Beacon Line Maintenance / Current Status / Background

The odds have to be in the millions with having this many catastrophic events MN experienced within the past year but vitalizing the Beacon line for even basic usage has to be in the tens of millions, funds which the RR doesn't have right now on a line that would be used sporadically. It worked back in 2011 because the mileage traveled between Dykeman's and Danbury was small in relation from Dykeman's and Beacon. I am sure Noel Weaver can attest to that as he has ran trains over the stretch of trackage.

Theoretically asking, if the Beacon line was reactivated for passenger service, would this route be quicker from Danbury-GCT?

Didn't MNRR use this line for a big equipment move when equipment was stranded in Danbury during a line washout in 2011?

And doesn't the Circus use this line every year?

I mean, they dumped all that money into Port Jervis, a side of the river MNRR shouldn't even be on, but that's just my opinion.

They did use the beacon line from Danbury to Dyckmans to move 2 minis and 3 maxis
I believe it was restircted to 10mph not anymore
Remember the beacon line has crossing that have to be activated
They aren't like a regular metro north line crossings
I know from being on 2 danbury railroad museum trips that went over the beacon line
Back then the bridge over the Harlem line supported the weight don't know if it still does
Both excursions had 2 new haven painted fl9's 2027-2016 with 7 red

Beacon line from CP dyke to Beacon is out of service, the part from CP dyke to Danbury just about un-passable.
so forget about beacon line.

If memory serves,a bridge raising has cut the Beacon/Maybrook remains in at least 1 location,the track is only good for 10 mph
and "stop and protect" at every grade crossing to boot. Forget about the HRRC section into Danbury, it is most likey now
excepted track and unusable.

US-9 in Fishkill is paved over the Beacon Line.

Don't forget the May, 1996 Long Island Sunrise Trail Chapter fantrip!

Remember that trip well,C420 as power,F-7a as power pack,back then,believe the Beacon/Maybrook was 25mph,
US-9 was "Stop and protect" due to a crossing signal glitch.

RussNelson wrote:US-9 in Fishkill is paved over the Beacon Line.

Route 9 is not paved over, just drove over it yesterday.... It does have dirt, etc but if dug out the rails are still intact. Also, as discussed in the last several beacon line discussions, the bridges at Route 311 and Route 164, in Patterson have been raised and rail has been cut. There was weed spraying and tree cutting done to the entire line this summer except from Holmes road south and from just north of CP DYKE were there is weeds and fallen trees. And once you hit the state line good luck trying to find the rails through the weeds, brush and fallen trees. I'm sure in the next few years you'll have trees growing up through the rails on the Housatonic side, so an equip move from Danbury to Brewster in the next few years will be out of the question as well.

TacSupport1 wrote:It seems like every time there is a major disruption in MNRR service, the Beacon line is brought into discussion on here. Would it be feasible to maintain the Beacon line for equipment moves only so that equipment can be transferred in case of emergency?

The Hudson-Harlem connection, were it even in service, is just too damn long with too many problematic grade crossings to work for an equipment shuttle. It would be so painfully slow and require so many stop-and-protects that it's probably easier and less labor-intensive to go Albany-Springfield-New Haven with an Amtrak escort than to make a trip down the Beacon. They didn't buy it to run that segment. They bought it as a rent-free place to string up fiber cable for back-end communications support. The semi-operable tracks were just gravy on top. They don't have a need for them, so it can either stay out-of-service, go rail-with-trail the whole way, or get landbanked.


Danbury-Harlem connection does have some emergency move utility. Unlike the Hudson, here there is no emergency bypass around the horn for the Harlem or Danbury for a blockage to the south. They can't get an escort from a reputable partner like Amtrak and CSX the the whole distance around on full 60-90 MPH passenger track like is available northbound on the Hudson. So having the Beacon/Maybrook emergency route proved its worth during the floods a few years back. They have very little annual budget to maintain it to barely operable status, but they have very good reason to keep it operable and to save up some annual appropriations for bridge repairs and whatnot. Maybe even splurge one day when they can on reinstating a leg of Put Jct. @ Southeast to trim the 3 extra miles to Dykemans and keep it a taut 10 miles between Southeast Yard and Danbury. It'll help even more if CDOT can buy out those clowns at Housatonic for the track they don't use west of Danbury to the state line so MNRR can dispatch its own moves for a change.

And, yes, if it weren't for Housy there'd probably be a *little* warmth towards the future idea of running excursion trains from Southeast to Danbury and the Berkshire Line via some scenic operator like DRM or Berkshire Scenic. Just as long as disreputable HRCC is long gone and it's somebody much less shady doing the asking. So, yes, for a variety of reasons that stretch is a long-term hold as an active railroad. Albeit one that shouldn't be mistaken as any sort of future revenue MNRR route or oft-used emergency route. Maybe if/when they sever it from Dykemans in favor of a Southeast junction they should just rename it the "Danbury Secondary" or something and let Dykemans-Beacon rust away OOS as the Beacon Line. After all, ever since thru freight ended they really are two separate lines of separate purposes. Only one of them is functionally a rail hold; the other is just a land hold.

AMK0123 wrote:

RussNelson wrote:US-9 in Fishkill is paved over the Beacon Line.

Route 9 is not paved over, just drove over it yesterday.... It does have dirt, etc but if dug out the rails are still intact.

It was paved over on November 15th. Maybe somebody removed the asphalt between then and yesterday, but I, too, was there.

When Route 9 was paved, they left the strip inbetween the rails without new asphalt. I passed again a few days later, and the the section was paved, over the rails it seemed. Very rough. As for the rest of the line, they might as well call it Fantasy land, as it will probably never see a train again, only in a foamers mind. track conditions are too poor to risk it.

I do remember once taking a trip on the beacon line
When metro north did a group travel trip back in 2009
Did the whole line from beacon to Danbury
MTA police where at all crossings protecting them
Also there was one that was a drm trip that ran with what sle used before their current car fleet meaning the old spv's with a jeep 6698
The beacon line trip had CDOT genesis 230-228

Forgive my ignorance. I am a fan of railroads since a I was a kid. Dad would take us down to the Tremont Avenue Station of the New York Central so we could watch the trains. Always love the awesome power of those diesel-electrics, the electric motors and the fast acceleration on the MU's

I live in Dutchess county now and have been thinking about the Beacon/Maybrook line since I saw a freight train video of it on youtube. I ponder the viability of a Harlem line link and to be it seems maybe raising the track to go over route 9 and other grade crossings might work (yeah cost may be out of line with reality) That and I tried to follow the line on googlemaps and noticed how round about the trackage is. One item in particular and the reason I posted this question is Whaley lake. Does anyone know why it loops around instead of going right into Hopewell Jct. ?

Anyway, I just hate to see all this ROW go to waste. Thanks for an interesting forum

Glen H AKA the swan

Me <3 the Beacon Line. Dutch can give you an idea of the background of MNRR's acquisition of it to preserve it for future use, and how it's come to the state that it's in. Dutch I think was qualified on it as well and I think Noel Weaver used to run trains on it from back in the NH days.

Personally, I think a dink/shuttle would be the best use to take cars off the road who are parking at Brewster North right now, and less so to Fishkill, but not a through service. We've also had discussions on trolley operations on it. But it's never going to happen unless someone comes up with the funds (call Shumer and Gillibrand's office, and Cuomo) and not likely any time soon.