Speaking of the B&A....
My K-line B&A Berkshire is carrying a very valuable cargo eastward towards the Atlantic. They are destined to get on an undisclosed ship at an undisclosed port, for movement to an undisclosed location.
Bryce
Yes, it’s in Mellenville, NY, a tiny Hamlet in the town of Claverack. It’s where I grew up. In my first photo one can see the Mellenville Grange sign on the building. The line that ran through here connected Hudson and Ghent and then I assume the Village of Chatham just past Ghent. Just a little further east From Mellenville, another line came up from the south through the bordering Village of Philmont and ran on to Chatham. I not only remember that line, which made stops in Philmont, but rode it twice around 1969 or 70.
In their day these little New York villages were classic northeast textile industry mill towns. Practically cities in miniature, they featured hotels, department stores, theaters and of course large brick mills. Philmont had five mills and even an opera house standing next to the tracks along its upper Main Street. The vibrancy of the Empire State owed as much to these interconnected cities and textile towns as to metropolitan New York City
Almost all of that is gone now. The decline was well underway, if not close to complete, when I lived there. It’s only accelerated since. To get some sense what these places were like at their 19th and early 20th century Industrial Age zenith now requires a little looking. But one can see the footings of old mills, the places where tracks once ran, and repurposed railroad buildings, like this Grange Hall, standing as reminders of a different time when little northeastern towns were economically and civically vibrant and railroads connected it all.
RM
I interpreted the title of this thread a little differently. Over the years I have posted a few pictures of my New York Central motive power. Rather than more of that here are some pics of my hometown.
Before the nationwide fast food places there was a chain of diners called DECO in the Buffalo, NY and Erie County area. Now long gone.
Teds Hots started in the early 20's and while Ted is gone his restaurants all over western New York today. Try a foot long with the works if you are ever in the area.
I spent many a Saturday here.
Growing up steam had already moved west but passenger service was provided by these.
Pete
@Rich Montague posted:Yes, it’s in Mellenville, NY, a tiny Hamlet in the town of Claverack. It’s where I grew up. In my first photo one can see the Mellenville Grange sign on the building. The line that ran through here connected Hudson and Ghent and then I assume the Village of Chatham just past Ghent. Just a little further east From Mellenville, another line came up from the south through the bordering Village of Philmont and ran on to Chatham. I not only remember that line, which made stops in Philmont, but rode it twice around 1969 or 70.
In their day these little New York villages were classic northeast textile industry mill towns. Practically cities in miniature, they featured hotels, department stores, theaters and of course large brick mills. Philmont had five mills and even an opera house standing next to the tracks along its upper Main Street. The vibrancy of the Empire State owed as much to these interconnected cities and textile towns as to metropolitan New York City
Almost all of that is gone now. The decline was well underway, if not close to complete, when I lived there. It’s only accelerated since. To get some sense what these places were like at their 19th and early 20th century Industrial Age zenith now requires a little looking. But one can see the footings of old mills, the places where tracks once ran, and repurposed railroad buildings, like this Grange Hall, standing as reminders of a different time when little northeastern towns were economically and civically vibrant and railroads connected it all.
RM
That line was the B&A's Hudson Branch. It was part of the former Hudson & Berkshire Railroad built in 1838 from Hudson through Chatham to State Line and West Stockbridge. That was the first railroad ever built eastward from a point on the Hudson River. It was acquired by the B&A predecessor, Western Railroad, in 1854. It had its own line between Chatham and State Line on an alignment now mostly covered by the thruway Extension. In 1842, the Western's own line through the tunnel was completed and the original Chatham-State Line route was abandoned when the Western acquired it in 1854.
The branch between Ghent and Hudson is shown in B&A ETT's until 1957, but not in 1958. In 1960, the Hudson Div TT shows the line between Hudson and Claverack, retained only because of the cement plant. IT looks as if the Claverack-Ghent section was abandoned in 1957-58.
The parallel tracks between Chatham and Ghent were combined under Harlem division jurisdiction before 1940.
I'm writing and organizational and geographic history of the NYC beginning with the B&A. The B&A part will appear on the NYC groups.io list sometime this fall.
Malcolm Laughlin
Norton- great building pics! JohnA (of Niagara Falls)
@mlaughlinnyc posted:I'm writing and organizational and geographic history of the NYC beginning with the B&A. The B&A part will appear on the NYC groups.io list sometime this fall.Malcolm Laughlin
Malcolm,
Please let me know when your B&A work is available.
I guess a Boston & Albany locomotive counts as one-half New York. The B&A did once have a line between Chatham and Hudson, New York, but that's not where this engine ran.
MELGAR
@MELGAR posted:Malcolm,
Please let me know when your B&A work is available.
I guess a Boston & Albany locomotive counts as one-half New York. The B&A did once have a line between Chatham and Hudson, New York, but that's not where this engine ran.
MELGAR
Melgar, IMO. that is a stunning photo. Arnold
New York Central P-2b electric motors carried commuters between Grand Central Terminal and Harmon, New York. Die-cast model by MTH Premier with PS-1.
MELGAR
Arnold- Can't do a NY thread without mentioning Charlie at Nassau Hobby and Ken Sr and Jr at Trainland!
I grew up going to both. Lucky me!
Bob
@Norton posted:I interpreted the title of this thread a little differently. Over the years I have posted a few pictures of my New York Central motive power. Rather than more of that here are some pics of my hometown.
Before the nationwide fast food places there was a chain of diners called DECO in the Buffalo, NY and Erie County area. Now long gone.
Teds Hots started in the early 20's and while Ted is gone his restaurants all over western New York today. Try a foot long with the works if you are ever in the area.
I spent many a Saturday here.
Growing up steam had already moved west but passenger service was provided by these.
Pete
Excellent scenes Pete. Let's see some more PLEASE'...😀👍
@MELGAR posted:Malcolm,
Please let me know when your B&A work is available.
I guess a Boston & Albany locomotive counts as one-half New York. The B&A did once have a line between Chatham and Hudson, New York, but that's not where this engine ran.
MELGAR
They must have made their first moves in New York State, but probably dead in train and not under steam. From the Alco plant in Schenectady to Selkirk Yard and then in a B&A train to Boston.
It's 1969 and this long Penn Central passenger train (Williams Penn Central F3s and 7 Postwar 2400 series passenger cars have left Penn Station in Manhattan and are northbound with station stops in Croton Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, NY.
Arnold
Arnold, Penn Central? Sure, why not? Of course I imagine that the merger that created PC didn't make a lot of New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad railfans become friends with each other?
Item: Utica, New York, was the birthplace of the late Annette Funicello of Mickey Mouse Club and beach party fame. She was born on October 22, 1942. Sadly she contracted MS and passed away several years ago. I was born in 1946 and grew up in the 50s with beautiful black and white TV and never missed watching the MMC as well as the mini-series Annette which was released in 1958 and aired on the MMC. Annette also made a guest appearence in the Walt Disney series Zorro which aired on TV during thos period too. She sang a beautiful song written for her to sing in the series, "Lonely Guitar" which in my opinion really brought out her talent.
It shouldn't be forgotten, that Walt Disney was himself a well known railfan and operated a live steam railroad at his residence. There have been countless models produced over the years that featured Disney charactures, many in O gauge. Perhaps a new post featuring Disney models would be interesting and entertaining for OGR readers?
Trinity River Bottoms Boomer, I think a Disney Forum topic related to model railroading is a good idea.
Below are two of my favorite locomotives in action: an MTH Railking Proto 3 NY Central RS3 and an LC+ Erie Camelback:
I believe they both have connections to NY. It's ovious that the NY Central diesel is, but I'm not sure about the Erie Camelback. I believe the the town or city of Erie is in both NY and PA. Arnold
Arnold having never been to New York (nor want to go there). I am not sure I would ever have a New York State of Mind But I do have a great New York memory and that as a child my Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Bronx Bombers in the 1960 World Series does that count?
@RJT posted:Arnold having never been to New York (nor want to go there). I am not sure I would ever have a New York State of Mind But I do have a great New York memory and that as a child my Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Bronx Bombers in the 1960 World Series does that count?
Oh yes, Rick, it counts. That memory has a powerful connection to NY.
How time flies. It seems like only yesterday when Bill Mazeroski's home run flew over Yogi Berra's head and the Forbes Field ivy covered left field wall in the 7th game of the 1960 World Series. That broke virtually every New Yorker's heart, including this New Yorker's 8 year old heart that day.
From the agony of defeat for New Yorkers came the thrill of victory for Pennsylvanians and the other Puttsburgh Pirate fans. Now, I'm glad that you, Mark Boyce and all of the other Forum members who are Pirate fans were able to celebrate that day, and continue to have triumphant memories of that day. Arnold
Those LC+ New Haven FA diesels are still going strong, this time pulling New Haven and NY Central box cars along the Long Island Sound:
New York Central milk train......and, you gotta love the Pacemaker freight......
Peter
Long live Long Island:
The D Train:
Dave, the New Haven definitely belongs on this thread. Although primarily a New England railroad, it had a strong presence in NY. I fondly remember taking the New Haven train with my mother from the downtown Mt. Vernon, NY station to Grand Central Station during my childhood.
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Dave, the New Haven definitely belongs on this thread. Although primarily a New England railroad, it had a strong presence in NY. I fondly remember taking the New Haven train with my mother from the downtown Mt. Vernon, NY station to Grand Central Station during my childhood.
I rode the NH (well PC by the time that I rode) from North Kingston, RI to NYC several times when I was stationed at NAS Quonset Point.
I might be in Maine, but being in my train room always puts me in a New York (Central) state of mind.
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