Chatham NY

How busy of a place was Chatham NY being that, at one point and time, it was a junction point of three railroad lines.

Allen-

During the 1940s and early 1950s, Rutland the NYC Boston-Albany Branch and the NYC Harlem Branch all fed Chatham. Between 1953 and 1958, Rutland took up its track. The B-A and Harlem still managed to run anout 8 to 10 named trains (e.g. New England States and Wolverine), in both directions. Around 1959, Harlem took trackage hits and started to remove track (starting at Chatham and working south). The B-A traffic dropped dramatically to about 4 named trains, with RDC service for commuters. From 1960 on, passenger traffic through died, leaving only freights or through passenger service.

I had a similar question. Here's an old thread: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25367 or scroll down

1959, Harlem took trackage hits and started to remove track (starting at Chatham and working south).

The entire Harlem was intact and in use for passengers until
March 1972 and freight until March 1976

The very first time I ever rode the Harlem to Chatham was in the fall of
1957. At that time the NYC still had two round trips on the Harlem to
Chatham with more on weekends. At that time, the Rutland job still came
down on a daily basis and the yard at Chatham still had two yard jobs
one of which was maned by a B & A crew and the other by a Harlem crew.
There were still two towers at Chatham at the time 66 and 65. I had some
time in Chatham that day and there were a fair number of trains through
on the B & A and the layover was very interesting.
Noel Weaver

And by that time (1957) the Rut was reaching Chatham via a convoluted collection of trackage rights from Bennington, VT over B&M-NYC through Troy and Renssalaer.

Their direct route, "The Corkscrew" had been abandoned about 1953

Tom Curtin wrote:And by that time (1957) the Rut was reaching Chatham via a convoluted collection of trackage rights from Bennington, VT over B&M-NYC through Troy and Renssalaer.

Their direct route, "The Corkscrew" had been abandoned about 1953

True, I forgot to add that to my previous. This operation under the
trackage rights over the B & M and NYC actually contrinued until the final
Rutland operations took place prior to the strike in September, 1961.
When operations resumed in 1964 under the Vermont Railway, there was
no purpose in operating to Chatham and it was never resumed.
Much of the milk hauled on the Rutland came off the New York State
operation and most of that operation was abandoned after the start of the
strike.
Noel Weaver