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Discussion relating to the D&H. For more information, please visit the Bridge Line Historical Society.

Moderator: MEC407

 #345216  by Dieter
 
How about service between Binghamton and Albany? I can't see a lot of passenger traffic on that corridor. When was the last time there was a through train from end to end, Binghamton to Montreal?

D/
 #347394  by ChiefTroll
 
I have never seen evidence of a scheduled through passenger train between Binghamton (or Wilkes-Barre) and Albany, but there were some close connections at Albany and Troy (yes, some A&S trains ran to Troy at one time).

Even in the early 1960's, you could ride 34 from Montreal to Albany and make a connection of less than 30 minutes to 208 for Binghamton. If 34 was in the station, they had to hold 208 for the first class mail from 34. There were no through cars, passenger, mail or otherwise, but the connection was made across the platform at Maiden Lane Station (Albany tracks 10 and 11). The North Albany Yard Engine set 34's rear up on the upper level for NYC to take to New York.

At least into the 1920's, the D&H had a comprehensive series of connections over the whole railroad, hinging on Trains 1 and 2 on the R&S. If you caught one of those connecting trains, you could go almost anywhere elso on the D&H before midnight, even Rouses Point, Rutland or North Creek to Wilkes-Barre or Binghamton.

 #347460  by Dieter
 
Thanks Chief! The old curiosity is now up. I will have to find a D&H schedule to buy at the next show to see what you have described. Again, much appreciated!

D/

 #347590  by Tadman
 
Somebody asked if any of the Sterzing-era Adirondack is left - I don't know particulars, but I think most of the coaches were stored in the bottom level of GCT until they were vandalized - might want to ask Dutch or Otto as this is foggy recollection.

Obviously the PA's went to Mexico, with two left there and two in Oregon now.

 #350006  by Dieter
 
Tadman, I remember those cars, they were painted in D&H colors, but had NYSDOT emblems on the ends. I remember seeing one of the ACF coaches burned and crushed at NWP. I rode the Bar Car Saratoga once or twice on the 5:17 PM Harlem Division departure from GCT in 1979 and it was lavish to say the least.

I heard that car burned, saw a picture of the hulk on this website a few years ago. It was sad to see those cars trashed, they were the best ever put into service on the Hudson & Harlem Divisions in those bleak days.

D/

 #351470  by LI Loco
 
Dieter wrote:How about service between Binghamton and Albany? I can't see a lot of passenger traffic on that corridor. When was the last time there was a through train from end to end, Binghamton to Montreal?

D/
The Binghamton-Albany run ended sometime in the early 1960s - 1963, I think. It was a nameless accomodation run with one or two coaches and some headend cars. However, with connections at Binghamton via the Erie or Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, a traveler from the Albany area could have connected to Elmira, Jamestown, Akron and points west as well as Scranton and points south.
 #887128  by bigtigger
 
Dieter said no one ever raved about the service or food on the Laurentian.

Let me tell you, having traveled in the parlour car perhaps 20-30 times as a boy during the period 1955-1964 - Montreal to Saratoga Springs, where my Grandparents would pick us up and drive to Bennington - it was a magical experience.

The parlour car was always at the end of the train, had a rounded end with windows and comfortable arm chairs upholstered in blue, with converted spitoons between each pair serving both as ashtrays and glass holders. A wonderful black porter looked after you with a gentle and entirely non-servile courtesy. He would always alert me to those winding places in the beautiful route where one could see the front of the train from our window.

In the diner - a long walk through four or five cars, as I recall - white tablecloths and heavy silver were the order of the day. As was the custom, one wrote one's order and the waiters - again all black men of great dignity and pride - brought one the most scrumptious meals. I nearly always ordered corned beef hash as my main course (which had been preceded by a glass of tomato juice with a slice of lemon) and then enjoyed the D&H signature plum pudding and hard sauce for dessert. Meanwhile the train made its way through forest and by river and lakes.

We are all the poorer that such an experience simply does not exist any more. The closest parallel would be the first class cabins of Singapore Airlines, Emirates and a few other airlines - but then one is taking a major expedition as opposed to an exciting "trip" to one's grandparents.
 #887860  by march hare
 
I have a 1910 system timetable that shows through sleepers from Boston-Binghamton-west on the Erie. Can't remember right now if they came out of Boston on the Fitchburg (B&M) or the B&A (NYC). Also can't remebere if the connection was at Troy, Albany, or potentially both, if theB&M was involved.

But a through car is not a through train, and none of my later timetables (1931, 1947) show even a through sleeper.
 #888220  by chief
 
Someone asked a while back if there were any passenger trains that ran from Binghamton and Albany. Yes they did
Train 202 Albany to Binghamton Ran daily except Sunday depart KN at 7:05 am arrive B at 12:00 noon
Train 208 Albany to Binghamton Ran daily depart KN at 4:15 pm arrive B at 8:40 pm.
Train 205 Binghamton to Albany Ran daily except Sunday Left B at 6:50 am arrived at KN at 11:10 am
Train 209 Binghamton to Albany Ran daily except Sunday Left B at 2:15 pm arrived at KN at 6:50 pm
Train 213 binghamton to Albany Ran Sunday only left B at 2:25 pm arrived at KN at 6:30 pm
Train #213 was discontinued in 1949
information from my employes timetables #18,19,20,21,22,23
NOTE
They also ran 4 passenger trains between Carbondale and Scranton
504,508,510,512,501,505,507,509

Re:

 #1012804  by jhdeasy
 
Tadman wrote:Somebody asked if any of the Sterzing-era Adirondack is left - I don't know particulars, but I think most of the coaches were stored in the bottom level of GCT until they were vandalized - might want to ask Dutch or Otto as this is foggy recollection.

Obviously the PA's went to Mexico, with two left there and two in Oregon now.
The two diner-lounge cars D&H 41 SARATOGA INN and D&H 42 ADIRONDACK LODGE suffered some fire damage at GCT after they had been "demoted" to commuter bar car service on MTA Hudson and Harlem line commuter trains. I believe they have been stored somewhere within the Port of Albany for the past 15 plus years.

SARATOGA INN after returning from rebuild at Hoover Industries shop, circa 1975: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=874631

ADIRONDACK LODGE in better days, 1977 or earlier: http://hebners.net/amtrak/otherPAS/dh-d42d.jpg

Lunch counter lounge D&H 43 CHAMPLAIN remained in company service and has been properly maintained over the years since 1977; it is now part of the Pan Am Railway (or is it Pan Am Southern?) business train.

CHAMPLAIN in better days: http://rr-fallenflags.org/dh/dh-diner-as.jpg

I had the pleasure of riding all three cars on The Adirondack in the 1974-1977 era.
 #1041171  by JKTRR
 
Saw a photo recently of the "Saratoga Inn" stored south of Albany; any up-date on the "Adirondack Lodge"?

In preparation for supplementing an existing (broad-based) D&H slide show with one focusing on the last decade of passenger service, were the first batch of E-L cars (five h/w) purchased at the same time as the D&RGW's?

Doug Lezette excellent book also mentions the "Phoebe Snow" cars arriving in 1970; can anyone pin-point when, so I might compare with the end of service on Amtrak Day in 1971?

Thanks!
 #1041899  by Steve Wagner
 
I rode the "Lauarentian" from Albany - Rensselaer to Windsor Station in Montreal in April 1970 as part of a rail expedition that took me from Framingham, MA as far as Milwaukee, WI and Champaign-Urbana, IL. This was during the April vacation wekk for Massachusetts public schools, which was most probably the third week of the month. The car I rode northbound was one of the ex-DL&W, ex-EL "Phoebe Snow" coaches. It was still in gray and maroon with "Delaware and Hudson" on the letterboard in matching maroon.
 #1512163  by Champlain Division
 
I wonder if Otto would be interested in spearheading a drive to recover and restore one or both of the diners sitting on that track in the woods south of the Port of Albany. It’s such a shame we lost the ACF coach at Colonie. An even worse shame to neglect and eventually lose these two historically significant pieces of equipment.

Rick Shivik
 #1525168  by Engineer Spike
 
Under Amtrak they ran a couple of sets of older Heritage cars for a while. This was after the turbos were sidelined. I hired out on D&H in 2000, and that was the equipment then. They even had baggage cars on the Adirondack and Ethan Allen.

Early in my career at D&H I got cut in the Albany area. There was an engineer job which I could hold in Buffalo. On my days off I would deadhead home on Amtrak. Once one of the old Heritage cars was in the consist. It was a treat to ride because of a smoother ride than the Amfleet stock.
 #1525196  by CarterB
 
Where exactly are the Adirondack Lodge and Saratoga Inn stored? I could not find them on Google maps in Glenmont, NY