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  • Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

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Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New York State.

Moderator: Otto Vondrak

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by trainsinmaine
 
What a great piece of work! The S&S is an all-but-forgotten part of the B&M legacy. I've explored some, but not all, of it.

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by RichCoffey
 
Thanks everyone - A couple of corrections came in from Gino and James Shaughnessy (and a minor fluke on the back end which was fixed).
The pages have been updated - I may revisit it in the spring or summer on my mountain bike and post a couple of short videos - the spot at Burgoyne Road is especially tempting :-)
http://www.vizettes.com/kt/upstateny-hi ... -river.jpg

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by trainsinmaine
 
I'm curious, Rich --- did you find any old mile markers, derelict telegraph poles, or any other bric-a-brac?

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by RichCoffey
 
Yes there is a PIC of a mile marker (I believe)
Section 1 > Bog Meadow South Explorations > 1 - Bridge Ruins > 5th Photo

+++++++++++
and lots of Railroad ties here and there

Biking riding in the warmer months (as mentioned) may unearth more stuff

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by trainsinmaine
 
I checked out that photo. That looks too short to be a mile marker, though it may have been cut off. Could have been a base for something else, too. I agree --- walking that section of ROW in warmer weather may reveal more. Interesting that you should find ties that fully intact after 57 years!

Do you know whether the abutments of the Schellen Road / Old Schuylerville Road overpass are still there? The bridge itself was removed decades ago.

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by B&M 1227
 
While on the subject of the S&S, what was the trackage that extended past Schuylerville to a connection with the D&H on the other side of the Hudson? It looks like it was hardly ever used, with the Batten Kill tracks still extending to the bridge over the Hudson.

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by trainsinmaine
 
IIRC, the extension --- the big bridge abutments for which are still there --- belonged to the predecessor to the Batten Kill, the Greenwich and Johnsonville. It met the S&S somewhere in the vicinity of the S&S depot, I presume. I don't know when the rails were taken up. There used to be an interurban trolley bridge next to the railroad trestle. Dave Nestle wrote a book on this years ago; unfortunately it's in my other library, which is 110 miles from here at my other home.

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by B&M 1227
 
ahh, thank you! after snooping around the net a little more, i found the g&j was abandoned west of the hudson in the early 30s. i can't imagine the s&s provided much, if any interchange traffic to the g&j with the b&m/d&h connection in mechanicville.

slightly off topic, but there's recently been talk of a barge terminal opening up in thomson with a rail connection to the batten kill. now to convince them they need rail service on the west side of the river. :wink:

Re: Retracing the Saratoga & Schuylerville Railroad ROW

  by RussNelson
 
The Batten Kill still has tracks going onto the "island" where I am speculating the barge terminal would be. I put "island" in quotes because I'm not sure if the canal that separates it from the mainland is natural or constructed. It's definitely only reachable by three bridges now, so it's an island unless or until the canal silts up.
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