tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512907930430148230.post8031014964969370563..comments2023-10-17T06:36:02.228-07:00Comments on Rich's PedalPoint: Warren County Bikeway (Glens Falls to Lake George)Rich Coffeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393911346958078094noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512907930430148230.post-49542318441114440672021-01-02T10:40:26.288-08:002021-01-02T10:40:26.288-08:00"...and the Railroad ended in a loop in the V..."...and the Railroad ended in a loop in the Village?" Yes it did. It was called "The Balloon Track" . It was used to turn the train around so it could be backed into the station, and in earlier times, to back passenger trains out onto the steamboat piers without the heavy engines being out there. The balloon track also put the train in the right direction to head south. The lay of the land hardly has any beneficial room for what was a very busy railroad. Trains often had to double-head, sometimes triple-head, just to get passengers up the immediate grade out of there. Wasn't any room to get a run for it. Passenger service ended in 1956. In 1957 the branch was scrapped from Lake George down to Rt254 in Queensbury. Post-1990, freight trains no longer used the section between Rt254 down to Roger's Street in Glens Falls and it too was scrapped. In the 1980's I was on freights all the way up to Rt254. I have a Super-8 movie taken from the cab circa 1987 which includes a kid racing the train on a bike path worn into the dirt alongside the rails between Dix Ave and Ridge St jdalco244https://www.blogger.com/profile/05194105967220545422noreply@blogger.com