Once a railroad junction and major industrial hub of brick making, it is now undergoing transformation into a thriving port and is making a concerted effort to revive much of its historical charm and unique historical landmarks.
Coeymans
Coeymans (pronounced "quee-mans") was named after Barent Pieteres Koijemans, a Dutchman who purchased land from the local Indians in 1672. The area became known as the Coeymans Patent. Shipbuilding, the harvesting of ice and brick making were the major industries.Interestingly—as my tour guide informed me—there was a gate between Coeymans Junction (later to be renamed Ravena)—where the "richer lived" and Coeymans—where the poorer workers lived (down by the river in close proximity to the factories).
Our first stop was the elegant Civill Building, near where the gate was. [We were on the "elite" side of the gate :-) ] It was made from local bricks of course.
We next descended to the riverside to check out the Marina...
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| The marina area and my "tour guide" |
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| Port of Coeymans |
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| Mammoth-size cargo is moved in and out of the port |
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| Source: http://brickcollecting.com/coeymans.htm |
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| Source: http://brickcollecting.com/coeymans.htm |
"At the beginning of the twentieth century, brick manufacturing was the dominant industry on the Hudson River. One hundred thirty manufacturers employed seven to eight thousand workers. It was the largest brickmaking region in the world, supplying vast amounts of this most essential building material to the fastest-growing city in the world. Spanning three and a half centuries, this industry ceased to exist in the year 2002."
Source: http://brickcollecting.com/hudson.htm
Source: http://brickcollecting.com/hudson.htm
Ravena Railroad History
In 1866, the Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad was built, connecting Athens NY with Schenectady. Athens had a ferry that connected to Hudson NY. Hudson at the time was bustling with economic activity and the fourth-largest city in New York State! Be sure to click to enlarge the maps... |
| Source: The Growth of Railroads in the Capital District |
By the early 1880s, the New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railway completed the line south to Weehawken, NJ and leased the Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad, thereby connecting Ravena to an extensive railroad system both north and south. During this time, the West Shore Railway also built the branch from Ravena to Albany. (Soon thereafter, the West Shore Railway was built all the way to Buffalo.)
By the 1890s, Ravena had a small railroad yard and even a roundhouse!
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| Note: Railroad Yard and Roundhouse in 1894 |
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| At the site of the former railroad yard |
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| We were lucky once again as a train passed by! |
Abandonment and Remnants
Today there are very little traces left of the former railroad junction. When the Selkirk Yards were built a few miles north in 1924, the Ravena railroad facilities were removed and—over time—the connecting lines were abandoned.
The original route between Feura Bush and Ravena through South Bethlehem was abandoned in sections over the years after the Selkirk Yard was first built (1924) and when it was rebuilt (1967).
Passenger service on the line to Albany ended in 1958 and to Haverstraw in 1959, ending direct train service on the west side of the Hudson River. The railroad line now serves as CSX Transportation's principal freight route from western points to New Jersey, via the former NYC Selkirk Yard.
Coal Trains - For quite sometime CSX delivered coal to Ravena, NY. The Lafarge North America plant on Route 9W (see below), required a lot of coal in its former kilns. In 2015, due to environmental concerns, the plant converted its kilns to a cleaner process which involved much less coal. The coal house down near the former train station subsequently was abandoned and later converted into a motorcycle shop.
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| Remnants of the original West Shore spur north to Albany are visible in a Google Aerial |
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| Acme Mapper Topo reveals the abandoned West Shore mainline (supplanted by the Selkirk Yard Construction) |
LaFarge
How many folks have ridden the New York State Thruway and wondered what the heck this strange thing is? |
| Google Street View |
This is a covered conveyor belt that connects the Hudson River to a huge cement plant more than a mile away. The operation is owned by Lafarge, often cited as the largest construction materials company in the world. The quarry site for the cement plant—a bit further inland—is connected with an additional conveyor belt which goes through the hillside.
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| Source |
Selkirk
Well no railroad-oriented tour of the Ravena area is complete without a visit to the Selkirk Yards! My tour guide Michael was eager to show me the yards and luckily the gates were open on Sunday for a quick drive through. Stretching from Beckers Corners to Feura Bush it was built by the New York Central Railroad and opened in 1924. Now it is part of CSX Transportation and is its major classification yard for the northeast. The yard can process over 3,200 cars per day! |
| Source: Google Maps Aerial |
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| View from the 9W bridge looking east |
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| When's the last time this was traversed? |
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| Those double-decker freight cars are for transporting automobiles |
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| The yards still encompass an extensive area |
South Bethlehem
Finally after parting company with Michael, I drove up to South Bethlehem, determined to find the former West Shore RR abutment I saw on Google Street View.
Sure enough there it was! It is probably much easier to discern in the winter months...
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| Note - Kind of hidden but in the center of the photo is the north shore abutment |
Just south of the former river crossing, an abandoned set of buildings gives no hint to the extensive quarrying behind them...
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| Google Street View |
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| Google Aerial |
Apparently there was a spur here at one time...
Next
Before returning to Connecticut I drove up to North Bethlehem to check out the mountain biking park.
Further Info
Port of Coeymans
Local Railroad Info
- West Shore Railroad
- ITO Historic Railroads - Map
- Acme Mapper
- Along the Old West Shore - 4-8-2018 Presentation by John M. Ham
This is a wonderful presentation by John Hamm on the West Shore Railroad - lots of station photos - very, very thorough.
Excellent write up Rich!!! I can't believe you compiled and published all this in just 24 hours. It was my pleasure to show you around, you taught me a lot about our great area. Thank you for making the trip, and the permission to share this great account of the history of the Ravena area.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael and Anne - It was a pleasure as well for me. Hope sharing this info will propel the town into more historical renovations, etc.
ReplyDeleteI had an uncle who for several years lived in Rotterdam, very near the old S&HRRR roadbed. That end of the right-of-way has a power line along it. The first time I visited the neighborhood, back in the '80s, I crossed under the power line and the trajectory southward made me think, "Hmmm. This was a railroad bed." Later --- much later --- I found out I was right. Just north of that spot, the ROW emerges from a thicket and roughly parallels the CSX main for a short distance. I'd love to return there; I think I recall seeing a very old, derelict telegraph pole still more or less standing along the tree line.
ReplyDeleteNice - thanks for commenting!
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