Fishkill Ferry -where was it?

Am I right in thinking that the old Fishkill ferry between the ERIE and the NYNE across the Hudson River was just by the present passenger station in Beacon NY?

Also, I've been told that the old Dutchess company had a waterfront interchange with Hudson River steamers at Dutchess Junction. Is this true?

From: http://www.lakemirabel.com/Railroad/NYC ... inish.html

The Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut, Later Central New England, then New Haven Railroad, met the New York Central at Fishkill Landing.

The Hudson line which became part of the NYC had been in operation for nearly 20 years when the first east-west railroad was built. The Dutchess & Columbia connected to the Hudson line at Dutchess Junction in 1868. In 1881 the NY&NE built a connecting track and ferry service at Fishkill Landing just north of Dutchess Junction. This NYC train is along the shore of the Hudson River between those two points. Fishkill Landing became part of Beacon in 1913.

When the CNE took over operation of the ND&C RR they began a program of abandonment. Among the first things to go in 1907 were the ND&C shop facilities at Dutchess Junction. In 1916 the passenger service stopped. Over the year the rest of Dutchess Junction followed. By 1950 all that was left was a lonely passenger shelter. Today even that shelter is gone

Lots of good pics on the above URL as well.

There were actually two train car ferries connecting to Newburgh. The early one was the Dutchess & Columbia RR facility at Dutchess Junction which is just south of Beacon. That service ran until the bigger Fishkill Landing facility was built in 1881. The Dutchess & Columbia RR contracted with the NY&NE to haul their cars across the river via Fishkill Landing starting in 1883.

After the big RR bridge in Poughkeepsie was built the ferry faced hard times. By 1904 the New Haven RR had taken over Fishkill Landing and the car ferry was discontinued. The Fishkill Landing yard area was still used as the connection to the NYC Hudson line by the CNE Rwy and the New Haven.

Take a look at the Lake Mirabel web site mentioned above. I contributed most of the photos for that site.

Bernie Rudberg

Author of "Twenty Five Years on the ND&C" by Purple Mountain Press