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Rochester, Lockport & Buffalo 206 is a single-ended, double-trucked,
wooden interurban, and is one of the
few surviving pieces from that line. The Rochester, Lockport & Buffalo
Railway served the Rochester area from 1908 to 1931. This particular
car operated on the RL&B’s
Rochester-Lockport line, where passengers
for Buffalo would make a connection with the International Railway.
The first group of cars purchased for the line included 15 coaches
(201-215) built by the Niles Car Co. of Niles, Ohio. The coaches were
divided into a smoking section and a day coach configuration. The smoking
section was upholstered in leather, and the day coach section was finished
with green plush to match the Pullman Green exterior of the car (These
cars would later wear an attractive brown and cream paint scheme that
would last until the end of service). Each coach had a seating capacity
of 50, and included a toilet compartment on-board.
The average running time from Rochester to Lockport was about two
hours. The 200-series cars ran more or
less as-built until the end of service
on April 30, 1931. During that time, 206 was no stranger to Rochester,
since the RL&B connected
with the Rochester Subway near Lyell
Avenue and used the route for access to the downtown area and City
Hall station. After the end of RL&B service, the car was
moved to Knowlesville, NY, where it was
taken off its trucks and used as a shed.
Of the fifteen cars in this series, only three survived as sheds after
1931. The remainder of the 200-series cars were burned to salvage the
scrap metal.
After serving as a storage shed in Knowlesville for almost 67 years,
the Rochester Chapter NRHS acquired 206
in 1998 for eventual preservation at
the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. Currently, the
car is covered and stored up on blocks
to prevent further deterioration. Trucks
and motors have been acquired for this
car, and work continues towards our goal
of operating this car on our museum railroad. We someday hope to run
this car alongside our preserved RL&B waiting room!
- Built: 1908
- Niles Car Co.
- Length: 51’-8”
- Weight: 70,000 lbs.
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