West Shore Railroad information

Hi I just joined and am seeking information on the West Shore railroad that passed thru Randall NY. I have been told my great uncle worked for the West shore and he lived in a shack right along the rail bed in Randall after he retired. Does anyone have a photo of the station there and where it stood? Thanks for any info.

Yes saw that. I went to the location where my uncle lived in the shack according to my cousin. Trying to determine location of his shack/home in respect to the train station and milk depot. My cousin was young when she went to visit my great uncle. He lived in Randall until 1951 when he got sick and was moved to Schenectady. He died in 1953. I never met him. My cousin said his shack was right in front of the rail bed and trains came right past as they stood there. She cannot remember the station how many tracks or it's location.Hopefully someone may know.

Might see if there's a Sanborn fire insurance map that shows the layout. They're viewable via the Library of Congress website. You also have the historic aerials viewer which also has the old topo maps, may be helpful.

Randall isn't much more than a wide spot along 5S, there's not too many places a shack could have been.

No Sanborn for here.

Hi Thanks for the tips. After Xmas I might contact Montgomery county historian to see if they have anything. My cousin said there were times my great Uncle would ride the train from Randall Schenectady and my cousin and her parents would pick him up and have him over for dinner then drive him back to the Schenectady station for his return trip back to Randall. I assume she meant the Schenectady station on Erie Blvd. Would that be correct?

County Historian:
Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar
[email protected]
518-853-8186
PO Box 1500
Fonda NY 12068

Town of Root Historian:
William Maring
[email protected]
518-922-5606
163 Rural Grove Road
Sprakers NY 12166

Concur with all that was said above. Track schematic based on 1917 Valuation Maps is attached:

Note that the station was at one time called "Downing" after the family that donated land for the station. The attached drawing is consistent with the postcard often listed on eBay. I know of no evidence of a freight station as such. The siding was ~3500' long and there was only one reverse crossover from the north (westbound) track. WS stations seemed to be about every 3 miles, regardless of the size of the community.

The county archives don't have a lot in the way of WS RR documents, but the old court house they are located in is right by the Chicago Main and the staff is friendly and cooperative.

Randall wasn't big enough to warrant a Sanborn map.

The station was on the south side of the RoW (now the Erie Canal Bikepath) by where Old RIver Rd now crosses. At one time "barrel-shaped" piers for the hay barns could be found in brush.

Gooch wrote: ↑Sun Dec 10, 2023 7:58 pm Hi Thanks for the tips. After Xmas I might contact Montgomery county historian to see if they have anything. My cousin said there were times my great Uncle would ride the train from Randall Schenectady and my cousin and her parents would pick him up and have him over for dinner then drive him back to the Schenectady station for his return trip back to Randall. I assume she meant the Schenectady station on Erie Blvd. Would that be correct?

The West Shore did not come into the NYCRR station at Schenectady it would have followed the river into Rotterdam Jct. then up the hill into South Schenectady and on into Voorheesville and Selkirk. I do not know the locations of any stations along this section of track as passenger service on the West Shore was a second thought. I can not seem to locate my ETTs from this time period to see if any passenger service existed this side of Albany. So one would have to assume he crossed the river and picked up a train in Fonda and rode into Schenectady. Or he could have rode FJ&G Interurbans when they were in service back in the 1930s.

Theoretically the West Shore could have gone to the NYCRR/Union Station. It would have to use no longer existing connector from Fuller to where now Chrisler Ave starts. On old topo maps it is first listed as Saratoga & Hudson River RR, but after that always marked as West Shore RR. It could have turned at Union Station and either return the same way or take a short section of the D&H RR joining the West Shore mainline at South Schenectady.
I have no idea if there is any merit to it and I doubt it as it would be quite a signification operation for passenger trains. What do wonder if the West Shore ever had a station at South Schenectady. If yes, was it where the D&H crossed the West Shore at grade? That stub still exists and is a great spot for train watching.
I ask because on a few West Shore RR timetables South Schenectady is listed as a stop. I cannot find any info on a depot or station ever being there.

The 1917 Valuation charts show a "joint operation" freight house inside the NE quadrant of the junction. A tiny passenger station (similar in size to Harbor, Jacksonburgh, Mindenville and Glenmont, among others) was right at the junction in the SE quadrant, with plank platforms to service both D&H and WS trains. A WS signal tower was immediately east of the station. SW quadrant had "Signal Repair Shops", a blacksmith and handcar sheds. NW quadrant had a bunkhouse. Depending on the year, the subject traveler might have been able to change trains at this point.(?)

Hi, Sorry I have not been on the site. Been chasing down family history and has been keeping me busy. I am visiting Fonda court house next week to glean any info on family members living in Randall and was hoping for a view of the station to put it into perspective to the shack Nick lived in in Randall. My 90 years old cousin pointed out the spot where Nick lived when I drove her there in October right along the tracks that is now the bike path. Again she said it was a small shack that belonged to the railroad and he was living in it. She gave no hesitation when she pointed out the spot. I am just interested in where the station or freight house was to respect to this shack. My cousin said they would literally walk out the front door and the train whizzed by the shack. She visited Nick every couple of months and her mom and dad brought Nick a Sunday meal. And on occasions he would hitch a ride on the train and will report if I find anything out. Thank to the forum.

I looked at the above drawing of the layout of the station and tracks. When I drove my cousin to the site I was on rt 135 in the hamlet called (Old river rd. west) on a current map. I crossed the bike path and turned around and stopped on the bike path with the car facing South. She pointed to the east towards Fonda about a few hundred feet and on the south side of the bike path. So according to the above map the most logical shack would be either the Hay barns or barn he lived in. Will show her this map and see what she remembers. She has said it was not much but livable for him. Thanks.

See the attached picture and merged Valuation Map. Hope this helps.

Fantastic info and appreciate it. Meeting tomorrow with historical records to see about family living there. The above photo of the station and hay barn is excellent. Just what I was looking for. Will show that to my cousin to see if she recognizes the building Nick lived in. So yes the right of way we were on top of would have the station to our right (west) and the hay barn to our left (east) exactly where she said he lived. So it will be the big barn or the little one east of the big hay barn. She mentions getting water from a well approximately behind the station area as Nick's place did not have running water in it. I asked her if she remembers the station circa 1950's but she said she did not remember it. Was it gone in the late 40's? Discovered his name was Nicolo Ottaviani. Nick for short. My grandfather Henry had his last name spelled Ottaviano. At Ellis Island the person who did his paperwork changed the i for o. Grandpa said he did not care as he saw the skyline of NYC and wanted be be in America thus the difference in last name. Chasing all the family really messes up the research on this. Thanks again.