Lackawanna Valley

Company History: The LVAL was launched in 1985 to take over operation of a 22 mile former Delaware & Hudson route from Scranton to Carbondale, Pennsylvania. In the early years, the diesel fleet consisted of two patched Canadian built RS-18’s and a U30B wearing a New York Ontario & Western heritage paint scheme. These were later joined by an RSC-2 and a U33B. Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad took over operation of the line in 1993.

Successor/Parent History: This busy 88 mile line was launched in 1993 by the Genesee Valley Transportation shortline group (not to be confused with Genesee & Wyoming.) The D-L consists of three routes radiating from Scranton, Pennsylvania. One is a former Delaware & Hudson line, one a former Delaware Lackawanna & Western line and the third is a former Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley route. Their locomotive fleet is a rolling museum of Alcos including RS32, RS11, C420, RS3 (in both long hood forward and short hood forward arrangements,) C424, C425, M630, and C636 models. The GVT group paint scheme is gray white and black but many D-L locomotives are in “heritage colors” including Erie Lackawanna colors (with D-L name) on some of the Centuries and D&H black and yellow (with D-L lettering) on several RS3’s. There are also at least two units with the full heritage treatment, a Lehigh Valley C420 and Jersey Central RS3.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.