The upper level of my two-level layout is all narrow gauge, depicting a portion of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Fourth Division line in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
B&O in Rochester NY
The Baltimore and Ohio RR was the second major railroad in the Rochester area in the 1960s. The B&O, formerly the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh, had a long branch from Salamanca NY in the Southern Tier to Rochester. The ultimate destination of this line was a large coal dock on the Genesee River near Charlotte via the Charlotte Subdivision, where Appalachian coal could be transported by boat to customers on the Great Lakes and Canada.
B&O Coal Loader at Charlotte
Below are several views of the dock from the Charlotte (west) side of the Genesee River in August 1966. The train of loads entered the area on top of the bluff, and the switcher would shove them onto the dock. Once on the dock, the cars were all moved by gravity and braked by hand. The cars would be stopped over the ore bins, dumped, and the empties would roll over the switchback & incline, then reverse direction and roll onto the empty track in the center foreground. Two cars in the distance are approaching the switchback in this photo. Eventually, they would roll onto the lowest track for storage for the next train of empties. A nice map and some photos of the dock are published in Mary Hamilton Dann’s book Rochester and Genesee Valley Rails.
 An overall view of the dock from the Charlotte (west) side of the Genesee River in August 1966. |  This closer view of the upper part of the dock shows a string of 4 cars rolling toward the coal bins, with 3 brakemen with light colored shirts riding between the cars. The white cabin of an ore boat can be seen through the supports of the coal dock. |  Two EMD switcher SW9s, 1200 hp each, are shoving loads onto the two-track coal dock in August 1966. My friend Larry is at the right, checking out the locos. |  The switchers have made up a train of empties from the lowest track, and are ready to head back to town on the Charlotte Subdivision. |  The coal dock was a massive structure, as can be seen in this February 1964 view from near Rattlesnake Point, across the river. I apologize for the poor quality of this image – I blame the Brownie camera that I had at the time. Coal shipments to the dock ended in 1970, and the dock was dismantled later. |
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West Avenue – B&O and NYC
At West Avenue in Rochester was the Lincoln Park engine terminal on the B&O, plus the NYC main line to Buffalo – so between the two lines, there was usually something to see. While there was interchange with the NYC at West Avenue, the main B&O yard was actually south of here, at the Brooks Avenue yard, near the airport.
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Genesee Junction – B&O, NYC and PRR
On the southern edge of Rochester and south of the Brooks Avenue yard was Genesee Junction, where the B&O passed underneath the New York Central’s West Shore line. There was an interchange yard at this location, plus a connection with the PRR Rochester Branch at the east end of the yard.
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