracks did remain mostly "in place" through town as of 2013 (though grade crossings were paved over.)  They are gone between the engine house and the old depot, shown above.

Needless to say, I've been a railfan since way back...

Enjoy...

Mandy