Colonie Shops Fire

[snitkofj]

According to a fellow firefighter who lives in Colonie, several of Colonie's Fire Departments are currently at the old Colonie Shops, apparently at least on building is invovled in a large fire.
another sad day for the old shops.
Josh

[DelawareHudson]

It appears to be the big locomotive shop that burned. IIRC, there was a smaller fire there last year, but from the video I saw, the fire this time was much larger. Not that there was much left to lose, but early indications are that the building will probably be demolished. Several other buildings have burned over the last decade or so. The neighbors have been complaining about all the asbestos and hazardous materials landing on their houses from the fire. It may lead to some action against GTI, who still owns the site.

[Albanymain]

Kurt,

From your lips to God's ears about Guilford.

[RRChef]

Does anyone know if any of the equipment owned by the Mowhawk & Hudson Chapter that was on the tracks there were involved in this fire. I assume that when you say the big locomotive shop you mean Building 1?

[DelawareHudson]

RRChef,

The M&H Chapter's equipment was not involved in the fire. Ironically, it was evicted by GTI in 1993 from the main repair/shop building. It has been sitting on a severed siding along the active portion of the Colonie Main, rotting away and being vandalized, much as the main shop building had been doing up until the fire.

You referenced it as Building 1, although for some reason I seem to remember someone on the old board saying that it was actually #5. My memory is so rotten anymore that I won't claim to remember that for sure - perhaps I am mixing it up with another building on the site. I'll ask any forum members who remember for certain to confirm that for us. Note Added 3/29/04: It is #1. Took seeing a couple of pictures to remember.

I haven't taken much time to reflect on the personal impact this event has had on me. My life will go on, but it really is like losing an old friend. These are the kind of days where I find it very easy to understand all the bad feelings that still linger to this day over what GTI did to the D&H. I do understand that the official closure of the Colonie Shops happened because CP didn't want them when they took over, but it happened as a result of Guilford's actions, and they must take the heat for it, at least from most loyal D&H fans.

-------------------------------
Kurt Loerzel
Moderator, Delaware & Hudson Forum

One brief postscript, the Times Union continues to inaccurately report that the shop closed in the 1980's, and that GTI ownership was a result of taking over the bankrupt D&H in 1983. As has been stated so succinctly on the old board, to quote ChiefTroll, "The D&H was solvent, not bankrupt when GTI took over operations in 1983." Guilford placed the D&H into bankruptcy. Also, the shops offically closed in 1992, remaining used only by the M&H Chapter of the NRHS for a period after that until 1993. It has been abandoned since then.

[Ol' Loco Guy]

The closing of the big steam era railroad repair shops has been an ongoing trend for years.

Some of the issues involved are the shrinking size of the NA loco fleet, labor issues, outsourcing of maintenance to the OEM's and third parties and the deteriorated nature of the buildings themselves.

That being said-I can't see why CP would have any interest in that facility
given that they also closed their Eastern heavy repair base (angus) and
outsourced Ogden to a private contractor.

The complex at Colonie was shot.

I also suspect that it would qualify as an EPA Superfund site.

[DelawareHudson]

Ol' Loco Guy,

I actually don't really disagree with most of what you said, but they do say that timing is everything, and with that in mind, I guess Guilford just bought D&H at the wrong time.

You must also understand the unique level of railfan interest the D&H drew as a railroad throughout most of its existence, in particular through the 1970's, the era immediately preceding the GTI takeover. GTI had no interest whatsoever in maintaining that, nor does CP. Perhaps if I were an accountant for one of those companies, I might be more objective about my views, but I am not. I am a railfan, and as a D&H railfan, there has been little to cheer over the last 20 years. The loss of the shop was sad enough when it happened, economically justified or not. The fire merely dredges up old, bad memories.

Incidentally, even without Colonie as a factor, I have more than enough other reasons to hate GTI, and with a more concrete basis than simply as a mourning railfan. So as not to stray too far off topic, I will limit my current beef with them to their failure to secure the old Colonie site against the trespassers who have been invading it for years, and likely who caused the fire. Most of them have been kids, and GTI is damn lucky one of them never got killed in that old structure before its demise this past weekend. I want to avoid starting a big, long diatribe about everything bad I ever think GTI did to the D&H, as there has been plenty of that in this forum in the past, but I don't think it's any secret that I'm no fan of theirs.

I do appreciate your objective view, but D&H blood runs deep in my veins, and in my family's history. It can't be made unemotional on many levels, no matter how hard I try to look at the facts. After all, I'm only human, something most big corporations are far from, not just the railroads.

[Alcoman]

The equipment owned by the M&H Chapter was in Building 29.
This was not anywhere near building 1.

[Alcoman]

Here is a link to a photos I took at the shops many years ago:

http://jmech.tripod.com/alconews/id9.html

[DelawareHudson]

Somebody at the TU finally got it together.

Nice Job, except they continue to incorrectly state the D&H's financial status as bankrupt at the time of the GTI takeover in 1983.

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/st ... =3/29/2004

[mxdata]

Frank Flynn (of the D&H) had a favorite expression which would be most appropriate for the Colonie Shop burning, but unfortunately the rules of the forum prevent it from being posted.

[caboose]

So,how much of the shops are they tearing down?

[NYSW3614]

From what I read, all the buildings are facing the big nasty ball.

[Highball116]

Does anyone know if any historical societies locally will be pulling anything out of there before it all goes down? I've seen many photos of the interior, and there was a whole load of stuff left behind that could be worth saving...

- Toby

[Alcoman]

Most of what is of any value has been picked clean already by Guilford.
Building 1 (main building) had a drop table as well as a wheel turning machine which was removed by Guilford.
All track in the building as well as outside the building has been pulled up.
Thieves took all the copper wire that used power the building.

The building are now just empty shells.