What Was The “MAYBROOK LINE”?

The Maybrook Line was a line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad which connected with its Waterbury Branch in Derby, Connecticut, and its Maybrook Yard in Maybrook, New York, where it interchanged with other carriers.

What Happened To The “MAYBROOK LINE”?

If one looks at the most popular Pages on our WebSite, over half directly reference the Maybrook Line. Lot’s of folks have an interest in it. The “Maybrook Line” was important to New England before the advent of Penn Central and before the Poughkeepsie Bridge burned. This piece of the railroad carried freight from Maybrook Yard, across the Poughkeepsie Bridge to Hopewell Junction where it joined a line from Beacon. The railroad then went to Brewster, then Danbury, and finally to Cedar Hill Yard in New Haven.

WHY and How To Fix The “MAYBROOK LINE”?

Container port/intermodal facility/rail bridge

The construction of a railroad bridge between New Hamburg and Marlboro is likely the least expensive place to build a Hudson River crossing between Manhattan and Albany. The stone for ramps, sand and gravel for concrete and a steel beam assembly and storage area would be right on sight. All materials and equipment could be transported by barge or boat. The bridge itself would have only four or five piers (the most costly part to build) since the Hudson River is about the same width as it is in Poughkeepsie.

The bridge approaches are on private property. This may be good for private investors. Depending on US trade policy over the next few years, international investors may find this project (China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, India, Dubai, the European Union, Brunei, South Korea) very enticing. The Hudson River component connects Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties to the world economy (finished goods, spare parts, components parts, raw materials, food stuffs) and the railroad and interstate road components connect these NY counties to the rest of North America (US, Mexico, Canada). The project is located within the US Eastern mega-population zone between Boston and Richmond, VA.

With the container port/intermodal facility/rail bridge, the flow in and out of raw materials, spare parts, partially finished goods, foodstuffs and components will allow for new industries and businesses to locate near this facility and add to the tax base of these three NY counties: Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties.

The moment of decision for NY and CT political leaders is at hand. Presently, the overwhelming amount of food, consumer goods, building materials, raw materials, spare parts, finished good and recycled glass, plastic, paper and metal are transported in and out of NY City, Long Island and Southern Connecticut by diesel burning 18 wheel big rig trucks, not by railroads. These trucks are a major source of carbon emissions and air pollution. This project is an opportunity to make a difference and combat ‘Global Warming’. Will Manhattan be underwater in the future? This problem can be solved!

Marlboro, NY: West Side of New Bridge

New Hamburg, NY: East Side of New Bridge

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Now What Is HYPERLOOP And How It Fits In!

(For background on our participation in Hyperloop…..see The Muhammad Ali Hyperlink)

ELON MUSK: HYPERLOOP FOUNDER

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Now why am I bringing up Hyperloop here? Not in this project (officially) is New York Stewart International Airport. It is across the Hudson River from Beacon and is becoming New York City’s “Fourth Major Airport”. This airport has extra-long runways and experiences different weather conditions than the other three New York City airports. As we have seen in Winter 2018, it can carry on when the other three airports close.

The tremendous success of international air service by Norwegian Airlines at Stewart International Airport in Orange County has prompted the Port Authority to expand services at the airport based in New Windsor in Orange County. Now, the biggest problem is the 66 miles distance to New York City. Especially in a snow storm riding a charter bus to or from the airport.

It would be a perfect application for a Hyperloop. We have been in contact with Virgin Hyperloop One to bring them in contact with the Port Authority (owner of the airport).

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Some Other Projects In Beacon, New York

Although the Dutchess County Airport is a tiny regional airport with a 5,000 foot runway, it has some big potential. The airport land extends a mile Northeast of the present runway end at New Hackensack Road and borders on the former New Haven Maybrook Line/Dutchess Rail Trail. With a tunnel connecting a runway expansion over New Hackensack Road the Dutchess Airport could have a main runway that is 7,000-10,000 feet long! As the NY Air National Guard gets crowded out by international air traffic at Stewart International Airport their operation could be moved over to Dutchess Airport without disrupting the lives of the guard members and their families through forced relocation. As a comparison, the Westchester County Airport has a runway at 6,500 feet, LaGuardia, Long Island/McArthur, Tieterboro, NJ. , Republic/Nassau County Airport and Albany County Airport are all at 7,000 feet. The Dutchess County Airport is a mere 6.5 miles from the Beacon Line at Hopewell Junction. A bus link along NY Route 376 could easily be established.

Some things you may not know about the Dutchess County Airport/Hudson Valley Regional Airport. The main runway is about 5,000 feet from the former New Haven Maybrook LIne/Dutchess Rail Trail. If a tunnel could be built to route New Hackensack Road under the main runway, the main runway could possibly be extended to around 9,000-10,000 feet up to the rail trail. This is the size of the main runways at JFK International in Queens, NY and Newark International in Newark, NJ. The Dutchess airport is only 6.5 miles from Hopewell Junction, 80 miles from New Haven, CT, LaGuardia Airport and Newark, NJ and 15 miles from Stewart International Airport.

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Yes, the Stewart International Airport (SWF) still needs to become the “major diversion airport” for New York City.

Read our blog on the role it played in 2018 major storm Winter Storm Grayson

WORLD’S BIGGEST PASSENGER JET FORCED TO LAND AT SWF NEW YORK AIRPORT BECAUSE OF BLIZZARD

Yes, SWF Stewart needs several projects before it can be New York City’s “Fourth Airport”. (1) The National Guard Airbase needs to move across the river to the Hudson Valley Regional Airport (Dutchess). (2) SWF Stewart needs much better “land connections” with New York City (like a rail line). (3) It needs better facilities like stairs that can reach the biggest planes.

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Hudson Valley Regional Airport (Dutchess) could serve as a future home of the NY Air National Guard currently at Stewart as well as the departure and arrival point of charter flights in the New York metro area. As online shopping continues to grow, both domestic and international air freight carriers will need more arrival and departure slots in the New York metro area. UPS, FedEx, DHL and others will need extra space. Hudson Valley Regional Airport may be a viable Hudson Valley Regional Airport and could also serve as the location for high security flights and quarantine flights that now cause major delays at the other NY metro airports.

NY State is in the process of reviewing the use of the Corrections Department land use in the Town of Fishkill. Why can’t this include the realignment of the Beacon Line from the winding and twisting 19th century route through the City of Beacon to a 21st Century realignment from the Beacon City line/Town of Fishkill line (Glenham) through the NY State land on NY Route 9W and the federally own VA property at Castle Point to the Hudson Line near Chelsea NY? If additional rails are needed, why not ask the Norfolk Southern Railroad or CSX who have trackage from abandoned coal mines and converted coal fired to natural gas power plants in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio? The extra rails could also complete the Stewart Airport link .

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Beacon itself is exploding with “developer” activity, and it needs a trolley or light rail for the city only to transform back into a pedestrian oriented city. Everyone complains increasingly about motor vehicle parking, and a robust short-haul rail service serving Beacon itself and possibly Fishkill would open up economic and tourist activity tremendously.

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The real end of Beacon Line…Cedar Hill

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Promotional

Joan Jennings Scalfan

The Girl of the Century

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Now you are going to ask. What does the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority have to do with the “BEACON LINE”? IT OWNS IT! Must realize that NYCMTA is a “regional” organization. With all that went on with Penn-Central and CONRAIL somebody had to own it!

So what would a “revised” rail line look like?

To begin with, the line from Maybrook to the Hudson River is gone. Railroads that previously entered Maybrook can reach the Hudson River and head up the old West Shore to the proposed bridge at New Hamburg. But the old Poughkeepsie Bridge is no longer in service, as well as the tracks to Hopewell Junction. At Marlboro, trains would take the old New York Central Hudson Division to Beacon, New York. Yes, with both Metro North and Amtrak using the Hudson Line, it may require an additional track.

From Beacon trains would travel the Beacon Line over the Housatonic Railroad to Derby-Shelton, Connecticut. Trains would go to Cedar Hill Yard. Some traffic may go to Long Island. With traffic revitalized, other trains will even go to Waterbury!

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A great, great WebSite about HUDSON VALLEY RAILROADS

No, it is not ours! It is very comprehensive and professional.

http://www.hudsonrivervalley.org/library/pdfs/Railroads.pdf

It is written by professionals, not railfans. Lots of really neat stories about the old railroads. Lots of great links too!

http://walkway.org

All about the Walkway Over The Hudson (old bridge from Maybrook to Beacon)

http://web.mta.info/mnr

All about Metro-North Railroad

From their biblioraphy:

“New York Central Railroad and New York State Railroads.” GOURMET MOIST / Kingly Heirs. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. . This website talks about the different railroads that eventually merged to form the New York Central Railroad. It also discusses where the railroads runs to and from.”

Since 2010, it has become a part of our WebSite:

https://penneyandkc.wordpress.com/new-york-state-railroads-and-ny-central-railroad/

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Important Link: “What Railroads Connected At Maybrook?“

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