What's up in Schenectady, these days?

I grew up in Schenectady and used to tool around with my father looking at this and that on the railroads around the city. What's still to be found there, if anyone cares to respond?

-does what's left of the D&H still come into the city?
-are there still plant switchers at GE? (my dad was a welder there, so at open house, we'd see them)
-is there still interchage at Rotterdam Junction?
-there was an old line of rails that left the city and went, south, I think...you could find it last I knew if you went past Rotterdam Square Mall and followed that curved road up the hill and stayed straight...and evetually, there was a dogleg left back towards Broadway and Schenectady proper. I vaguely remember there being some chatter that a portion of that track would be back in service. Anyone know anything?
-there was a little yard between Scotia and Clifton Park, near the airport over there. I can't think of the name of it...is it still busy?

I have been back to the city in god knows how long. Can anyone help me? Thanks in advance...

Dave Becker

-does what's left of the D&H still come into the city?

D&H comes into the city, and runs along side the ex-NYC through the Amtrak station. You'll often see northbound CP Rail frieghts waiting in the station for the southbound Adirondack or Ethan Allen Express to clear the main. You can follow the D&H past the old Alco plant, over the Mohawk River, and up to Mohawk Yard on the edge of town.

-is there still interchage at Rotterdam Junction?

Yes, and you'll often find Guilford power laying over there.

-otto-

I think the old tracks you refer to form the Carman Branch (sometimes referred to as Carman Cutoff). The Carman Branch connects the Chicago Line with the Selkirk Branch. It splits off at CP-156 on the Chicago Line (Near Chrisler Ave). The Carman Branch joins the Selkirk Branch at CP-SH in South Schenectady. The Chicago Line is single track through
Schenectady with the exception of the 15,750' controlled siding
between CP-156 and CP-159 (Sch'dy station).

Don't know the status on the General Electric switcher either. Last time I was there, it was down to one: a fairly new 80-tonner.

I'v lived there since '75 and here are the abandonments I can think of since then.
1. The connector between Mohawk yard and Sunnyside in Scotia
2. The single tracking of the D&H between Sch'dy station and Mohawk
3. The West Shore from Pattersonville west
4. The removal of signals from the B&M

I think you're speaking of the connector that went between South Schenectady yard and the D&H-that's long gone. But, I believe it's wye is still in use by CSX.

All in all not a lot of changes but there does seem to be increased freight activity on all 3 railroads-especially the D&H and CSX.

One other thing, I think that the spur to the power station off of track 1 of the Selkirk branch is gone.

The New York Central branch to Troy (there was still some left in '75) is gone too:
http://www.rosshorwood.com/RailSiteLink ... ctady.html

...Ken

I think it was the connector between South Schenectady that I was thinking of...I always remember the Carmen cutoff from my stupid days riding my bike along the tracks. When I was reallllly little, the rails across Chrysler Ave (did I spell it right, or did you, kinlock?) were still there, especially for what used to be a coal dealer, I think, almost under the Hamburg Street bridge. There were also clearly rails left on the other side of Chrysler in a few other places, too, but none had gotten anything in ages, and all evidence of crossings had been paved over.

Is there any traffic going to the industrial park over west of Scoita on Rt. 5? I think there's an army or navy depot there...and for a while, near the time I went to college in '91, I think, there were starting to be cars and the like in there...i remember seeing a local, I imagine, crossing that bridge over 5 headed in that direction.

Thanka again for the previous help...and the help that you can still give me...

Dave Becker

In the industrial park there's Super Steel and Guilford still has a siding in there. There may be 2 spurs as far as Guilford is concerned.

I had a couple of business trips to Schenectady 2003-2004. The hotel I stayed in was on the site of the old Alco plant. The H U G E parking lot was a clue. When I drove out the back entrance (Jay Street), I saw distinctive foundation blocks lining the sidewalk.

Not long after, the Alco book came out. In there was a pic of Jay Street with the Alco building - and the foundation blocks matched what I saw.

The hotel is now a college dorm building. It was being gutted the last time I was there. If you visit, don't stay anywhere except the Holiday Inn; it's the last decent hotel in town that isn't a dump. And right down from the Holiday Inn is an RS-3 on permanent display.

Not much in Schenectady anymore, but there are great italian bakeries if you look (found one on Jay Street).

I agree that there is not too much in Schenectady but there is one
additional gem that you should check out.
That is Proctor's Theater on State Street. It is in beautiful shape and has
a great pipe organ inside. The lobby is something in its own right and
there is a display of railroad photos in that lobby or at least there was a
couple of years ago.
Noel Weaver

Its "Chrisler" Ave. You can see that branch in pretty good detail at
http://terraservice.net/image.aspx?T=2& ... ew+york%7c
That map is centered on the location where the Carman Cutoff leaves the Main headed West past the GE plant and towards the station. You can then follow the branch thru Rotterdam. Very good detail on the map - you can see the numerous tracks running through the General Electric "Main Plant".

That hotel (was a Ramada Inn and had an Alco display in lobby) was a good train watching spot. You missed the New York Central as it cut West towards Scotia, but the Delaware & Hudson went right by the hotel. You could always hear the locomotives starting to pick up speed as they left the yard limits.

This is the best part of Schenectady....



Just steps away from the Amtrak station and the D&H/CSX junction... grab a dog "with everything" and head to the depot for some afternoon fanning.

-otto-

So that place is in site of the tracks, how many trains a day thru there, every thing on the water level?

You can't really sit at Mike's and see trains, but you are only steps away from the CSX main and the D&H main. The CSX main is on an embankment behind those trees behind the restaurant.

-otto-

You can however see trains on the D&H if you sit at the counter at a spot looking out the window.

This is a picture representing what once made Schenectady "The City that Lights and Hauls the World". GE had/has a fleet of these huge depressed-center flatcars to move generators from the factory to the customer. They also had rider cabooses and "spacer cars" for these movements. The factory once had lots of incoming and outgoing rail shipments and even had a signal tower to control movements.

Good to see that Mike's is still in business. I had heard that Tobin Packing who made their hot dogs had closed. Tobin was in nearby West Albany and was the last of a meat industry that was once the "stockyards of America" before Chicago was born - an industry once depending on the New York Central Railroad.

More on the Carman Cutoff: Around 1970 when Amtrak was formed, PC closed the Schenectady and Albany stations and built a new one in between in Colonie. Trains between Colonie and Amsterdam were routed over the Carman Cutoff so they could close the line through Schenectady and Scotia to Hoffmans. In a few years they rebuilt the Schenectady station and reopened the line.