Four track Hudson Div. between Spuyten Duyvil and Albany?

Hello,

I am wondering if the entire mainline trackage on the New York Central Water Level Route between Spuyten Duyvil in NYC and Albany, NY was 4-tracks in the 1930s to the early 50s. If that was not the case, I am wondering therefore what sections of this stretch of the mainline were 4-tracks.

Thank for your time and help.

Sincerely,
Walter Conklin

No. On the Hudson Division from Croton-on-Hudson to Albany only double track between Signal Stations 37 & 43 through Peekskill to Garrison, 6.33 miles, and from SS 71, Barrytown to SS 100 Rensselaer 48.5 miles double track only. This is from Hudson & Mohawk Div. employees timetable #55, June 7, 1942. I also have GCT & Electric Div. emp. tt #55, same date, but the presentation from Croton to Spuyten Duyvil is all cluttered up with interlockings, fine print and symbols all over the place and I just don't have the time to tackle that section right now.

Hello,

Thank you for this helpful information.

I read a reference on the forum that there was a stretch of 4-tracks near the FDR estate at Hyde Park.

Sincerely,
Walter

IIRC, mainline was 4 tracks except:

Peekskill to Manitou / Garrison
Barrytown / Tivoli
Germantown / South of Hudson
Hudson / Stottville
Stuyvesant / Castleton

From memory it was also four tracks from Spuyten Duyvil west to Harmon with a short section of six track main line from Spuyten Duyvil west to the crossovers near Riverdale and five tracks from there to the freight yard just west of Yonkers passenger station.

I'm not sure whether the fifth track from Riverdale to KD yard in Yonkers was (or ever was) operated as a main track. It might've been designated as a siding actually. I think someone who worked at KD told me Track 5 was controlled by the KD operator or the yardmaster there at least by the 1960s.

IIRC, Tk. 5 ran DV to Mt. St. Vincent where there was an interlocked connection with Tracks 1, 2, 3, & 4.

Tk. 6 went all the way to Glenwood (GD) Interlocking. n later years, High 6 was added west of GD with a switch onto Tk. 4 to allow a pocket for set-offs with an easy access back onto Tk. 4 at GD.

In other words, the fifth track was Track 6 and the sixth track was Track 5?

River side to land side: 6-5-4-2-1-3

Maybe someone can advise if 6 and 5 were 3rd rail equipped.

Would under NYC numbering the numbering not have been 8-6-4-2-1-3 ??
with all even numbered tracks next to track 2 and all odd numbered tracks next to track 1 .
originally Harmon yard was all even numbers except for two tracks leading to loop at track 3 side

shlustig wrote:River side to land side: 6-5-4-2-1-3

From Spike west, right?

I meant going east. Where the ROW widened to five tracks at GD the additional track was Track 6, wasn't it? Then when you got to Mt St Vincent (or thereabouts) and had a sixth track that was Track 5, right?

Tommy, that is correct.

Dutch, Tks. 5 & 6 were signalled ABS between DV and Mt. St. Vincent. The all even or odd numbering was used at some locations on the NYC, but not at this particular one.

Just noticed-

Tommy Meehan wrote:I think someone who worked at KD told me Track 5 was controlled by the KD operator or the yardmaster there at least by the 1960s.

I meant Track 6 darnit!


I have a couple questions too.

I always thought the fact the ROW east of Riverdale was 6-5-4-2-1-3 dated back to the old 'assigned direction' days when 5 and 6 were the westward and eastward leads to or from the West Side Freight Line. They were located on the river side to minimize crossovers.

When I looked at an ETT from 1962 I don't see either 5 or 6 shown as main track. In the Special Instructions section it shows four main tracks west of DV (Spuyten Duyvil) to CD. And they are designated eastward (2 and 4) and westward (1 and 3) under rules 251-254.

Shel I'm pretty sure I remember GAD saying at that time (early 60s) Track 6 east of Yonkers was designated as a controlled siding. That the operator at KD controlled its use. I have a couple emails from him on this and I have to check them.


You asked about the third-rail. I recall there was no third rail on 5 or 6 in the vicinity of DV but where or if it might've started west of there I don't know.

I checked my old email folder and a gentleman who began a long railroad career working summers at the KD yard in Yonkers did email to me (and to a Yahoo group) several years back that Tracks 5 and 6 "lost their signals and main track designation between DV [Spuyten Duyvil] and MV [Mt. St. Vincent]" sometime before 1960. Track 6 then became a siding between DV and Glenwood (GD), and Track 5 became a siding "between DV and about 1000 feet east of Riverdale."

shlustig wrote:IIRC, mainline was 4 tracks except:

Peekskill to Manitou / Garrison
Barrytown / Tivoli
Germantown / South of Hudson
Hudson / Stottville
Stuyvesant / Castleton

So if I'm reading you right, there were sections north (RR direction west) of Barrytown with more than 2 mains?

That's correct.

I think that Jack Shufelt could add some insight on how the tower operators and dispatchers kept things fluid on the double-track portions; also on when the 3rd and 4th tracks were downgraded and eventually removed.