"Hidden" track in Albany

[Benjamin Maggi]

Whenever I drive south on I-787 in Albany, I can see a track hidden in the weeds. It starts out at the Bulk Handler's team track yeard and runs parallel with the expressway behind Huck Finns, past Hudson Metal, then right next to Water Street where it dead ends at a metal track bumper. I see the track listed only on online maps... not on paper maps going back even to the 1970s.

Can someone give me some history of this track? This area of the D&H line is where I want to model and I wonder if this track was originally an industrial spur track or part of something else like a yard. Any ideas?

Thanks.

[scottychaos]

I see it on the 1928 and 1950 maps here:

http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.a ... g&state=NY

http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.a ... g&state=NY

looks like an industrial spur, probably came off the D&H, headed toward the river then split north and south.
although..its hard to tell, but it also looks like it might have crossed the D&H and come from the NYC instead.

but it does look like the current southern end of the spur was *always* the southern end of the spur..

Scot

[march hare]

That's the Erie Street industrial. It connected with the main at both ends and served a bunch of industries up and down the line.

Not sure about the north end--I think it connected right around where the team tracks are today, but it may have been farther north and got shortened when I90 was built through there.

South end ducked under the NYC main (the bridge is still there, spanning Water St and the state parking lot walkway) and connected with the Bull Run connector.

There's a sketch map of the south end included in the Morning Sun "Trackside in the Albany Gateway with Gerrit Bruins". I did the map from an NYC engineering department map that Jim Odell dug up in the archives somewhere.

BTW, that book is a must if you're interested in modeling the area.

[Benjamin Maggi]

Just ordered the book from the library. Thanks for the tip!

[charlie6017]

And sometimes you can grab that book on ebay for a fairly decent price if you're looking for a keeper!

Charlie