On a reasonably warm October day for Rochester, I was working on my restoration project, Erie caboose C254, in the depot yard when I heard on my radio that plans were in the works to take Rochester Gas & Electric 1941 on to trackage that had never seen a locomotive before.

You see, the trackage that encircles the New York Museum of Transportation's car barn and continues down to connect to the trackage laid from the R&GV Railroad Museum was never meant to handle locomotives. While built with 90-lb rail and solid ties, the curves and grades were never specifically laid out for locomotives, but for track cars; A definite difference. Yet, the R&GV Railroad Museum's Superintendent of Track felt that the right-of-way was negotiable by the 1941 and a train, but no attempts had ever been made. Well this afternoon would be different...

Grabbing my camera bag and jumping in my friend's 4x4, we high-tailed it up the dirt road that follows our right-of-way and stops at milepost 0.8 just where the original NYMT trackage met the new R&GV Railroad trackage. In the distance through the autumn leaves, I saw 1941 moving ever so slowly where no locomotive had gone ever before. Walking ever so quickly down the right-of-way, I caught up with the train. The resulting pictures were of that day's first for the R&GV Railroad Museum and the NYMT. While the locomotive never ventured on to the loop track around the NYMT, it did make it to the farm crossing at the loop's bottom.

Other trains with other locomotives and cars have since made the trip to the crossing and even around the loop, and each train brings members of the museums new excitement. But no trip will be quite the same as that nice October day in 1994.

Off in the distance, RG&E 1941 works ever so slowly toward the New York Museum of Transportation.

1941 continues downgrade just past the switch for the south end of the NYMT loop.

R&GVRRM member Charles Harshbarger watches the hopper at the farm crossing. This would be the farthest the train would go on this day.

Crew member Norm Shaddick keeps a close eye on the lead truck of the hopper car as the 1941 enters one of the sharper curves.

The crew of 1941's train posed at the NYMT crossing for a group photo of this special occasion. The silos and buildings in the background are the New York Museum of Transportation.

Conductor Norm Shaddick and engineer John Redden pose for a quick photo while waiting for the rest of the crew to catch up to the train.

Back on the newer R&GV Railroad trackage at milepost 0.8, 1941 prepares to take her small train back to the museum's yard at the Industry depot in the late afternoon.

With a safe trip behind her over new trackage, RG&E 1941 heads off into the low October sun.