Hillside Avenue RR Spur - Aqueduct, NY

After our trek down by the abandoned trolley bridge across the Mohawk River; Gino, Gary and I drove up to the Hillside Avenue industrial complex to sniff out vestiges of the spur.

Hillside Avenue RR Spur (1951 to 1984) 

Right in the parking lot of the industrial complex is a surviving remnant of the rail spur. Intriguingly, rails were left in the pavement for just a short stretch and abruptly end a few feet later.

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ALCO and the War Effort

 It is hard to imagine now but this empty off-the-beaten path spot was once a bustling center of activity.

In November of 1940, ALCO was awarded a government contract to produce tanks for the war effort. In just five months, the first tank was successfully tested in front of government officials.

In 1951, this spur was built for the Korean War. Production had increased substantially and the spur was needed to transport the tanks up to testing grounds without destroying the city streets. The tanks were assembled in the huge plant in downtown Schenectady and brought by train up the spur to the test track located off Hillside Avenue. The test track is still visible in Google Aerials. When combat ended in 1953, production dropped to a trickle.

The spur was officially abandoned in 1984.  It probably last saw service in the late 60s.  It's last use was servicing the CONDEC (Consolidated Diesel Equipment Corp.) and later the Nova Bus Company that located to the former ALCO Tank site.

Historical Photo
A Multitude of Tanks Parked by the Testing Grounds

The tank testing track

Google Aerial View

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Hiking the Spur

Using Bing Bird's Eye View, the ROW is visible

Near the top of the hill, the ROW cuts thru an open field.

 Gino is on a mission! :-)

  We found coal all along the ROW...

...and even a half buried section of rail.

 As we hiked down the ROW, it became a little more picturesque thru the woods...

 but where the soil was softer, it was carved out by water runoff.

 We reached the bottom...

 ...and Gino salvaged a tie plate along with a few S hooks (not pictured)

We then hiked back up to the top and found a huge stash of railroad ties. Rarely in any of our treks, do we find this many discarded railroad ties. When railroads were abandoned, they were generally bankrupt and hard up for cash. The rails and ties had monetary value and were resold for recycling. Since this spur was basically built as a government-sponsored war effort, apparently resale value of ties wasn't considered!

It was an enjoyable few hours out in the fresh air, exploring railroad history. Gino had a blast as well and we will be planning more RR explorations together soon!

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Further Info About ALCO and the Tanks

• ALCO AND WW II
• American Locomotive Company - Salute To Freedom
• Schenectady County - Contributions in World War II
• U.S. M47 Patton tanks being demonstrated at American Locomotive Company facility in Schenectady, New York. Video >

Trolley Bridge Ruins - Aqueduct , NY

Although I had visited this spot last winter (see The Mohawk River Trolley Bridge Ruins), this time I invited along both local railroad history expert Gino Di Carlo, as well as good friend from High School Gary Cunningham, who has accompanied me on quite a few other treks.

Gino is an expert on local railroad "archeology". He grew up in Aqueduct and explored everything train-related nearby as a kid. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge and shared quite a few interesting historical tidbits. He was great company!

We met at the Boat House parking lot and---much to my surprise--found a wide groomed path along the river at the end of the driveway.

We trekked in and saw large piles of stones--rubble from the canal lining ages ago.

Our Trek to the Trolley Bridge

Stone Canal Rubble 

Lots of Rubble!

Once at the piers, Gary suggested taking a photo of Gino and I to show just how massive these piers are. We looked like pipsqueaks!

A short walk in the muck provided this view

We hiked up the hill where a photo of the abutment was taken.

We then walked up the hill, following the gas line clearing, to the spot where the trolley once crossed the railroad, (see Mystery Ruins). For a short while,  Gino seemed lost  in contemplation of how it was yesteryear...

On the northwest side of the abandoned crossing, Gary encouraged a second photo op:

We next explored the long forgotten railroad spur nearby - it has a fascinating history >

Mohawk Hudson Rail Trail (Schenectady eastward...)

Sunday Nov 10th, 2013
11 miles (total: to and from)

The morning was cloudy and crappy but by early afternoon it got better. I headed down to Schenectady to do a section of the Mohawk Hudson Rail Trail (see below) that I hadn't done yet: eastward from Schenectady to Niskayuna.

I was planning on starting my trek from Schenectady Community College and ride thru the Stockade area and the industrial ruins of the former Alco factory spread but it was sprinkling so I decided instead to drive thru the Stockade area and start further east. I ended up parking right off Nott Street near Union College and started from there. Thankfully the weather had cleared.

Easy and flat, the paved trail goes by a couple of industrial spots and then it gets woodsy. Turns out you are riding in the old Erie Canal and you can see remnants of the tow paths on occasion on either side of the trail way. <Wrong! I checked the historical map and the canal is much closer to the river. Review the Historical Map > 

Railroad Ruins
Being a railroad history buff, when I saw a old railroad bridge abutment looming off to the side, I parked the bike and explored it. 

A rotting railroad tie at the top of the embankment confirmed it was railroad related and not canal related. It must have been the start of where a trestle began. Perhaps it was super marshy here and a trestle was needed to maintain downhill drainage. (?)

Aqueduct

After my side adventure, I jumped back on the bike and continued on to Aqueduct. I stopped to take a photo from the railroad bridge over Balltown Road and continued on towards Niskayuna.

Compare to the historical view > 

(Amazing!)

On to the Research Lab...

Soon signs appeared off to the left, warning of dangerous cliffs / no trespassing / etc. which, ironically tempted me to dismount and go exploring :-)  but I trekked on. After a few more minutes of riding, a fence and sign blocked where the railroad bed continued and the trail veered to the right up a large hill.

I managed to ride up the steep hill without a problem.  At the top, a small shed with benches and a picnic area were thoughtfully provided. 

The woods turned to scrub meadows and the sunshine had returned. I encountered a few walkers and dog walkers along the stretch and stopped to take a few photos for my now retired Dad. He worked at the GE Research Lab and I figured he would enjoy seeing his work place from a few new viewpoints. It can be seen glistening in the sunlight at the top of the hill. :-)

The trail merges along the road and at the top of the hill I took a photo of the main entrance into the Research Lab. 

The wind was ferocious so I opted to head back from this point. I bombed down the short hill but only reached 20 mph due to a wicked headwind.

On the way back thru the meadow area, I shot a handheld (one hand on the handlebar) video...
The video below shows (1) the trail where I first started just east of Schenectady and (2) the second part shows a snippet of the return from the GE lab right before I headed down the big hill.

Aqueduct
Once in Aqueduct, I decided to veer down to the river and check out the old aqueduct ruins close up.

Here is the view down river  - the sun was shining but the wind was strong:

Riding back up to the rail trail via Aqueduct Road me me the opportunity to stop and take a photo of the arched bridge under the railroad. This is where the old Balltown Road went.

Compare to the historical view >

There was a a strong headwind the whole way back and it seemed to get dark much earlier but the rest of the trek back to the car was uneventful yet pleasant.

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Further Info

Previous Mohawk Hudson Rail Trail Rides are posted on this blog

• April 25, 2010 - Niskayuna to Cohoes Falls
• April 30, 2011 - Schenectady to Rotterdam Junction

Great Historical Site About the Railroad >