Albany – Eagle Bridge Railway
The railway Albany Eagle Bridge is a railway line in New York ( United States ). It is approximately 33 miles long and connects the cities of Albany , Watervliet , Cohoes , Waterford and Eagle Bridge . Part of the line has been shut down for over 150 years, only the section from Albany to Waterford Junction (19.6 km) is still operated today for freight by the Canadian Pacific Railway . Between Schaghticoke and Eagle Bridge, the North Pownal – Rotterdam Junction railway line was built on the route 20 years after the line was closed . Pan Am Railways still operates freight traffic between Schaghticoke and Johnsonville today .
history
On February 20, 1851, the Albany Northern Railroad was founded, which was to build a railway line from Albany towards the Greenfield – Troy and Castleton – Eagle Bridge lines, which were already under construction and opened in 1852 , which should meet in Eagle Bridge. The Albany Northern route should also lead to this station. Construction began in 1852 and in April 1853 the first section from Albany to Cohoes went into operation. Waterford was reached a month later. The entire route to Eagle Bridge was opened on July 1, 1853. The first 5.3 kilometers of the line from Albany to Menands were expanded to double-track. The route crossed the main line of the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad from Troy to Saratoga Springs at Waterford Junction .
The route ran between Waterford and Schaghticoke for more than 16 kilometers through almost unpopulated area, where the Hudson River also had to be crossed over a long bridge. In addition, travelers on the Greenfield – Troy railway via Troy could also easily reach Albany, as a larger number of trains ran between Troy and Albany. The expectations regarding the transport services could therefore not be met, so that the railway company went bankrupt as early as 1856 and had to be reorganized as Albany, Vermont and Canada Railroad . The yields continued to be too low. In the accounting year 1858, the railway had five locomotives, twelve passenger cars, five combined baggage, general cargo and mail cars as well as 48 freight cars. This brought in revenue of $ 84,119, which was offset by expenses of $ 72,904.
On September 14, 1859, AV&C ceased operations and went bankrupt. The section from Waterford Junction to Eagle Bridge was closed, the remaining section was sold on October 6th to the newly formed Albany and Vermont Railroad , which it leased to the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad on June 12, 1860, which continues to operate the route as the Albany Branch and later completely expanded it to two tracks. In 1877 construction began on the North Pownal – Rotterdam Junction of the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railway . Between Eagle Bridge and a point west of Schaghticoke, the route of the Albany, Vermont and Canada Railroad could be reused, so that trains ran again on this section from the opening on January 1, 1879. In 1980 the route between Eagle Bridge and Johnsonville was closed again.
The section from Albany to Waterford Junction is still operated by freight today. Taken over by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in 1871 , the line is now owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Passenger traffic only ended here in 1968. The second track has since been dismantled.
Route description
The route begins at the former Albany Union Station , which is now Interstate 787 and a parking lot. The railway line was moved here with the construction of the motorway in its median. It crosses under the main line of CSX Transportation from New York towards Buffalo and runs parallel to the Hudson River northwards through Menands, Watervliet and Cohoes. After 17 kilometers, Waterford is reached, where the Mohawk River is first crossed. Shortly thereafter, the route joins the Troy – Rouses Point railway line opened in 1836 . By 1859 the tracks crossed this route and ran parallel northwards for a while until the route branched off to the northeast, crossed the Hudson River and reached the eastern bank of the river at the level of Riley Road. From here the railway line continued northwards over Pine Woods Road, after which the main direction changes more to the east. Shortly thereafter, the line reaches the North Pownal – Rotterdam Junction, which was built up to Eagle Bridge on the route of the line that was closed in 1859.
Sources and further information
- Individual evidence
- ↑ Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England & Maritime Canada. SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 2010.
- ^ Poor's Manual of Railroads 1860. sv Albany, Vermont and Canada Railroad.
- Web links