Photo by Boblenon (talk), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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About Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
The museum runs diesel‑hauled trains along a one‑mile demonstration line that links the historic 1909 Industry depot with the New York Museum of Transportation, winding through preserved Erie Railroad structures in the hamlet of Industry, Rush, New York. Trains traverse open‑sided cars amid restored freight cabooses, offering views of a 1909 depot, a former Rochester, Lockport & Buffalo waiting shelter and a New York Central watchman’s shanty.
📍 RUSH, NY 14543
History
The Rochester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is founded in 1937, establishing the organizational roots that later become the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. After the former Erie Railroad depot in Industry is abandoned in 1957, the Chapter adopts the building in December 1969 and purchases it outright from the Erie Lackawanna Railway for a ceremonial $1.00 in 1971, marking the museum’s formal inception. Volunteers lay the first track in 1979, enabling the arrival of the first piece of equipment, a Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway caboose, and in 1981 the museum acquires its first locomotive, EK 6, from Eastman Kodak. The one‑mile demonstration railroad is completed in 1993, and the annual Diesel Days celebration begins in 1998, showcasing the museum’s operating diesel fleet. Regular track‑car rides cease in 2010, and in 2011 the museum separates from the Rochester Chapter, becoming the largest operating railroad museum in New York State.
The Trains
The museum’s roster includes the former Eastman Kodak switcher EK 6, Lehigh Valley “Hammerhead” RS3m 211, Buffalo‑Rochester‑Pittsburgh Railway caboose #280, Rochester Subway trolley Car #60 and a set of seven Budd‑built 1941 Empire State Express coaches, together with dozens of freight, passenger and work cars. Volunteers have laid a one‑mile (1.6 km) standard‑gauge demonstration line that runs from the restored 1909 Industry depot to the New York Museum of Transportation in Rush, allowing diesel‑hauls and restored cabooses to carry visitors along the short route.
Nearby
From Rush, New York, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum pairs with the Medina Railroad Museum about 37 mi away.
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Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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