As the story goes, Mumford businessman Oliver Allen proposed the idea to build a railroad connecting Rochester with the coalfields of Pennsylvania. In 1869, the Rochester & State Line Railroad was chartered. Failing to meet its revenue goals, the company was reorganized in foreclosure as the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway in 1885. Headquartered in Rochester, the railroad connected its three namesake cities with a Y-shaped system. In 1932, the railroad was acquired by the Baltimore & Ohio, along with the neighboring Buffalo & Susquehanna.

Built by Mt. Vernon Car Co. in 1918 as Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh 252, it was renumbered Baltimore & Ohio C2603 in 1935. It’s primary assignment was to the Riker Rounds Pool. It was sent to DuBois Shops in October 1959 for rebuild, from which it was released in October 1961 with updated cupola windows, toilet, new interior, and Ajax handbrakes. It was assigned to the LeRoy Switcher, before it was reassigned to the Rochester Subdivision Pool in 1963. C2603 was retired in March 1967.

It was part of a group of equipment purchased by Reuben Darby of Maryland to be refurbished by his Custom Railroad Car Service, only to be auctioned off by B&O to recoup back rent charges. Caboose C2603 was sold to E.C. Finney for $525 at auction on March 21, 1967 (B&O Sales Order no. 4625). The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville began service on eight miles of former Erie Lackawanna track in 1965. Finney arranged through Sergeant Wise (LA&L founding counsel and board secretary) to ship the caboose up to Rochester to be stored and operated on the LA&L around 1967 or 1968. Last rebuild was by LA&L in 1993. Finney passed away in 2007.

The last official recorded use was on May 7, 2014, when 2603 was placed on the rear of a road freight to give a past director a final ride. It was also pulled out on May 9, 2015, to take part in a special invite-only night photo shoot celebrating the railroad’s 50th anniversary. The museum arranged to borrow the caboose for a special event in September 2022, and the railroad officially donated the car in July 2023. It is our goal to maintain this significantly historic caboose on our museum grounds for years to come. We enjoy a strong relationship with the LA&L, and we would like to thank everyone who made this donation possible. This is one of two former Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh cabooses in our fleet, the other being BR&P 280.

Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Caboose 2603

Technical Data

  • Built 1by Mt. Vernon Car Co., Mt. Vernon, Ill.
  • Buffalo, Rochester, & Pittsburgh No. 252 (1918)
  • Baltimore & Ohio C2603 (1935)
  • Retired March 1967
  • Sold E.C. Finney (1967)
  • Moved to LA&L (1967)
  • Donated to R&GVRRM in 2023