Albany to Connecticut
Yet AGAIN a trip to Fairfield, Connecticut (by far the most popular spot I visit in the course of earning my daily bread). Yes, Fairfield (located in Southwestern Connecticut) CAN be reached by rail from Albany. The trip involves a “detour” through New York City.
By taking Amtrak 70 out of Albany, it is not a problem catching Metro-North’s 9:05 AM departure from Grand Central which runs as an express to Stamford and arrives in Fairfield at 10:12 AM (usually too late for me since I work 15 minutes from the station). The obvious alternative is to leave Albany the night before and go all the way to Fairfield (the Fairfield Motor Inn is within walking distance of the station) or else stay overnight in New York and leave Grand Central early in the morning on a “reverse commuter”. (The 5:40 AM departure gets in Fairfield at 7:12 or the 7:05 departure gets in at 8:15.)
In any event, one must still have a bit of luck to catch the obviously necessary taxi at the Fairfield station.
The return trip is fine if I can arrange to leave at a decent hour. The 4:24 PM departure should get me into Grand Central at 5:38 (just in time to catch Amtrak 75), however by being only a couple of minutes late, the connection is lost. The 5:28 departure from Fairfield gets in at 6:38 and easily connects me with Amtrak 49.
While riding the Lake Shore Limited can be an interesting experience, I prefer the speed of a Turboliner after a hard day’s work. Additionally, my frustration level cannot handle the seemingly usual 5 minute delay just South of Rensselaer while train 49 waits for train 449 from Boston to “do it’s thing”.
After all this involved explanation, I have decided to drive, but never fear, my trip will still be full of railroad lore.
My usual route is to take Interstate 90 and the NY Thruway to the Taconic Parkway. Shortly after turning on to the Taconic, I cross over the Boston & Albany just East of Chatham. This spot is about midway between Chatham and a bridge that crosses the Berkshire Spur of the Thruway. This line is double-tracked except for the Thruway bridge. It seems that when the Thruway was built in the ’50s, the New York Central didn’t want to spring for a double track bridge, consequently, trains have since been held up waiting to cross the bridge on the only single track section between Selkirk and Boston. Chatham was once a rail center. In addition to the Boston & Albany it was the Northern terminus of the Harlem Division of the New York Central and the Southern terminus of the Rutland.
There is now a gap of almost an hour’s drive without another railroad save the abandoned roadbed of the New York Central’s Harlem Division. Near Hopewell Junction, the road passes over the former New Haven line from Danbury to Poughkeepsie and Beacon. This line formerly continued across the bridge to Maybrook and connections with the Lehigh & Hudson River and the Erie. Since the bridge at Poughkeepsie burned, traffic has not been heavy to say the least. My 1949 map shows a branch extending North from Hopewell Junction but it had disappeared by 1957.
At the junction of the Taconic and Interstate 84, I head East towards Brewster. I turn off I-84 at Exit 19 and pass a road which leads to the new Brewster North rail station. I head South past another road which leads to a bridge over the Brewster rail yard. I turn East on Route 6 and immediately the road passes under a bridge of the former New York Central Putnam Division headed towards Carmel and Lake Mahopac. Route 6 continues into Brewster past the Brewster station which is packed with parked cars on a weekday morning. I take a coffee break at Bob’s Diner directly across the street from the station.
In 1965, the Harlem and Hudson Divisions carried 34,000 daily commuters and 300 of these were from Brewster. It was a 1 hour 53 minute trip. From Pawling (just North of Brewster) it was a 2 hour 10 minute trip and cost $55.13/month. In 1965, trains from Brewster were hauled by RS-3s and changed to electric power at North White Plains.
In 1986, a monthly ticket from Pawling costs $178/month. Brewster is 52 miles from Grand Central and now takes 1 hour 27 minutes.
The commuter line ends at Dover Plains (76 miles from GCT). It was possible to go all the way to Chatham. In 1957, this trip took 3 1/2 hours to cover 127 miles. There was a 5 AM Monday train that carried week-end commuters to the city. (now to Wassic)
It is a picturesque commuter line which is double track electric to Brewster and single track beyond. It had adequate passing sidings North of Brewster, but apparently not enough traffic to warrant a second track. Extension of electric service from North White Plains to Brewster was not accomplished until the 1980’s. Now MU cars run all the way to Brewster.
Leaving Brewster, Route 6 rejoins I-84 after passing under the old New Haven line. This line goes through Brewster but does not join with the old Harlem until Towners. In years gone by, this line connected with the Central at Putnam Junction (just North of Brewster where the Putnam Division joined the Harlem Division). All my maps show this connection, but it has been cut ever since I have been traveling this route (even though the two lines run within several hundred feet of each other). At Danbury I can choose to continue East or go South on Route 7 alongside the Danbury-Norwalk commuter line. This line is fairly busy with a combination of SPV-2000s and FL-9 hauled coaches. It was electrified at one time and still has poles in place.
I stay overnight at the Fairfield Motor Inn which faces the Boston-New York Northeast Corridor. This line is extremely busy with both Amtrak and Metro-North but freight traffic is somewhat sparse.
On my return trip, it is raining heavily and I cannot make very good time anyway so I decide to take Route 22 North from I-84 at Brewster. This road parallels the former Harlem Division from Pawling to Dover Plains (and beyond). The single track line is next to the roadway for 13 miles. Occasionally I am lucky enough to see an SPV-2000. Passenger service stops at Dover Plains but freight goes beyond to a point just past Amenia (84 miles from Grand Central).
Until a couple of years ago freight service extended through Millerton to a Suburban Gas facility (approximately 94 miles North of Grand Central).
The abandoned roadbed is clearly visible until you rejoin the Taconic. From Millerton through Boston Corners to the still-remaining underpass at Copake Falls, the right-of-way passes hardly anything which could generate revenue. It is easy to understand why this line never made it based on local industry. Built as the New York & Harlem, it was rejected in favor of the “Water Level Route” because it was not as direct or as level.
At Hillsdale, the Harlem (roadbed) bears left towards Chatham and I turn onto Route 23 and head towards home.
If you are not satisfied with an abundance of railroading on this route, it IS a beautiful ride and there are two quite famous dining spots on the route: the Old Drover Inn in Dover Plains and the L’Hostellerie Bressane at the junction of Routes 22 and 23 in Hillsdale.
**********
Harlem Branch meets Hudson Division at Hudson
ead Penney Vanderbilt’s blog about the Harlem Division branch that once went from Chatham to Hudson. Now it only serves a grain mill a few miles from Hudson.
**********
Chatham, New York
On the Boston & Albany, Harlem Division and the Rutland
The major railroad through the Columbia County, NY town of Chatham has always been the Boston & Albany. The B&A traces its roots to the 1831 charter for the Boston & Worcester and the 1833 charter for the Western Railroad Co. The Boston & Albany itself was chartered in 1867. In 1834, the Castleton & West Stockbridge began construction. It was a continuation of the Western Railroad and later was known as the Albany & West Stockbridge.
The Hudson & Berkshire from Hudson to Chatham was picked up by the Albany & Stockbridge. The H&B tracks east of Chatham 4 Corners included a 600-foot tunnel. The H&B remained a branch line through the 1950s. The Hudson & Berkshire road was built by a group of enterprising promoters who hoped to establish a trunk line to the west by linking the Catskill & Canajoharie (the only railroad which received state aid for its construction that did not operate into the 1950s) with the Western Railway of Massachusetts. To aid this undertaking, the state lent the company $150,000. In the fall of 1846, eight years after construction began, the road became financially embarrassed and the legislature agreed to exchange its first-mortgage bonds for a lesser lien. But the business of the company continued to languish and, unable to meet the interest on its obligations, the road was auctioned off by the state comptroller for $155,000. The first-mortgage bondholders realized about 88 cents on the dollar, but the state’s equity was completely lost. This line remained a branch of the B&A until abandonment. A small segment survives near Hudson as an industrial spur.
The entire Boston & Albany was leased to the New York Central in 1900. It was not merged into the Central until 1961 and kept much of its own identity until the 1950s. While steam power was similar in appearance to the rest of the New York Central, heavier power was required to cross the mountains between Massachusetts and New York. The words “Water Level Route” didn’t apply here.
Although its population is only a little larger than 2000 people, Chatham is the largest town in Columbia County with over 31,000 square acres. Excellent drainage and good soil have made the community important agriculturally. In recent years, many New York City residents have fled here to find peaceful surroundings. Some of these refugees have become gentleman farmers (i.e. farming with no intent for profit unless asked by the tax collector). Others, particularly in advertising, have carried their businesses with them. Chatham boasts a summer theater and a phone company with nickel phone calls. September brings the Columbia County Fair to the fairgrounds located alongside the old Harlem Division. The census of 1810 showed Chatham as having 12 grain mills and 8 saw mills.
The 57-mile long Lebanon Springs Railroad was once important to Chatham. The New York & Bennington got a charter to build from Chatham to the Vermont state line. The New York & Vermont would build 6 miles from Bennington to connect with it. The Lebanon Springs purchased the NY & Bennington and built north to Lebanon Springs but ran out of money and just ran tourists from Chatham. The Bennington & Rutland completed the line to get a connection to New York City because the Troy & Boston wouldn’t give it trackage rights. In 1870 the Lebanon Springs and the Bennington & Rutland consolidated into the Harlem Extension Railroad. It was bought by the Rutland in 1901. It was known as the “Corkscrew Division”. In its 75-mile length, it lifted itself out of the Bennington Valley by means of steep grades and sweeping curves and then dropped into the Hoosick River Valley. It crossed the B&M at Petersburg Junction and then meandered through the Taconic and Lebanon valleys to Chatham. It was an entirely rural setting. It ran a lot of milk trains but quit passenger service in 1931 and was torn up in 1953-54. After that, everything Rutland (not much) went through Troy and over the New York Central to Chatham.
Cornelius Vanderbilt predicted the Rutland wouldn’t last 100 years. In the early part of this century, the New York Central bought a controlling interest in the Rutland but later sold a good deal of that stock to the New Haven. Passenger service was poor because there were no towns over 500 on the line. In 1852, the New York & Harlem reached Chatham from New York City and connected with the Western Railroad to create an Albany-NY link. The NY & Harlem never developed into a major link to New York City because the Hudson River was so much better a route. Rutland passenger service went to Troy over the B&M from White Creek instead of to Chatham. The last 27 years of the Rutland’s existence saw only the milk train. It started in Ogdensburg and made no pick ups in-route on the Lebanon Springs. It was eventually rerouted through Troy. The Rutland tried busses from 1925 to 1931. The Chatham line was never an asset. A reorganization in 1950s resulted in the scrapping of the Bennington to Chatham line. The proceeds of this action was enough to buy 450 box cars.
The New York & Harlem was incorporated in 1831 to build a line within New York City, but its charter was amended to allow it to build towards Albany. Part of the reason the New York & Harlem never fully developed was because Cornelius Vanderbilt also controlled the Hudson River Railroad which was a superior route. As the Harlem Division, it ran into the 1970s using Chatham as its northern terminus. It is 127 miles from Grand Central Terminal. In the 1950s, the 7am eastbound (this branch observed the same “east-west” direction as the Hudson Division) train took three hours and 30 minutes to reach Grand Central. The 4:25pm train took a few more stops and exceeded four hours. There was a 7:16am from Grand Central into Chatham at 11:30 and a 3:33pm in at 7:05. In addition there were extra trains on Friday night and Monday morning to accommodate weekend residents. Signal Station 65 was the end of the Harlem Division at its intersection with the Boston & Albany.
Around 1850, the Schenectady & Troy tried to develop an alternative rail route to compete against the strong combination of the Mohawk & Hudson and the Utica & Schenectady. The S&T connected with New York City by means of the Troy & Greenbush and the Hudson River RR. However, they felt a friendlier connection would be possible if the New York & Harlem were to extend from Chatham to Troy. This idea did not develop and by 1853 the S&T was part of the New York Central.
Chatham’s train station is currently unused and is owned by CONRAIL. It is 100 years old in 1987 and was designed by the same people who did Albany Union Station. It served both the B&A and Harlem. The Rutland had its own station nearby.
Boston is 177 miles from Chatham and Rensselaer (site of Tower 99) is 22 miles away. West of Chatham at Post Road, freights branch out over the Hudson River to Selkirk while today’s lone AMTRAK run to/from Boston follows the newly-reconstructed Post Road Connection to Rensselaer. No longer is Chatham a passenger stop, but in 1961, at least six trains stopped there. There was what amounted to a commuter train to and from Albany daily. There did not appear to be a close coordination between Harlem Division and B&A passenger runs. Therefore, anyone planning to make a connection between the two roads had a good chance to spend some waiting time in Chatham.
**********
**********
The RoadTo Connecticut
Tracks along the Hudson
The old B&A line to Ghent and on to Chatham was the old Hudson & Boston (about 1840), then the Western and then the Boston & Albany. The local freight went from Chatham on west to Hudson via Ghent. The line was intact all the way through until just a few years ago and then was cut back to Claverack/Hudson after that. Passenger service was discontinued on 12/21/32; as of the June 26, 1932 timetable there were still two daily excluding Sunday trains. Freight service was abandoned from Claverack to Ghent in late 1959/early 1960, leaving a 4 mile spur from Hudson to (about) Claverack. In 1986, this was reduced to about 2 miles, i.e., about from Hudson to Upper Hudson.
The Harlem in 1957
At that time the NYC still had two round trips on the Harlem to Chatham with more on weekends. At that time, the Rutland job still came down on a daily basis and the yard at Chatham still had two yard jobs one of which was maned by a B & A crew and the other by a Harlem crew. There were still two towers at Chatham at the time 66 and 65.
The entire Harlem was intact and in use for passengers until March 1972 and freight until March 1976.
The 1949 timetable shows three round trips of passenger service between New York and Chatham. There were 24/7 block stations at Brewster (B) and Chatham (SS-65) and 14 block stations open various hours between the two end points at this time. There was a wide variance in the running times of the above passenger trains on this line, the fastest one on the line was a Sunday evening train that made the run from Chatham to Grand Central Terminal in three hours and six minutes while some of the others took up to four hours or even more. All of the trains had to change engines at North White Plains and probably they were mostly steam between North White Plains and Chatham.
The B&A Hudson Branch
The B&A Hudson Branch can be seen in this ETT map:
The branch ran from Hudson to Chatham. The Harlem Division connected at Ghent and ran over the B&A to access Chatham.
The stations on the Hudson Branch were as follows:
– HUDSON
– Hudson Upper
– A&H Junction
– Claverack
– Country Club (near the present day Columbia Golf and Country Club)
– Pulvers
– Mellenville
– Ghent – Harlem Division connects and thence to:
– Payn’s
– Chatham
It was origionally a branch of the Boston & Albany and came down from Chatham alongside the Harlem Division, then split turning southwest at Ghent,towards Mellenville, and Claverack. The station in Claverack survives and is restored in great shape after some years of neglect. the tracks went up to there until the mid 80’s, as there was a feed mill that still got service. Between there and the Harlem Division was torn out in the mid 60’s. just a little further from the ADM plant currently in operation was a cement plant, several buildings still standing under different use. There has been heated local debate about a newer cement plant opening, not sure if it’s a dead issue now, but there were signs up everywhere proclaiming”stop the plant”. it would add some more interesting rail activity, as well as 250 local jobs in an economicaly depressed area.
It is a 3.22% grade. Under Conrail, I believe it was their steepest grade. Under CSX now, I’m not sure it is their steepest. The ADM job is usually called out of Selkirk and the crew takes 10 cars up at a time, with empties “usually” brought down after 3 runs up. It is also very rare that a Selkirk-Oak Point / Oak Point-Selkirk train will drop cars off at Hudson. Up until last year, the local could be seen 4-5 days a week climbing the hill. It may be less now with the economy slowing down. And 6-axle power can be used on this trackage.
The purpose of the Yahoo group on the Hudson ADM plant is to keep track of all comings and goings of CSXT grain movements to the ADM mill in Greenport Center and street running through Hudson NY and share weekly reports on CSXT power and activity on CSXT Local B957(the Hudson grain train out of Selkirk Yard) including Amtrak on the Hudson Line. We welcome ANY visiting reports, updates or sightings and comments on this unique operation in the Hudson River Valley! Photos may be uploaded in the ‘files’ or ‘photo’ sections.
**********
Main Street in Brewster, NY looking towards the station.
An old postcard purchased from Charlie Gunn
See the Bordon creamery in Brewster.
Brewster is also the birthplace of noted author and bloggist Penney Vanderbilt
Brewster, New York was an important station on the New York Central Railroad
Take a ride from Brewster to Grand Central
Click on the picture above to visit the Southeast Museum and find more about Brewster’s railroad heritage.
**********
Brief History of the Harlem
The present day Harlem line of the Metro North Railroad owes its existence to a charter from the State of New York, which gave permission for its thirteen incorporators to build tracks from southern Manhattan to Harlem in 1831. At that time Harlem was considered a suburb of Manhattan where affluent farms and summer homes were located. The most reliable form of transportation from Harlem to Manhattan was by steamboat; this happened to be seasonal, as the steamboats remained docked when the rivers were frozen. Stagecoaches provided the only other travel method and proved to be long and arduous over New York’s crude roads. Hoping to quicken and ease travel, these thirteen New York City businessmen traveled to the New York State Legislature to ask for a charter granting them permission to construct a railroad from 23rd street to Harlem. The charter was given on April 25, 1831 over opposition from steamboat interests fearing competition. The New York and Harlem Railroad Company’s stock was listed at $500 available in fifty-dollar shares. The thirteen entrepreneurs became the Board of Trustees and construction on the Railroad began.
By 1852 the Harlem Railroad had grown 131 miles north reaching Chatham, New York. The steam trains required maintenance after 50 miles of run and a roundhouse was constructed North of Brewster Village to service the steam engines. Many railroad workers lived in the Village, in houses on Railroad Avenue and some workers lived in apartments on Main Street.
The Harlem Railroad had several side branches including the Lake Mahopac Branch. The Mahopac Branch was 7.22 miles and carried freight and passengers from Golden’s Bridge to Lake Mahopac. The Mahopac Branch offered a shuttle service for vacationers to and from Lake Mahopac.
**********
Originally there were separate stations for the Harlem and the B&A which were opposite each other. After both became part of the NYC, there was a platform on the Harlem side. The Rutland always had its own station too.
Some Harlem trains terminated at Chatham and others ran to North Adams using trackage rights over the B&A between Chatham and North Adams Jct. Old track diagrams show that Harlem power and consists could be turned on the wye without going onto the B&A main tracks. In diesel days, they just ran around the train to head towards New York.
The Ghent to Chatham trackage belonged to the Harlem Division with the B&A having trackage rights after 1936. The B&A abandoned their track in late 1936.
When “BA” Tower was still open in Ghent the B&A and Harlem single tracks were operated as a double track railroad between Ghent and Chatham. Unfortunately the depression killed “BA” Tower in the early 1930’s After “BA” Tower was closed the Harlem and B&A went back to operating on their own trackage until late 1936 when the B&A track was abandoned. The double track between Chatham and Ghent was sorely missed during WW II.
The “New York Central Lines” magazine contained some entertainment sections. There was a story almost every month written by George H. Wooding who was a towerman in Ghent, NY. It was labeled “a series of merry minglings of fact and fable, chiefly along the Harlem Division but just as interesting to the folks all along the main line”.
Meeting the New York & Harlem in Chatham was the Chatham Branch of the Rutland Railroad.
**********
Ghent, New York: The site of the junction between the New York Central Harlem Division and Boston & Albany Railroads, Hudson-Chatham Branch.
**********
PASSENGER SERVICE VIA THE HARLEM LINE IN NEW YORK STATE |
| Metro-North is a public agency based in New York City that operates an extensive public transit network in New York and Connecticut. Two passenger rail lines operated by Metro North and utilized by residents of Greater Danbury are the Harlem Line in adjacent New York State and the Danbury Branch Line in Connecticut.
It is a well known fact that the rail passenger service markets for the parallel Danbury and Harlem Lines to some extent overlap. But while the Harlem Line has faster and more frequent service to NYC than does the Danbury Branch Line, residents of Housatonic Valley communities must in many cases travel longer by car or bus to reach Harlem Line stations. Importantly for planning, the Harlem Line simply does not serve the destinations that many Danbury Area commuters want to reach; Norwalk, Stamford and coastal Connecticut. A 1996 report by stated that “even with aggressive Danbury Branch enhancements, the Danbury Branch does not provide better travel times (to NYC) than the existing Harlem Line service …. The Danbury Branch, however, does not compete with the Harlem Line for trips that remain within Connecticut. For these trips, the improved service may induce a mode shift to commuter rail. This is especially true as roadway congestion along Route 7 and other area roads continues to increase.” The goal of public policy should be coordinated interstate rail planning to avoid the expense of duplication while attempting to define the greatest potential service role for each line. Because of its importance to Connecticut, use of the Harlem Line by area residents was estimated in a 1996 HVCEO report. Estimated inbound boardings by municipality of residence were highest from Danbury with 120 patrons, New Fairfield with 78, from north of the Housatonic Valley Region with 51, Brookfield 36, New Milford 24, Newtown 19, from east of the Housatonic Valley Region 16, Bridgewater 9 and Bethel 6. As for some specifics of this service, the Harlem Line runs for 83 miles along eastern New York State between Grand Central Terminal in New York City and Wassaic, New York. Station stops likely to be accessed by residents of the Housatonic Region include Katonah, Golden’s Bridge, Purdy’s, Croton Falls, Brewster, Brewster North., Patterson and Pawling. As noted above service on the Harlem Line is more frequent than the Danbury Branch Line, and provides shorter trip times to New York City. Weekday peak period frequency of trains departing to Grand Central varies between six and twenty minutes, and hourly off-peak. Full service is provided between Brewster North and Grand Central Terminal, with 12 round trips per weekday from Brewster North to Wassaic. Frequency of arrivals at Brewster North off-peak from points south vary between approximately 30 and 60 minutes. Peak period arrivals at Grand Central from Brewster North occur with a frequency of ten to 20 minutes on weekdays. The weekday service span for the Harlem Line is roughly 22 hours, between 5:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. Trains departing Brewster North to New York run hourly on weekends. Arrivals in Brewster North depart Grand Central with headways of approximately 60 to 90 minutes. Nine round trips are scheduled between Brewster North and Wassaic on weekends, with two additional southbound trips on Saturday. Weekend service span is comparable to weekday service span. The Harlem Line is double tracked to the yards at Brewster, New York and single tracked from there northerly. Track from Grand Central Terminal to Brewster North is electrified by third rail. Diesel/electric powered trains provide the service from Brewster North to Wassaic, New York. There are four daily peak period through trains to Wassaic augmented by a shuttle between Brewster North and Wassaic.
HART BUS SHUTTLES TO HARLEM STATIONS
Recognizing the importance to this Region of access to this important nearby rail line, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the New York Department of Transportation jointly provide funding for bus to rail shuttle services for the Upper Harlem Line from our Region. This is an excellent example of interstate cooperation. The Ridgefield-Katonah Shuttle is operated by the Housatonic Area Regional Transit District between the Ridgefield, CT central business district westerly to the Katonah, NY Metro-North train station. Service began in April 2002. Buses begin at The Jesse Lee Memorial Methodist Church on Main Street in Ridgefield and follow Route 35 through Lewisboro, NY and Bedford, NY to Route Katonah, NY. The South Salem Municipal Lot just north of 35 on Spring Street is an additional stop. HART meets five southbound morning peak Harlem Line trains between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM and seven northbound trains between 5:45 PM and 8:30 PM. Current ridership averages 59 trips per day. Ridgefield-Katonah service builds on the success of HART’s Danbury-Brewster Shuttle, initiated in 1998. The Brewster Shuttle is operated by HART between the Brewster Village Railroad Station and Danbury commuter lots. Vehicles stop at park and ride lots off I-84 Exits 1, 2, and 7 and travel locally down Route 6 across the state line to the Village of Brewster. HART meets six southbound morning trains between 6 AM. and 8:40 Am and 13 evening northbound arrivals between 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Additional service is provided midday by an extension of the HART Route 3/Mill Plain Bus. Daily ridership often exceeds 140 trips.
UPPER HARLEM STATIONS USED BY CT RESIDENTS
These descriptions are excerpts from the HVCEO Feasibility Report For Extending Rail Passenger Service Beyond Downtown Danbury (1995). Note that these data predate the service extension to Wassaic. Vanasse Hangin Brustlin, the consultant that prepared the 1995 study for HVCEO, also conducted license plate surveys at these stations that were cross referenced to place of registration. This gives an indication of which towns these cars are registered in. Bedford Hills Station was the southernmost station surveyed on the Harlem Branch. It is located near Route 684 in a commercial district. The station’s location offers easy access to Connecticut. The parking lot serving the station is relatively large with spaces for 273 vehicles. Katonah Station is located with easy access to Connecticut off of Route 684 near Route 35 in the center of Katonah’s commercial district. The station is surrounded by a quaint village atmosphere. A parking lot offering long-term parking is located on one side of the station. Like Golden’s Bridge Station, the Katonah Station attracts many riders from Ridgefield, CT. HART provides a Ridgefield-Katonah Shuttle service for this trip. Golden’s Bridge is located off of Route 684. It is between Route 138 and Route 35 in a relatively open area. Nearby is a bus stop, which offers service to Brewster. Access to Connecticut is easy by both Routes 138 and 35. Vehicles registered in Ridgefield, CT were by far the most prevalent Connecticut registered vehicles observed at this station. Purdy’s Station is located off of Route 684 near the exit for Route 116. The station provides easy access to Ridgefield, CT via Route 116. With spaces for 348 vehicles, this parking lot is the third largest surveyed, following Brewster and Brewster North. The Purdy’s Station attracts riders primarily from Ridgefield, Danbury, Brookfield, and New Fairfield, CT. Croton Falls is located southwest of Brewster off of Route 22 in the middle of a commercial district. To get to Connecticut, one must go south to Route 116 (which is closer to Purdy’s Station) or north to Route I-84 (which is closer to Brewster Station). Based on the license plate survey, the Croton Falls Station draws riders primarily from Danbury, CT. The Brewster Station is located in the middle of the commercial district of Brewster, NY. It is located due south of the Brewster North Station on Route 6 which is off of Route 1-84. Like Brewster North, the Brewster Station is easily accessible from Connecticut via Route 1-84. There are five parking lots and on-street parking which serve the station which combined can hold over 500 vehicles. Some of these lots require a significant walk to the station. The Brewster Station has a similar ridership draw as the Brewster North Station with most riders from Danbury, New Fairfield, Brookfield, and Bridgewater, CT. HART provides direct commuter service from Danbury via the Danbury-Brewster Shuttle. Southeast is due south of Patterson, NY on Route 1-84. The Southeast Station is located off the highway with no other buildings nearby. It is a terminal for Metro-North and some trains are stored there. The parking lot at the Southeast Station is extremely large with spaces for 400 vehicles. The station offers excellent accessibility to a highly populated area of Connecticut. Based on the license plate survey, the Southeast Station draws riders from a variety of Connecticut communities, with the primary draw from Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, and Brookfield, CT. The Patterson station is located on Route 311, west of Route 22. Route 311 travels diagonally, southwest to northeast. To access Connecticut from this station, one would have to go north almost to Pawling and then go east into Connecticut. The area immediately around the station is about one block of commercial buildings surrounded by single-family homes. The parking lot, which has 53 spaces, is along the railroad tracks. Based on the license plate survey, the Patterson Station primarily draws riders from the Connecticut community of Sherman, CT. Further south off of Route 22 near the junction of Routes 55 and 67 is the Pawling Station. The station is located in a high density commercial area. Day long parking is available along one side of the railroad tracks. The parking lot has capacity for 98 vehicles. The surrounding area is almost entirely single-family homes. Route 67 offers easy access to Sherman, CT. Based on the license plate survey, this station attracts riders primarily from the Connecticut communities of Sherman, CT and the West Cornwall/Cornwall Bridge area. Harlem Valley/ Wingdale is located near the junction of Route 22 and Route 55 which offers access into Connecticut. Across Route 22 from the station are several large brick buildings which are part of the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Hospital. Sharing the parking lot with the station are several brick buildings which look similar to the hospital and seem to be warehouses. There are no other buildings within easy walking distance to the station. Based on the 1995 license plate survey conducted here, the Harlem Valley/Wingdale Station attracts riders primarily from the communities of Kent, South Kent, Lakeville, and Sherman, CT. Dover Plains is just over two hours from Grand Central Terminal. While the surrounding area is rural, the area immediately adjacent to the station is commercial with many small business establishments. Dover Plains is located on Route 22, a two-lane north-south rural highway which runs in New York along the Connecticut and Massachusetts borders. Based on the license plate survey conducted at the Dover Plains station, the station appears to draw Connecticut riders from communities as far north as Canaan, CT, with its primary Connecticut draw from the communities of Kent, Sharon, and Salisbury, CT. Parking is available in two long and narrow parking lots along both sides of the railroad tracks. |
**********
Early history of the Harlem Railroad
(Photo clipped from an old New York Central Headlight)
**********
A New Hudson Bridge, Revived Beacon Line, HYPERLOOP and More
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.
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 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).
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.
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. 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.
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.
Other activities include: Solidization of rail links in Connecticut to handle increased traffic; a possible HYPERLINK for improved service along the Beacon Line and in/out of New York City
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!
***********
Go To World’s Greatest WebSite
>>> New York Subways
>>>>>>Hidden Subway Station
>>>Commuters, Car Culture and The Jenny Plan
>>>Long Island Railroad
>>>Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad
>>>POTUS – Trains for the President
>>>Milk Trains
>>>The Fabled Rutland Milk
>>>The Muhammad Ali Hyperlink
About Our Great WebSite
>>>>>>About Troop Trains
>>>Metro North Railroad
>>>A Collection of Short Stories about Railroads – Book One
>>>>>>Buffalo Creek Railroad
>>>A Collection of Short Stories about Railroads – Book Two
>>>>>>Troy & Greenbush Railroad
>>>DL&W Railroad, Erie Lackawanna and Lackawanna Cutoff
>>>Circus Trains
>>>>>>Disposition Of Circus Trains
>>>Robert Moses – Against Mass Transit
>>>Troop Trains
>>>>>>Troop Train Movie
>>>Railroader Biographies
>>>>>>George H. Daniels
>>>>>>Plimmon H Dudley
>>>>>>Leonore F. Loree
>>>John W. Barriger: Rail Historian and Railfan
Contact and Great Blogs
Other Interesting WebSites
>>>Ontario & Western Railroad
>>>Connecticut To Philadelphia
>>>Central New York Railroad
>>>Chicago, Rail Capital
>>>The Ride To Choate
>>>Union Pacific Railroad-established by Abraham Lincoln to span the continent
>>>The Warwick Valley and Other Railroads West of the Hudson
>>>Short Line Railroads
>>>>>>Little Falls & Dolgeville
>>>>>>Gary Railway
>>>>>>The Owasco River Railway
>>>>>>Dexter and Northern Railroad Company
>>>Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
>>>Washington, the Nation`s Capital
>>>Royal Tour 1939
>>>The Monon Railroad
>>>Big 4 Bridge: Jeffersonville to Louisville
>>>Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad
>>>The Southern New York Railway
>>>Electric Railroads
>>>Lines West
>>>High Speed Rail
>>>Northeast Corridor
>>>New York State
Some Fascinating WebPages
>>>New York State Railroads, and NY Central Railroad
>>>Delaware & Hudson Railway
>>>Lehigh Valley Railroad
>>>Head End Equipment
>>>Boston & Maine Railroad
>>>The Four Railroads of Utica
>>>>>>Gulf Curve, April 1940 New York Central Accident
>>>>>>New York Mills Branch On The West Shore
>>>Railroad Mergers
>>>Railroad Bridges and Tunnels
>>>My last ride on the JFK Express subway in April 1990
>>>Chicago Bypass
>>>Van Sweringen Brothers, Nickel Plate and Other Ohio Railroads
>>>New York City Transit Planning
>>>Tahawus: Railroad to a Mine
>>>Chicago Rail Fair
>>>Joint Winter Olympics for Montreal and Lake Placid
>>>Abandoned Railroads
>>>>>>Putnam Division Abandonments
>>>Amtrak’s Secret Business
>>>Alphabet Routes
>>>EMD Model 40
>>>Budd RDC
>>>Benton Harbor – Once A Rail Center
>>>Snow and Railroads
Central New England Railway
>>>>>>The Central New England In Connecticut
>>>>>>New York and New England Railroad
>>>>>>1937 Fan Trip
>>>Central New England Railway In New York State
>>>The Railroads Of Pine Plains
>>>CNE in Hopewell Junction
>>>>>>Hopewell Junction Restoration
>>>The Maybrook Line Across Dutchess County
>>>The Great Bridge At Poughkeepsie
>>>Poughkeepsie Bridge After The Fire
>>>The Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroad
>>>Central New England Railway Connecticut Connection
>>>Maybrook Yard
>>>>>>Maybrook Yard 1940’s (Maybrook Journal)
>>>Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut Railroad (ND&C)
>>>>>>CNE/NDC Dutchess Junction and Matteawan
>>>>>>CNE/NDC Glenham to Hopewell Junction
>>>>>>CNE/NDC Hopewell Junction to Millbrook
>>>>>>CNE/NDC Bangall and Pine Plains
>>>>>>CNE/ND&C between Pine Plains and Millerton
>>>Fishkill Landing
>>>>>>The First Phase Of The NYC Rebuilding At Fishkill Landing
>>>>>>The Second Phase Of The NYC Rebuilding At Fishkill Landing
>>>>>>The Final Phase Of The NYC Rebuilding At Fishkill Landing
>>>Poughkeepsie & Eastern in the Poughkeepsie Area
>>>Poughkeepsie & Eastern North from Poughkeepsie
>>>One of the railroads that made up the CNE Railway was the Poughkeepsie & Connecticut
Environment
>>>WEATHERTOPIA
Supply Chain Management
>>>Supply Chain Synchronization
Vacation French Riviera
>>>Castillon
>>>Menton
New Haven Railroad
>>>George Alpert, Last New Haven President
>>>Essex Steam Train
>>>Newport and Rhode Island Railroads
>>>Railroads To Cape Cod
>>>Cedar Hill Railroad Yard In New Haven
>>>Housatonic Railroad
>>>Manufacturers Street Railway in New Haven
>>>Train Stations Of Connecticut
>>>Boston and New England Railroads
>>>New Haven RR Signal Stations
>>>Connecticut Railfan
>>>Connecticut Freight Railroads
>>>Shoreline Bridges Of The New Haven Railroad
>>>Old Railroads Of Connecticut
>>>The Trolley In Connecticut
>>>The Shepaug Valley Railroad
Penney Vanderbilt and KC Jones: All About Railroads 
You must be logged in to post a comment.