Saratoga & North Creek (S&NC) Discussion - 2014

This ongoing diatribe is like beating a dead horse. Lots of conjecture and few real facts. Maybe it is time to give it a rest.

The bottom line on this discussion is that SNC people are working very hard to create good jobs in a region that really needs them. There is a lot of useful material in Tahawus that is a bit of a blight on the landscape. Pulling it out by rail would be helpful and using rail would be environmentally more friendly.

Regardless of what the S&NC is doing right now operationally, they are fully capable of running the same size trains from Tahawus to Saratoga that the D&H did when they were moving ore. Very little has changed. I heard that a 10 car loaded train was brought down from Tahawus this past week.

Back when CP still ran their trains to New York City, CP was moving a lot of stone from Saratoga and Comstock down to the NY metro area. So the economic viability is there in theory.

The hoppers being used are ex DM&E 3 bay hoppers. I would assume they were excess assets CP was looking to unload as CP is in the process of getting rid of excess assets under the current management. They were probably a good deal for SNC. These are pretty large hoppers so they will not be filled very much with respect to hauling stone. Just like trucking. You can only put approx. 40,000 lbs in a 53 ft trailer. With feathers the trailer will cube out way before weighing out. With heavy machinery, the trailer might be half full when it weighs out.

John

Here is a picture by John Sesonske of the 1st revenue stone train south bound over the Sacandaga River trestle. Enjoy.
Don

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 733&nseq=3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I saw a picture of another revenue run of S&NC on Facebook, which was apparently taken yesterday.

griffs20soccer wrote:Here is a picture by John Sesonske of the 1st revenue stone train south bound over the Sacandaga River trestle. Enjoy.
Don

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 733&nseq=3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just wondering if that is the first time there has been a BL2 pulling revenue freight in a really long time (anywhere) or if another operable BL2 on an otherwise tourist road (there are two others, aren't there) has also been in revenue freight service?

Steve

Atlas just announced the Dash8-40B in HO scale in the Saratoga & North Creek paint scheme.

http://www.atlasrr.com/HOLoco/hodash840b5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Paul Cupp

Cool!, I just pre-ordered it at my friendly hobby shop. It isn't due until last 2015. I wonder if the S&NC will still be using the engine by then?

They will be on my layout

Reading that the locomotive on being used for the polar express caught fire at approximately 6pm near the braim road crossing in greenfield this evening. S&NC and FD was trying to get school buses to return Saratoga Springs station.

Just talked to my friend that was on the train. Fire was on the B39. Remainder of tonight's runs were canceled. Unclear whether tomorrow's Polar Express runs will be canceled or not but a leased locomotive may be necessary.

It's been reported in the Pan Am forum that GP40 MEC 307 has been leased to S&NC.

http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... 9#p1308979

Check out this Blog for a photos of the 307 on the S&NC.
Thanks to Gino Dicarlo for his blog and photos..

http://ginosrailblog.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

see 2015 thread

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 8&t=158529" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;