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Who Has Been On The Adirondack Scenic RR

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HISTORY OF THE ADIRONDACK SCENIC RAILROAD Dr. William Seward Webb figured the best way to access Nehasane Park, his large hunting preserve to the north, was by train. In 1890, he financed a railroad into the Adirondack wilderness. The original survey for Webb's "Golden Chariot Route" was laid out from Herkimer to Remsen, then north to Thendara, Tupper Lake, Lake Clear Junction and on to Malone, then down through Chateaugay to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The first train from Herkimer to Thendara was on July 1, 1892 and the first through train ran from New York City to Montreal on October 24, 1892. The railroad later became part of the New York Central System. The railroad carried the Webb, Morgan, Vanderbilt, Whitney and Roosevelt families along with other not so famous families to their Great Camps in the Adirondack Mountains. It also provided freight service to communities along the way. In 1961, part of the line was abandoned from Lake Clear Junction to Malone. Scheduled passenger service was continued on the Adirondack Division from Utica to Lake Placid but ended in April of 1965. In February 1968 the New York Central System merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad becoming Penn Central Transportation Company. Freight service was continued with decreasing frequency until 1972. In that year, the Penn Central's application to the Public Service Commission to abandon the line was approved. In 1975, the state of New York purchased the abandoned line. The line had a brief reprieve when it was returned to service in 1977 when the Adirondack Railway Corporation contracted with the state to run passenger service from Utica to Lake Placid for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid. In February of 1981, problems with the Adirondack Railway Corporation's management of the line forced the State to terminate the company's lease. Ownership of the property went to New York State and the railroad was abandoned. In 1992 a group of devoted rail enthusiasts banded together and proposed to operate a short section of the line from Thendara south to Minnehaha. New York State approved the 4-mile train ride and on July 4, 1992 the Adirondack Centennial Railroad ran its first train out of Thendara station. By the end of the season the railroad carried over 55,000 passengers. With such a positive response from the public, New York State allowed the railroad to operate in 1993 and has extended the permission to run each year since. In July of 1994 the Adirondack Centennial Railroad became the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which is operated by the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society, Inc. (ARPS). ARPS is a 501(c) (3), not-for-profit corporation and is run by a staff of 150 volunteers and a few full and part-time employees. By the year 2000 the railroad has restored the line all the way south to Snow Junction. At that point it connects with a freight railroad the Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern and continues on to Union Station in Utica, NY, 6 miles north from Thendara Station to Carter Station and between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. The remaining section of track between Carter Station and Saranac Lake need a great deal of work in order to make them safe for passenger trains. Volunteers and staff work throughout the year to help promote and maintain the current railroad while working towards the reachable goal of restoring that remaining track. Linda Ellison, Adirondack Scenic RR this is from the adirondack rrs website here the history for you....
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