8 THE CALL BOARD NEWSLETTER OF THE MOHAWK & HUDSON CHAPTER, N.R.H.S.

The D&H Albany MainBy Thom Coates

The Delaware & Hudson's "Albany Main",which runs from Kenwood Yard in Albanysouthwest through Delmar, Slingerlands,Voorheesville and Altamont before connect-ing with the D&H mainline at Delanson, hasa source of news and controversy within thepast few months. The Delaware & Hudsonhas proposed to abandon the line, althoughit has not actually begun the abandonmentprocess.

A private group of bicyclists has proposedthat the line be ripped up and turned into atrail for bicycling and hiking. Another group,spearheaded by members ofthe Mohawk &Hudson Chapter and the Empire State Pas-sengers Association, has proposed that the"Albany Main" be preserved for future railtransportation uses including a tourist rail-road and future commuter use, as well ascarrying the existing freight.

Fortunately, members of the Mohawk &Hudson Chapter and ESPA have, throughpersistence and hard work, persuaded keymembers ofthe Albany County Legislatureto propose a resolution directing the CountyExecutive to negotiate with the D&H forcounty acquisition of the line in order topreserve it for future rail use, and to applyfor ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transpor-tation Efficiency Act) grant funds to do it.

Alco RS-3 #4054,in black paint with yellow safety stripes, leads a southbound D&H way freight leaving Kenwood on the "Albany Main"in May of 1961. Built as the Albany 8: Susquehanna Railroad in 1863, it was chartered on April 19, 1851. (Photo by Don Barbeau)

NEWSLETTER OF THE MOHAWK & HUDSON CHAPTER, N.R.H.S. THE CALL BOARD 9

Two or three months ago there seemedto be little hope of saving the railroad line.The "rails-to-trails" people are politicallysavy, well organized and well funded. Theirargument was that they would be "savingthe transportation corridor", though therehas never been a "rail-trail" returned to arail line once the tracks have been removed.They even got another well-heeled group topledge $1-2 million to buy the property - aslong as it didn't remain a railroad line.

The good news is that we're gainingground. We have convinced a sizeable num-ber of county legislators that keeping therailroad is the most desireable thing to do,though how to pay for it is naturally a con-cern. We understand that at least two po-tential shortline operators have stepped for-ward in the past couple of weeks and ex-pressed interest in operating the line. Andcounty officials are now beginning to try tofigure out how to finance the acquisition.One by one the obstructions are being re-moved and the goal seems possible to at-tain.

The views on these pages of activity onthe "Albany Main" in years gone by, whichwere kindly provided by Don Barbeau, re-mind us of what was once an integral partof the Capital District transportation net-work, bustling on a daily basis with freightand passenger trains. Not only were therelocal freights, as shown on these pages, butthere were through freights running betweenAlbany (Kenwood Yard) and Binghamtonas recently as ten years ago or less. In thesteam era, before the D&H dieselized, therewere many more trains on this line, includ-ing several daily passenger trains. In fact, atone time there were commuter trains fromAltamont which carried workers and shop-pers into Albany and home again on a dailybasis.

We can't bring all that back, as pleasantas those memories are to us as railroad en-thusiasts, nor is that the purpose of our ef-forts. The purpose of our efforts is to findthe best uses for this valuable resource inthe short term so that it may be preservedfor the long-term benefit of others in thefuture. We'd like to have your help and sup-port. Thanks!

(Thomas J. Coates, 63 Severson Hill Rd.,Voorheesville, NY 12186)

The northbound Binghamton Local descends through the Normans Kill Gorge in Decem-ber of 1960 with an Aleo RS-2 on the point. It is hard to believe that this scenic route,pictured above, is within the Albany City limits. The New York State Thruway is seencrossing over the Normans Kill. (Photo by Don Barbeau)

A southbound D&H way freight approaches the diamond where the D&H crosses theNew York Central at Voorheesville on a cold January day in 1965. By this time the paintscheme on RS-3 #40xx has been changed to the "lighning-stripes". Notice the end-cupolacaboose. Photo is taken from the area ofthe former Voorheesville passenger station. (Photoby Don Barbeau)

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D&H Alco PA #19 leads an excursion equipment ferry move southbound through the Normanskill Gorge in September of 1973. Thispart of the D&H "Albany Main", where it traverses the Normanskill, is the steepest grade on the line. (Photo by Don Barbeau)

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