Trains.com

Erie Canal- Clinchfield Boxcar

6055 views
60 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Friday, March 29, 2019 3:41 PM

Jeez, some days I just can't believe how lucky I get.

Found this video last night, just got through watching it.  It's a drones-eye view of the old right-of-way of the West Shore, from Frankfort to Clark Mills NY by way of Utica.

Great views and railroad (steam-powered, of course!) sound effects, with titles to tell you just where you are and just what you're looking at.  Thirty-three minutes long, there ARE rails at the 20 minute mark, it's an amazing show.  Some places you can tell there was a railroad there, other places it's like it never existed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BWjS9otgX8  

Enjoy the ride!

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Thursday, March 28, 2019 8:39 AM

Thanks Harrison!  And if you happen to see that antique car parked with the "457" license plate parked on the side of the road can you find out who owns it?   Wink

  • Member since
    April 2018
  • From: Northern NY (Think Upstate but even more)
  • 1,306 posts
Posted by Harrison on Thursday, March 28, 2019 7:49 AM

May I take a random guess? Take a look at this map. The Eire canal is still a great place to 'fan. Amsterdam NY below:

And Lock 13:

img_8922

 

Harrison

Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.

Modeling the D&H in 1978.

Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"

My YouTube

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, March 28, 2019 6:58 AM

Once Sal and her mule friends were replaced by steam, a lot of the "Erie Canal" was replaced by a system of dams and locks on the Mohawk (and other rivers) bypassing the original canal and making what's now the "New York State Canal System", opened in 1918.  The NYC main line followed the Mohawk pretty closely, especially in the hundred miles or so west of Schenectady.

The Barge Canal was pretty busy with commercial traffic into the 1960s but exists now mainly for pleasure craft.  A large section was badly damaged by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 but has since reopened.

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 10:54 PM

Complaineth Doth Overmod:

My mom was born in Harrington Park.  That 'other railroad' in the last couple of pictures is likely the New York, Susquehanna & Western, which is still there.

You can now ride part of both railroads that you couldn't (for many years) as the Bergen-Hudson Light Rail uses part of the ROWs, including the rather dramatic rock tunnel through the Palisades.

I notice, snarkily, that there is no postcard for Weehawken."

Mike to the rescue!!

 
  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 10:44 PM

Perfect Midland Mike .. got it now! Makes good sense out of the information

  • Member since
    September 2011
  • 6,449 posts
Posted by MidlandMike on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 9:42 PM

Miningman
Thanks to Wayne and rcdrye but each one of you 'seem' to have conflicting data. perhaps it's just about location areas.

Wayne was talking about the Westshore south of the Albany area, while rcdrye is talking about the Westshore west of the Albany area.  One of the larger "bits and pieces" still active west of Albany, is the short-cut bypass of Rochester.

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,023 posts
Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 9:36 PM

Judging by the shadows, I'm guessing this is between Schenectady and Little Falls, in the morning.  I'm not finding any spots with the canal north of the Mohawk, though.

The low construction of the tug definitely suggests a canal boat, as opposed to a Hudson River tug.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    September 2010
  • From: Parma Heights Ohio
  • 3,442 posts
Posted by Penny Trains on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 7:54 PM

What a spectacular space to sit and wait for your train!  Big Smile

Reminds me of the Greenbrier Suite inside Cleveland's Terminal Tower.  Tjhis was the 8 room home of the VanSweringen brothers:

Too bad Clevelanders couldn't wait for their trains up here!  Big Smile

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 4:52 PM

My mom was born in Harrington Park.  That 'other railroad' in the last couple of pictures is likely the New York, Susquehanna & Western, which is still there.

You can now ride part of both railroads that you couldn't (for many years) as the Bergen-Hudson Light Rail uses part of the ROWs, including the rather dramatic rock tunnel through the Palisades.

I notice, snarkily, that there is no postcard for Weehawken.

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 3:46 PM

Hey, looky what I found!  A musical postcard tour of the West Shore in Bergen County NJ!

This goes way  back...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FI_TSe8O_4  

It's fun!

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 1:48 PM

Miningman
From 4 to 2, that's what I thought but wasn't sure.

One of the great initiatives of Al Perlman.  This was done by implementing CTC and then removing the outer tracks from service (you can still see where they were in many places along the ROW).  In some places the four-track main appearance persists to this day (e.g. in some locations in Mentor, Ohio).

North of Harmon along the Hudson, the route was taken from 4 to 2 tracks in a better way: aligning the remaining track to give best clearance through the rock tunnels, which were previously often an extremely tight fit.

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 1:24 PM

Thanks to Wayne and rcdrye but each one of you 'seem' to have conflicting data. perhaps it's just about location areas.

Great articles and pictures from Mike 

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 10:22 AM

Vince, the present-day West Shore is very  busy indeed, so much so that a third track has been added in the lower section in New Jersey, and additional passing tracks have been added in areas on the way to Selkirk.  There's been talk of double-tracking it again.  There's also been some proposals to run commuter trains on it again, but that's not very likely to happen.

Wayne

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 9:13 AM

The West Shore (if that's what it is) in the photo has long since been abandoned west of Rotterdam Junction, though bits and pieces remained in use into the Conrail era.  Despite being very much a secondary line even under NYC ownership, it was mostly double track all the way to Buffalo.  What remains of its path is shown on Google Maps as the "Canalway Trail" or "Erie Canal Trail" generally running next to NY 5S.

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 12:10 AM

From 4 to 2, that's what I thought bur wasn't sure. Thanks Midland Mike. 

Also great info Flintlock. Sounds like the area is stil quite busy.

  • Member since
    September 2011
  • 6,449 posts
Posted by MidlandMike on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 11:28 PM

The former NYC mainline thru NY was reduced from 4 track to 2 track about 50 years or more ago.  Its only 4 track in the electric suburban district as far as Croton-Harmon, 33 miles from GCT.

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 7:08 PM

The four track main that rcdrye refers to in the foreground is the old NYC mainline, obviously.  Whether or not it's still four track at that location I don't know, but I think four tracks on the old east side of the Hudson NYC main south of Poughkeepsie still predominate, but I could be wrong on that.  At any rate it's now owned by Metro-North transit rail, but also used by Amtrak and CSX.

The West Shore on the other side of the river was never four tracked at that location, however it was down in the New Jersey commuter zone from North Bergen to Dumont.  The two center tracks were removed in 1958.

North of Dumont the tracks dropped to two. 

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 6:40 PM

So what of the four track mainline? .. I'm sure it's not 4 tracks any longer. 

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 6:25 PM

Concerning the West Shore Line 'cross the river...

I'm sure many of you know, but for those who don't it's now the CSX River Subdivision, running from Jersey City-North Bergen-Little Ferry NJ to Selkirk NY.  A pretty interesting 'road for railfanning especially in this day and age of run-through power.  While CSX locomotives predominate you just might see anything, locomotives from Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific, BNSF and others have shown up from time to time.  A very active stretch of railroad.

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • 1,693 posts
Posted by Erik_Mag on Monday, March 25, 2019 10:54 PM

A very nice photograph! What impressed me was the amount of smoke from the tug versus the clean stack on NYC 2725.

I'd be fairly sure that this was taken with a view camera as the center of the picture is below the camera, but the image doesn't like as if the camera was pointed down. A view camera allows the lens to be shifted up/down with respect to the film, thus allowing both to be vertical while centering the picture higher/lower than the level of the camera.

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Monday, March 25, 2019 7:10 PM

I blew that photo WAAAAY up again, and for what it's worth that car is a two-door coupe, I can't tell the make and model, but the license plate number is 457.  I can't read what state it's from, it's too blurry on the max enlargement.

Anybody know what Lucius Beebe drove?  

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Monday, March 25, 2019 6:03 PM

Thank you for that great information rcdrye. That really puts things in a proper setting. I can see the 4 tracks. It appears that Track 1 is at a greater elevation than the others but perhaps not.

So that's the famous West Shore that streaks along the top on the opposite side.

The amazing action we would see if we could just go there for a few hours alongside the photographer.  

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Monday, March 25, 2019 1:21 PM

The photo was almost certainly taken along New York route 5, which hugs the former NYC (and the river) for a long way.  I'm pretty sure if you looked south across the river today, you would see the New York Thruway.  That long straight line that runs above the tug is likely the West Shore.  Note the four tracks in the photo.  Train is on track 1, the westward "express" track, with local track 3 (also westward) between the train and the road, and eastward tracks 2 and 4 closer to the river (the canal operated in the Mohawk for part of its length).

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, March 25, 2019 1:06 PM

Miningman
Well of course, the implication is the car parked there is the fella who took the picture. I did not make a connection to Ed May though.

Fortunate the car was captured in the photo as it gives us a range for a time period. 

From the description in the link:

The 5-window coupe automobile model suggests the time period of 1935-1945, while the parallel alignment of the railroad and canal suggests a location between Buffalo and New York City.

And the automobile being 'parked' half or more on the roadway indicates not much automotive traffic on the road.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Saturday, March 23, 2019 9:55 PM

Thanks Penny. Glad you folks can make out the number. I'm really having trouble with my eyes. 

Overmod-- Yeah I see I said 'the fella in the car' .. poor wording, I meant 'with the car' but even that is not good. How about the car parked there probably belongs to the fella up on the hill taking the picture. Geez. Too much stress lately. 

 

  • Member since
    September 2010
  • From: Parma Heights Ohio
  • 3,442 posts
Posted by Penny Trains on Saturday, March 23, 2019 8:33 PM

I found a good roster: https://www.railarchive.net/nyccollection/nyc_roster_1944/l-m-ne-nu-s-u.html

Number Class Builder Date Cylinders Drivers Weight Road
2701-2799         L-2a         Schenectady             1926           27x30            69         364,000          NYC

 

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Saturday, March 23, 2019 8:14 PM

Well of course, the implication is the car parked there is the fella who took the picture. I did not make a connection to Ed May though.

Fortunate the car was captured in the photo as it gives us a range for a time period. 

From the description in the link:

The 5-window coupe automobile model suggests the time period of 1935-1945, while the parallel alignment of the railroad and canal suggests a location between Buffalo and New York City.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Saturday, March 23, 2019 7:54 PM

Flintlock76
You suppose there's a railfan taking pictures in that car on the side of the road?

No.  He's on the hillside taking pictures.  And I suspect more than a little that his name may be Ed May.

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 6,199 posts
Posted by Miningman on Saturday, March 23, 2019 7:45 PM

Thanks Wayne. I thought it might be an early version Mohawk, just can't make out the wheel arraignment and the number with any accuracy. After all the NYC did have 600 Mohawks!

You have better eyes than me. I came up with at least 3 different numbers all starting with 21xx. 

Yeah probably the fella in the parked sedan was waiting to capture a train and a barge at the same time. 

Its a very calming scene though, things are happening without being frantic.

SUBSCRIBER & MEMBER LOGIN

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

FREE NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter