Track you'd like Back (MetroNorth)

Geez, I hate to think what the price of a Starbucks house blend is, normalized to a gallon . . . .

Well, a Starbucks Grande Latte contains 16 oz (1 Pt) and costs about $4. There are 8 pints in a gallon, so that gallon of Starbucks would run you about $32.

The Upper Harlem, Wassaic to Chatham.

I know there are several grade crossings, but I'd love to see the Old Put in action again. It could take many many cars off the Saw Mill and Taconic.

The Put, without a doubt. Abandoning it was a shortsighted move - it could be really useful today.

Nasadowsk wrote:The Put, without a doubt. Abandoning it was a shortsighted move - it could be really useful today.

I was thinking about that a week ago, driving on the Saw Mill near Eastview.

How much of the right of way has been sold off or otherwise lost? My sense is most of the line is a rail-trail. No?

Problem with the NYWB and the Put: zero parking available at either line. I think in the case of the NYWB, they expected walk-up service from the neighborhood, or you rode a circulator bus to the station. Look at Heathcote- where the heck would you put 100 commuters' cars (as a conservative amount). The stations below Elmsford on the Putnam Division would also have parking pains, as their stations are right in the middle of grown-in villages or built up areas of the Bronx.

As long as we are talking about fantasy railroading: These are my proposed Putnam Line stations:

Grand Central-University Heights (Hudson Line)
Van Cortlandt Park (sorry, no Yonkers branch service)
*Dunwoodie
*Nepperhan (*I dont really know enough about this area of Yonkers to guess, but there are way too many stations too close to each other in this segment)
*Nepera Park
Ardsley (drop-off station in village)
Elmsford (drop-off station in village)
East View-Valhalla Campus (major office parks and County facilities here)
Graham-Phelps Way (intersection of 117 crossing 9A and Taconic Pkway- you could build a major park and ride here)
Briarcliff Manor
Millwood (close to Taconic and 100, park and ride opportunity here)
Yorktown Heights
Baldwin Place
Mahopac
Carmel
Southeast (Harlem Line)
Brewster (Harlem Line)

...and that's before the practicalities of 2004-era railway engineering come into play... but something to think about, I guess. I eliminated many of the Put stations either because the nearby populations can't justify them, or there's too many too close together.

-otto-

I don't think it makes any sense to even think about restoring the "PUT".
It is closely parralleled by both the Harlem and Hudson for much of the
way. There have been other reasons stated here as well that show that
the line really would not fit in today.
The most logical extension or addition in New York State would be for the
Harlem Line to be extended north. As I have stated earlier, the area is
growing and it would be an alternative to the Amtrak service on the Hudson out of Albany. It is too bad that New York State did not step in
when they could and prevent the removal of the track on this former line.
The one area of the PUT that might warrant restoration in my opinion is
the old Harlem/Putnam line between Put Junction and Goldens Bridge via
Lake Mahopac. Today a single track line with third rail could handle some
morning and evening through service with a shuttle train for off hours and
weekends. Resort areas and the county seat of Putnam County could
have service in this scheme.
Much money has been spent for the necessary improvements to increase
traffic on both the lower portions of the Hudson and Harlem Lines and I
think this should be adequate. What good are trains if the people who wish to ride them have no place to park. Probably most of the stations on
all of the Metro-North territory need more parking than they now have
and first priority should be to expand parking as much as and soon as it is
possible.
Noel Weaver

I agree with you Noel- the Put would just be redundant trackage in today's Metro-North operations. Born a branch line, it died a branch line.

-otto-

Otto Vondrak wrote:I agree with you Noel- the Put would just be redundant trackage in today's Metro-North operations. Born a branch line, it died a branch line.
-otto-

There could be a use for the Put if tracks are installed on the new Tappan Zee Bridge. Either a tunnel, or elevated tracks, would be difficult to connect to the Hudson Line which runs right on the shore of the river. By going east to Elmsford, a high speed link down the old Put right of way to connect to GCT would be a possibility. A station in Elmsford would make sense, similar to Metro Park in NJ, because of the intersection of the Thruway, 287, Saw Mill, 119 and 9A. If Boston can do the big dig, why can't we?

I would really like to see the Housatonic Railroad connect from New Milford, CT to the Danbury Branch of the New Haven Line. I know that's not exactly New York Central, but MNRR could take this - even though I'm sure the Connecticut DOT wouldn't pay a cent for it.

And also, to all who cited parking problems: maybe having the Put would ease some parking, because people would go away from some heavily used Harlem & Hudson stations. For example, I'm from Chappaqua, and I bet if a Millwood station was in existence, a good third of the current users of the Chappaqua station would flock to Millwood. A Briarcliff station could help Scarborough & Ossining, and Yorktown's always deserved a station.

I just wish in general there was more room for railroad expansion. Even having the Lake Mohegan Branch would be great, just a little single-rail branch. There are so many towns in Northern Westchester/Putnam/Dutchess that could really benefit.

And the one I'd like to see in full operation but would never happen is the Beacon Line. There's just not enough demand to go east-west in a north-south world like Westchester/Putnam/Dutchess, especially that far north.

Jondude11 wrote:I would really like to see the Housatonic Railroad connect from New Milford, CT to the Danbury Branch of the New Haven Line. I know that's not exactly New York Central, but MNRR could take this - even though I'm sure the Connecticut DOT wouldn't pay a cent for it.

And also, to all who cited parking problems: maybe having the Put would ease some parking, because people would go away from some heavily used Harlem & Hudson stations. For example, I'm from Chappaqua, and I bet if a Millwood station was in existence, a good third of the current users of the Chappaqua station would flock to Millwood. A Briarcliff station could help Scarborough & Ossining, and Yorktown's always deserved a station.

I just wish in general there was more room for railroad expansion. Even having the Lake Mohegan Branch would be great, just a little single-rail branch. There are so many towns in Northern Westchester/Putnam/Dutchess that could really benefit.

And the one I'd like to see in full operation but would never happen is the Beacon Line. There's just not enough demand to go east-west in a north-south world like Westchester/Putnam/Dutchess, especially that far north.

Harlem Line at Chappaqua, hourly or better service all day with very
frequent express service in both rush hours. Modern electric equipment
and a one seat ride to New York. Putnam trackage, not likely to have all
day hourly service, maybe rush hour service only if that, limited capacity
and no capacity to absorb delays or problems and the likelyhood of having
to change trains somewhere in the Bronx. I don't envision 3 % of the
people using Chappaqua going elsewhere and Chappaqua people are
rather hard to please so they probably would not stay for the long run
anyway. They would not do it in the same running time or probably any-
thing even close for that matter.
I agree with you that the Danbury service should probably be extended to
New Milford but that will require dollars that Connecticut will not want to
spend at that location.
As for the Beacon Line, I believe one reason that Metro-North has that line
basically in a stand-by status is the very real possibility at commuter
service might be established between lets say Poughkeepsie and White
Plains for people living along that line. The whole area is growing quite
rapidly and in my opinion even though the line is not perfectly situated, it
could benefit and the locals could benefit from it. The line is a "definate
maybe".
What is most likely needed not only at Chappaqual but most of the other
Metro-North stations is expanded parking facilities. If there is no room to
expand the outdoor lots, than the only way to expand is up, yes even in
the outlaying stations, build parking garages. Most of these relatively
small towns are growing primarily because of the excellent train service
that they enjoy, the value is priceless. There needs to be enough room to
park the cars from people not only who live in the immediate towns but in
the adjoining communities which are not fortunate enough to have the
railroad tracks running through them.
Noel Weaver

Noel Weaver wrote:As for the Beacon Line, I believe one reason that Metro-North has that line
basically in a stand-by status is the very real possibility at commuter
service might be established between lets say Poughkeepsie and White
Plains for people living along that line. The whole area is growing quite
rapidly and in my opinion even though the line is not perfectly situated, it
could benefit and the locals could benefit from it. The line is a "definate
maybe".

I guess you're right. I mean, why would the least likely train line to make a return be the one that actually has the trackage anyway? And besides, White Plains is bustling. They get approximately 200,000 commuters daily (mostly by car).

And as for Chappaqua, it doesn't feel to me that there's much room to add more parking though they need it terribly. They'd never ever build a parking garage because it'd take away from the semi-country feel of the town. But a lot of people from the Millwood area commute to the Chappaqua train station, and if the Put were ever reliable (which is an almost definite no), I definitly see some people living in the Random Farms/Seven Bridges region going to a Millwood train station, or even Yorktown near the New Castle-Yorktown border.

Beyond Danbury on the Danbury Branch, what would the stops be? Would it just be Brookfield and New Milford, or are there any in between. I know the New Milford Route 7 area, but I don't know much beyond that. And where does the track lead beyond New Milford? When you go to New Milford today, the track and crossings are all there, and the train station is still intact, but it is almost never used. It's a shame that Connecticut is so stingy.

http://www.hvceo.org/transport/railstations.php

Interesting website on a proposed extension of the Danbury Branch to New Milford. They say they'd create Danbury North, Brookfield, and New Milford stations. It sounds feasable, but will it ever happen? Does the Danbury Branch currently get a lot of business?

Jondude11 wrote:

Noel Weaver wrote:As for the Beacon Line, I believe one reason that Metro-North has that line
basically in a stand-by status is the very real possibility at commuter
service might be established between lets say Poughkeepsie and White
Plains for people living along that line. The whole area is growing quite
rapidly and in my opinion even though the line is not perfectly situated, it
could benefit and the locals could benefit from it. The line is a "definate
maybe".

I guess you're right. I mean, why would the least likely train line to make a return be the one that actually has the trackage anyway? And besides, White Plains is bustling. They get approximately 200,000 commuters daily (mostly by car).

And as for Chappaqua, it doesn't feel to me that there's much room to add more parking though they need it terribly. They'd never ever build a parking garage because it'd take away from the semi-country feel of the town. But a lot of people from the Millwood area commute to the Chappaqua train station, and if the Put were ever reliable (which is an almost definite no), I definitly see some people living in the Random Farms/Seven Bridges region going to a Millwood train station, or even Yorktown near the New Castle-Yorktown border.

Beyond Danbury on the Danbury Branch, what would the stops be? Would it just be Brookfield and New Milford, or are there any in between. I know the New Milford Route 7 area, but I don't know much beyond that. And where does the track lead beyond New Milford? When you go to New Milford today, the track and crossings are all there, and the train station is still intact, but it is almost never used. It's a shame that Connecticut is so stingy.

Don't ever say "never" in regard to the railroad, I learned that when I first
hired out on the NHRR in 1956 and I believe it today. The towns along
Metro-North will have to get over the feeling that prevades today that they
are pristine, the next station to heaven (New Canaan, Ct) and other
attitudes. The Harlem ceased to be a rural railroad in 1984 when the
third rail was completed to Brewster. I'll bet the old time New York
Central people are still turning over in their graves.
What good is good commuter service if they have no place to park their
cars.
It will cost a lot less to build new parking garages than to build a whole
new railroad line on the grade of the old Put.
Noel Weaver