Trackside bars in NY state?

Cold Spring, NY --- in the station

Mt. Kisco NY, in the station

Pleasantville, NY, in the station.

You would be hard pressed to do any train watching from this next couple of places, but I'm going to point out the bar on the Vanderbilt Ave. balcony of GCT. AND --- just a few feet from it, off the same balcony, is the absolutely classiest watering hole in the neighborhood: The Campbell Apartment. Believe it or not this place acutally has a dress code!. And of course a few flights down from there is the Oyster Bar, famous for eating and drinking. After decades as a weekday-only establishment it is now open Saturdays.

Next to one of the stations ---- I think Hastings, is that right? --- on the lower end of the Hudson Line is The Chart House --- one of the national chain of that name. It's on the river side of the tracks and great for train and river watching.

The noted area restaurateur Peter Xaviar Kelly has just recently opened a new place on the Yonkers riverfront. I haven't seen it but I would guess it offers good train views too.

OK, the rail traffic is really infrequent, but for the name alone I've got to mention the Black Diamond in Victor NY alongside the ONCT (former LV).

Almost forgot about this one, close to home too! The Depot bar @ grill in Manchester where the Fingerlakes RR runs alot of it"s train rides from. It's right next to the former Conrail line now run by Fingerlakes. Not many trains but good food and RR friendly.

Tom Curtin wrote:Cold Spring, NY --- in the station

Mt. Kisco NY, in the station

Pleasantville, NY, in the station.

You would be hard pressed to do any train watching from this next couple of places, but I'm going to point out the bar on the Vanderbilt Ave. balcony of GCT. AND --- just a few feet from it, off the same balcony, is the absolutely classiest watering hole in the neighborhood: The Campbell Apartment. Believe it or not this place acutally has a dress code!. And of course a few flights down from there is the Oyster Bar, famous for eating and drinking. After decades as a weekday-only establishment it is now open Saturdays.

Next to one of the stations ---- I think Hastings, is that right? --- on the lower end of the Hudson Line is The Chart House --- one of the national chain of that name. It's on the river side of the tracks and great for train and river watching.

The noted area restaurateur Peter Xaviar Kelly has just recently opened a new place on the Yonkers riverfront. I haven't seen it but I would guess it offers good train views too.

The Chart House is at Dobbs Ferry, one station up the line from Hastings.
Another place along the Hudson River is at Highland and it is the Marriners
Harbor. You are right next to the River Line and can plainly see trains on
the Hudson Line at Poughkeepsie as well. When the New Haven Railorad
Poughkeepsie Bridge was still in use you could see trains on that line as
well. I don't think anyplace had that one beat. The seafood at this place
is really good too.
Noel Weaver

El Chico's sits right next to the Rome, NY station.

No longer partake in the finer beverages, but at the risk of being outside the subject confines of this thread here are a few old watering holes that used to be extant:

The Beanery (circa M/1970s, just east of the NYC Victor depot on the Auburn branch, tracks now gone).

West End Tavern (Manchester, on State Street near the LCL facility, now a private residence the last I knew).

The Niagara Bar (Canandaigua, near the NYC depot on Niagara Street).

The Lehigh Hotel (on the corner of Main and South right across the street from the old EC&N (Lehigh Valley) passenger depot. The last I knew, the name had been changed to the Leather & Lace Hotel).

Coal Yard Charlies (Rome, NY along a old NYC branch. Forget the address, but never will forget the whole place shaking when a local passed at 10 mph or so, right out the back door.

The Cottage Hotel (Owego, NY just across the street from the Erie [E-L] MT and passenger depot).

In addition, there was a bar in East Syracuse, name long ago forgotten, just west of the East Syracuse Amtrak station that sat right alongside the yard.

Hold on there Fellas;

How come no one has mentioned the watering holes AT the station ? I would love to have a buck for every drink I ever had at Grand Central Station, and/ or Pennsylvania Station. I even had dinners there just before traintime. Savarin anyone ?

And of course, today; Los Angeles Union Station, LATC. And you have a choice.

I believe there is a restaraunt/bar next to the Dewitt Yards in Syracuse next to the old Amtrak Station. I believe the road is Rt 298?

east syracuse:
the caboose
brads
markos golden spike
riccos restaurant
retired taverns:
(TBDiamond) the chateau
the roundhouse
the gay 90s
the OD also known as cpOD across from 502.

There's a restaurant and bar in the former NYC Valhalla station (built in 1890) on the Harlem Division. The bar is located in what was the freight/baggage room until the station was closed back in 1959. Unfortunately the action is almost exclusively MU's and freight service has been gone for about 15 years.

BR&P wrote:OK, the rail traffic is really infrequent, but for the name alone I've got to mention the Black Diamond in Victor NY alongside the ONCT (former LV).

On Maple Ave. south of the tracks? Last I knew, it was closed, but that was quite a long time ago - could have been reopened.


FWIW, also, technically the Finger Lakes doesn't go to Manchester, it goes to Shortsville.

In the BC years (Before Cellphones) our shortlines crews knew the location of every nearby bar, but not for the "adult beverage" reason. Nighttime runs were usually made with nobody in the main office to answer the radio. Bars always had a pay phone, and in the event of an unexpected car in the train, a derailment, or any other situation requiring a call for information or help, the nearest bar was usually the answer.

Another that comes to mind is (or was) located on NYS Route 38 just north of Flemingville, right across the road from the Lehigh Valley Auburn branch, now the Owego & Harford. Cannot recall the name, but can well recall a D&H local crew stopping there on spot back around 1980.

lvrr325:

What a shame that the Black Diamond Hotel in Victor is closed. They had about the best Friday night fish fry going back in the M/L 1970s.

I can't recall the name of it, but there's a nice little bar n grill right by the marina at the waterfront in Watkins Glen that has an excellent view of the FGLK... or, as the locals call it, the "salt train." Nice burgers and just $2 for a bottle of Sam Adams Winter Ale.

I also happen to be acquainted with the owners of Marge's Lakeside Inn in Irondequoit. Back before the Hojack Line was removed from service circa 1977, Fran recalled how crews would stop the train in front of the bar so they could grab a quick meal at one of the hamburger joints across the street. This occasionally led to irresponsible behavior by bar patrons (and even local residents) who would try to "cut through" the train instead of walking around it. There were a couple of scary incidents where a person would be taken by surprise when the train started to move again... but thankfully the low speeds of the Hojack allowed the fool to get out before any serious injury occurred.

You really have to visit Marge's to understand this... a whole row of lakefront houses were hemmed in by the Hojack in their front yard... trying to imagine long freight trains parked at Sea Breeze while the crew grabs a bite at Don's Original or Vic and Irv's...