Schenectady and Troy Railroad

Schenectady and Troy Railroad
Restored station in Niskayuna, Mohawk River behind. There were operator-agents at Aqueduct, Niskayuna, and Crescent
Overview
Dates of operation1836 (1836)–1853 (1853)
SuccessorNew York Central Railroad
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Length20.91 miles (33.65 km)
Route map
Map
mi
21.4
Schenectady
17.6
Aqueduct
12
Niskayuna
8
Dunsbach Ferry
5.9
Crescent
3.6
Cohoes
0.6
Green Island
0.0
Troy
[1][2]

The Schenectady and Troy Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1836 and opened a line between its two namesake cities in 1842. It was consolidated with the first New York Central Railroad in 1853.

History

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The Schenectady and Troy Railroad was incorporated on May 21, 1836.[3] The city of Troy gained stock control of the company in 1838, possibly the first example of a municipally-controlled railroad in the United States.[4][5] The building of the road began in 1841, and trains began running from Schenectady to Troy, New York in November 1842.[6] The completed line was 20.91 miles (33.65 km) long.[3]. The company did not build its own bridge over the Hudson River and instead obtained trackage rights over the bridge of the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad.[7] The company was consolidated with nine other railroads to form the first New York Central Railroad on May 17, 1853.[8]

Line

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Under the New York Central system, the company's line was known as the Troy and Schenectady Branch. It continued as a through route until 1964, when it was abandoned between Aqueduct and Crescent. The line was little-used at that point, and the state of New York sought to eliminate an awkward grade crossing of the Adirondack Northway. Actual removal occurred in 1965.[9][10] Both ends remained in use for local service. The west end between Schenectady and Aqueduct was conveyed to Conrail in 1976.[11] The east end between Crescent and Green Island was not conveyed to Conrail; the Delaware and Hudson Railway operated it for a period under subsidy.[12] Today, the right-of-way has been converted into the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail.[13]

Notes

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  1. ^ New York Central Railroad (April 26, 1959). Time Table No. 5 (PDF). p. 72.
  2. ^ New York Central and Hudson River Railroad (February 1895). Timetable (Form 100). pp. 33–34.
  3. ^ a b ICC (1930), p. 607.
  4. ^ Klein (1985), p. 18.
  5. ^ Stevens (1926), pp. 240–241.
  6. ^ "Troy and Schenectady Railroad". The Buffalo Commercial. November 11, 1842. p. 2. Retrieved July 30, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Stevens (1926), pp. 245–246.
  8. ^ ICC (1930), pp. 211–212.
  9. ^ "Northway Rail Crossing Eliminated". The Times Record. July 19, 1965. p. 13. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Annual report of the Public Service Commission For the Year 1964. 1965. p. 88.
  11. ^ USRA (1975), p. 246.
  12. ^ ICC (1977), p. A-18.
  13. ^ "Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail Map 2010". Capital District Transportation Committee. 2010. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2015.

References

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