Albany and Schenectady

My question straddles both the Penn Central and Amtrak eras thus the reason why I’ve posted it in the Amtrak forum.

I’m interested in the trackage reductions that occurred in the Albany and Schenectady areas in 1969. If I understand the trackage situation correctly the NYC mainline was reduced from four to two tracks around both cities. Around Albany the two designated passenger tracks that crossed the Maiden Ave. Bridge to south of Albany, were eliminated along with all the trackage around Albany Union Station. The two freight tracks remained on the east bank of the Hudson, running through Rensselaer, before crossing the Hudson north of Albany presumably at the Livingston Ave. Bridge. All passenger trains were routed on these tracks with Rensselaer, which also served as the Penn Central’s coach yard, becoming the new site of for an Albany Station. I presume that the same mentality occurred in Schenectady, with the two passenger tracks through downtown Schenectady as well as Union Station abandoned. This I assume meant all passenger trains were routed on the freight tracks that ran outside of Schenectady with a new stop being created on Karner Road in Colonie as the new Schenectady stop. My questions then are the following:

Was Rensselaer ever a passenger stop prior to 1969? I’ve seen it on old NYC conductor duplex tickets.

From July to September of 1979 Amtrak trains both made stops at the Colonie-Schenectady Station as well as the newly built downtown Amtrak station. How could this be if both stations were on different lines?

Finally why did Amtrak only bring back only one track through downtown Schenectady in 1978 leading to the nearly four decade bottle neck? Has the 2017 double track project completely eliminated it?

The Colonie station (4276 Albany St just NW of New Karner Rd.) was right on the same main line between Albany and Schenectady that has always been used.

More info at this old topic: https://railroad.net/schenectady-and-qu ... 21132.html

So apparently for a time while Colonie was in use, northbound trains diverted (after Colonie) in South Schenectady heading along the west/south bank of the Mohawk, rejoining the main at Hoffmans. That would bypass the downtown Schenectady trackage through the older and current station.

Y'ster: The 18 mile track segment between Albany (mile 142 from NY GCT) and Schenectady (mile 160)
has always interested me thanks to its history of changes from the 1960s through the 1970s into the 1980s.
The evolution from New York Central into Penn Central and than Conrail and Amtrak operation of the
Empire Service routes through NY State is a prime example of the changes in that 30 year period...

The segment of track from the curves west of the Livingston Avenue Bridge through Hoffmans (mile 169)
after upgrade to 110 mph was one of the highest speed limits outside the NEC for passenger trains...

This topic could be added to the appropriate fallen flag forums but the best additional exposure to me
would be the New York State Railfan Forum...In my just-over 17 year RR.net membership I learned that
there are members who post at and only read topics in as few as one forum even though access allows
availability to all forums at any time. As RT notes the RR.net archives can be good to search for additional
information on this and any past topics - arguably the best resource that RR.net has to offer...MACTRAXX

In the mid 60s Interstate 787 being constructed taking most of the tracks and Maiden Lane along with it. The only bits left are the two D&H/CP tracks that run down the median and "Bull Run" that connects up the hill to Amtrak CP145 on the west side of "LAB". The original station in Schenectady was torn down in 1971, and was replaced by the stop on Karner Rd. If you were going west to Buffalo you would have switched to the Carmen, (which is actually a freight bypass has a better grade) at what is now CP156 to South Schenectady then out to Hoffmans at CP169.
The tracks used going up West Albany Hill to Schenectady and west are the same that were used by NYCRR Great Steel Fleet. Passenger trains rarely if ever crossed "LAB" it was the freight bridge.

NYS is the entity that has replaced upgraded the track between Albany and Hoffmans. I talking with guys long retired who hired out when the original project began. They remembers pounding stakes into the ground above Schenectady and people saying WFT are you doing in my veggie garden. Well ma'am trains will be running through here in a year or so. Most didn't believe them, till the bulldozer showed up.

Had am Uncle who lived in The Queens back in the mid 70s and liked to take the train back home. Remember being their to pick him up with my mom and grandmother. He always said it took forever and the train was slow but it beat paying for gas and tolls on NYS Thru way. Fast forward about 30yrs and I see him at a family function and he finds out I work for the railroad. Asked how long a trip takes and how fast we go, nothing like it was. But at the speeds he likes to drive if he was still living in The Queens I don't think the train would be option