• CNE Historical Tour 2008 - April 12

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

Moderator: Otto Vondrak

  by Bernard Rudberg
 
Hello All -

This is an early heads up for those planning to join us for the 2008
segment of the annual bus tour along various portions of the former
Central New England Railway. The 2008 tour will be on April 12
(rain or shine). We will depart from the parking lot across the street
from the Metro North RR train station parking garage in
Poughkeepsie. This is the same location we used in 2006. From the
lot there is a great view of the big RR bridge just to the north.

Our first stop will be across the river at the west end of the big RR
bridge. We will meet with people from the Walkway group and
walk out onto the bridge. Currently the deck extends out 1800 feet
from the west end. The Walkway people say they can handle about
25 at a time on the bridge so we will split up and take turns. From
212 feet over the river, the view is spectacular. You can see for
miles along the river with active rail lines on both banks. Bring your
camera.

After the big bridge we will follow the Maybrook line west to
Maybrook where we will have a buffet style lunch and visit the
Maybrook RR Museum. On the way back we will stop to check on
progress of the Hopewell Depot Restoration then follow the
Maybrook line back to Poughkeepsie.

As usual, everybody will get a copy of the 2008 CNE Tour guide
book. We have a lot of ground to cover so we will have coffee and
Poughkeepsie RR Bridge photo shooting at 8:30 and busses will roll
at 9:00.

This routing is subject to change if we run into any last minute
problems or find a new way to get the busses into a small space. Due
to the narrow roads and lack of suitable parking in much of the
general area of our tour, some locations can only be shown from the
bus windows or in photographs. We will show you as much as we
possibly can.

The cost of this year's tour will again be $50.00 per person and
payment should be made out to
"MRHS-CNE 2008" or Maybrook RR Historical Society - CNE
2008
Send it to:
CNE 2008 -JOE MATO
62 WOOD ROAD
REDDING, CT. 06896

As we did last year, we have two buses with 55 seats each. In past
years we sold all seats and had a waiting list so don't wait too long to
send in your reservation. Please note that any request for refunds
must be received thirty (30) or more days in advance of
the tour date. If you can find a replacement to take your bus seat,
that's OK just let us know who it is. We have to know who to let
onto the bus when the tour starts. If you can't find a replacement
then we may have somebody on the waiting list to suggest but we
can't refund money that has already been spent on tour expenses.

  by RussNelson
 
Hey, Bernie, are you going to point out the Maybrook line relocation
in Lloyd? You can see it quite clearly on the aerial photo here:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.73696,-74.00944&z=16&t=O
and in more detail here:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.73696,-74.00944&z=17&t=S

And in the same area is a REALLY interesting rail / road / river
bridge. The railroad crosses over the road and the river, and
the road also crosses over the creek with the same structure:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.73691,-74.00820&z=18&t=S
http://russnelson.com/temp/kif_3546.jpg
http://russnelson.com/temp/kif_3549.jpg

and you can see this fill across the wetland from the road to the
south:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.73479,-73.99581&z=17&t=S

also, just to the north of the crosshairs is an old Southern Pacific
boxcar:
http://russnelson.com/temp/kif_3556.jpg
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.73507,-73.97739&z=18&t=S

the old maybrook line route ran through a cut between the old boxcar
and the highway. In the cut is part of an old tank car:
http://russnelson.com/temp/kif_3553.jpg
http://russnelson.com/temp/kif_3558.jpg

Plus if you keep walking up the hillside, you can peek down into a cut
on the Hudson Valley Rail-Trail aka Maybrook line:
http://russnelson.com/temp/kif_3557.jpg

  by Hudson Terminus
 
Russ,

Is this a relocation in Poughkeepsie, or a siding?

N 41.70468 W 73.88471


I'm also wondering about this spur coming off of the main here:

N 41.61145 W 73.84247

  by RussNelson
 
Hudson Terminus wrote:Russ,

Is this a relocation in Poughkeepsie, or a siding?
N 41.70468 W 73.88471
I don't know, but given that there were relocations all along that line, on both sides of the Hudson, it would surprise me not at all if it were a relocation.
I'm also wondering about this spur coming off of the main here:
N 41.61145 W 73.84247
I don't see any spur at that location, however just a little SE of that is a siding. As it turns out, the rails for that siding were left in place. It'd make a great place for an interpretive plaque, talking about the railroad.

After posting that, I had an off-line conversation with Bernie, and it sounds like the spring trip is going to be GREAT FUN.

  by Hudson Terminus
 
Can anyone tell me if there are any spots left for April's tour?
  by Bernard Rudberg
 
The one who keeps score is Joe Mato. The last count I heard was that we had about 40 reservations. That means we still have another bus to filll up. We have seats for about 110 on the two buses.

If you want to go along just send your check to Joe.

Bernie Rudberg

  by baileyjet2000
 
Can you advise how the SP box car got to its present location and two, my wifes grandfather at one time was the freight agent at Poughkeepsie for the NH. He was assigned there after working for the Fall River Line. Are there any photos available of the freight house?

Tks

Ray J
Ft. Myers, FL
  by Bernard Rudberg
 
I have posted several hundred photos and stoies about Hudson Valley railroads on a web site. It has 23 sections so you can browse all day and not see all of it. There is a picture of the NH RR freight house in Poughkeepsie in the section labeled P&E in Poughkeepsie. Take a look at this web site.

http://www.lakemirabel.com/Railroad/Cen ... gland.html

Bernie Rudberg

  by RussNelson
 
Gettin' excited! Three short days!

  by Mark_K
 
RussNelson wrote:Gettin' excited! Three short days!
Fingers crossed for sunny skies!

  by RussNelson
 
Mark_K wrote:
RussNelson wrote:Gettin' excited! Three short days!
Fingers crossed for sunny skies!
Best way to ensure that is to bring your raincoat. I know that I will.

  by Mark_K
 
I'll be out on that bridge in non-conductive clothing, rain or shine.

  by RussNelson
 
Had a great time on the tour this year! It was amazing to Actually Be Out on the bridge, and to commiserate with the people who couldn't go out on it. I only got out as far as the treeline.

I had previously explored various bits of this railbed, so it wasn't a complete surprise to me. I rode the Dutchess Rail Trail last October, before any part of it was officially open. I noticed several things that you can only see when on the trail. But in the bus, I noticed several things I missed from the trail; for example the single-track relocations.

I also noticed that the single-track bridge abutments still exist at Manchester Bridge. They're on the *north* side of the existing Route 55 bridge. The double-tracked line went on the south side of the Route 55 bridge.

After we broke up after the tour, I went for a ride on the Hudson Valley Rail Trail. http://blog.russnelson.com/bicycling/1208041836.html From the trail, you can easily see the relocated single-track line go off north, cross the trail going south, cross it again, and again going south. It comes back to the double-track line beyond the current end of the trail.

And on Sunday I chased a bunch of unfinished railroads, in Stamford, Fort Plains, and three in Lewis County. http://russnelson.com/unfinished-railroads.html

  by Otto Vondrak
 
Sounds like it was a great tour- Bernie and his group always put in a lot of effort to make them special. Anyone else go?

-otto-
  by Bernard Rudberg
 
Even with a couple no shows, there were more than 100 people on the two buses.

The weather cleared up just in time for the bridge walk.

It was a fun day

Bernie Rudberg