THE GREATER ROCHESTER RAILFAN PAGE

GREATER ROCHESTER SHORTLINE RAILROADS

B&H RAIL CORP

ADDRESS & PHONE: P.O. Box 323, Cohocton, NY 14826 - 716-384-9169

CORPORATE WEBSITE:  http://www.lalrr.com, http://www.lalrr.com/southern.html

OWNERSHIP: Physical Property: Stuben County IDA; Operated by: Livonia Avon and Lakeville Railroad

REPORTING MARK: BH

RADIO FREQUENCIES: 160.620, 160.830, 161.205, 161.175

PRIMARY BUSINESS

ANNUAL TRAFFIC: 2700 cars

INFRASTRUCTURE: 51.66 miles of track, 80-132 lb rail

ONLINE CUSTOMERS:

SCHEDULE OF OPERATIONS:  The B&H runs on an as needed basis. Sometimes this is four or five days a week and sometimes one or two. The interchange now takes place at Painted Post, as the LAL is purchasing/leasing the NS line from BATH to POST.  Interchange formerly took place at a large gas storage facility near Savona on trackage owned by NS. The interchange tends to take place about 1 to 3 PM. The NS train that meets them varies by season but can be up to 40 or more cars. The B&H can bring back one to ten cars but seems to generally be five to seven. Catching a trip to Wayland can be a real treat but is even harder to nail down. When they occur, it tends to be one or two tank cars. (John Armstrong)

TIMETABLE:

Bath Secondary (from Conrail 1996 Albany Division TT)

TRAINSPOTTING LOCATIONS:

INTERCHANGE POINT & RAILROAD: Painted Post with Norfolk Southern

LOCOMOTIVE ROSTER: Enginehouse located in Cohocton - CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE LAL ENGINE ROSTER

 

The B&H operates trackage owned by the Stuben County Industrial Development Agency (SCIDA) from Bath to Hammondsport and from Bath to Wayland, and NS trackage from Bath to Painted Post.  During the B&H years, it was a shortline in decline.  In the 1993 the Champaigne Railroad (CGNE) was chosen to operate what little freight traffic was left on the line, including a tourist dinner train. The owner passed away in 1996, and the LAL was chosen by SCIDA to operate the trackage.

Flood damage from storms between November 1996 and January 1997 closed the line from Bath to Hammondsport. Repairs have since been made and the LAL hopes to have new business on this line soon.

In June, 1998, the SCIDA received a $350,000 grant to repair the line between Bath and Cohocton. Recently, the trackwork was completed that allowed traffic to once again move to Wayland.  

New business has recently come onto this line. Transportation and Transit Associates has opened a rail car facility in the Town of Avoca, NY. The plant is the former Metamora Homes mobile home factory which is on the B&H half way between Avoca and Kanona, NY. T.T.A. has installed an impressive amount of track work including about a mile of track on the former DL&W right of way that gives the appearance of double track and a wye that allows equipment to be turned. In addition, the B&H has begun to serve Wayland again. Four cars of chemicals have been delivered to the new de-icing agent plant that has located in Wayland. Gunlocke in Cohocton has come online since the LAL took over operations.
- Courtesy Eastern Rail News via John Armstrong - 3/4/99

The LAL had been negotiating with Norfolk Southern to purchase the 14 mile long Bath Secondary track between Bath and Painted Post allowing it to interchange with NS there, as well as allowing them to service the few customers along that line. If the purchase goes through (very likely at this time), the LAL will have to invest $750,000 in tie replacement, grade crossing improvements and general track rehabilitation.  This will bring the total trackage of the B&H to 51.66 miles.

 

Update from the LAL - 10/31/01

The Conhocton Valley Rail Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corp., is re-named B&H Rail Corp. Reporting marks will be BH.

Effective 12:01AM, Saturday, November 3, 2001, BH will implement a long-term lease from Norfolk Southern of the Bath Secondary between MP 268.02 at Painted Post and MP 285.1 at Bath and assume LAL's rights and obligations with respect to the 1995 operating agreement with the Steuben County Industrial Development covering operation of SCIDA lines between Bath and Wayland and Bath and Hammondsport.

Preliminary rehabilitation of the leased trackage will begin immediately with installation of 4,500 ties to be followed by further rehabilitation next year.

Expansion of the Cohocton engine facility to accommodate road locomotives is also underway. Further expansion is planned in 2002. LAL will ultimately supply three road locomotives to supplement the two switch units currently assigned to Cohocton.

 

An excerpt of for acquisition and operation for the LAL on SCIDA trackage in the Federal Register follows:

Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corp.--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Steuben County Industrial Development Agency (19492)

Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corp. (LAL), a Class III common carrier by rail, has filed a verified notice under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2) to acquire the exclusive right to operate over Steuben County Industrial Development Authority's rail line (Subject Line) between milepost 8.68 at Hammondsport and milepost 0.85 at Bath, and from that point (which is also designated as milepost 285.10) to milepost 311.30 at Wayland, a distance of approximately 34.03 route miles.

The STB decision approving the B&H Rail Corp's acquisitions:

B&H Rail Corp.--Lease and Operation Exemption--Livonia, Avon & Lakeville

Railroad Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company B&H Rail Corp. (B&H), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire and operate two rail lines in Steuben County, NY, as follows: (1) B&H will acquire, by assignment, all of the contractual operating rights of Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corporation (LAL) over an approximately 34.03-mile rail line that extends between approximately milepost 8.68, at Hammondsport, and approximately milepost 0.85, at Bath (which is also designated as approximately milepost 285.10), and from that point to approximately 311.3 in Wayland; (1) and (2) B&H will sublease from Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) an approximately 17.08-mile connecting rail line that extends between approximately milepost 285.10, at Bath, and approximately milepost 268.02, at Painted Post. (2)

The parties report that they intend to consummate the transaction on or soon after the effective date of the exemption. The earliest the transaction could be consummated was November 2, 2001 (7 days after the exemption was filed).

This transaction is related to STB Finance Docket No. 34124, Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corporation--Continuance in Control Exemption--B&H Rail Corp., wherein LAL has concurrently filed a petition for exemption from the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 11323 to control B&H once B&H consummates the transaction in STB Finance Docket No. 34123 and becomes a Class III rail carrier. The stock of B&H has been placed in an independent, irrevocable voting trust pursuant to 49 CFR 1013 in order to avoid an unlawful control violation pending a Board decision in STB Finance Docket No. 34124.

If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to reopen the proceeding to revoke the exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed at any time. The filing of a petition to revoke will not automatically stay the transaction.

An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to STB Finance Docket No. 34123, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board, Office of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423-0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on Kevin M. Sheys, Esq., Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, LLP, 1800 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Second Floor, Washington, DC 20036.

Board decisions and notices are available on our website at www.stb.dot.gov .

Decided: November 2, 2001.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams

Secretary

1. The Steuben County Industrial Development Authority owns the 34.03-mile rail line (SCIDA line). LAL's operation of the SCIDA line was previously exempted by the Board in Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corp.-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Steuben County Industrial Development Agency, STB Finance Docket No. 32941 (STB served May 22, 1996). B&H states that it has operated the SCIDA line (under its former name, Conhocton Valley Railroad Corporation) as LAL's contract operator since January of 2001.

2. The 17.08-mile rail line is owned by Pennsylvania Lines LLC, and currently operated by NSR

HISTORY:  On January 1, 2001, CVRC began operations as the rail freight operator for Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corp. (LAL), B.A. No. 2115, the parent corporation of CVRC. LAL had contracted with the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency in April, 1996 to operate, maintain, and conduct freight and other rail services in Steuben County. Pursuant to that contract, LAL conducted such operations over 34.73 total route miles, primarily between Conhocton, New York and Bath, New York, connecting with the Norfolk Southern at Bath. LAL continued this service until the end of the year 2000. CVRC took over these operations for LAL on January 1, 2001.  On November 3, 2001 - the B&H Rail Corporation assumed operation of the line from Norfolk Southern between Painted Post and Bath, including the lines operated by the CVRC.

The B&H was chartered January 17, 1872, and opened a 3-foot guage line between Bath and Hammondsport on June 30, 1875. It was relaid to standard guage about 1889. The Erie Railroad controlled and operated the company from 1903 to May 28, 1936, when it was taken over by local businessmen. Passengers were carried until 1917 when the Keuka Lake steamers ended service. On April 1, 1976, the State of New York designated the B&H to operate the Wayland branch of the former Erie-Lackawanna from Bath to Wayland. It had been acquired by the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency. The agency acquired the assets of the B&H on February 25, 1993 and least the entire property to the Champaigne Railroad (CGNE) on March 21, 1993. The CGNE's owner passed away in 1996 and the LAL was chosen to operate the line.

CREDITS: John Stewart's railroad.net and the American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th ed. by Edward A. Lewis

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Copyright 2002 by Les Wilson - all rights reserved