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Adirondack Scenic
Railroad HELP
WANTED
And yet, like so many other organizations such as volunteer fire companies
or hospitals, people do. Why? Because it’s the right thing to
do, or it feels good, or it gives purpose to The Volunteer Railroad? It’s called the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, running from Utica, New York northward into the Adirondacks, ultimately ending at Lake Placid, New York. 140 miles of railroad, operating with volunteers! Most are members of the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society. How did it come to be? Over 100 years
ago, the railroad pushed into the wilderness of northern New York. Branch lines
served mines, logging operations, manufacturing plants as well as providing
passenger service into the remote areas. In the heyday, multiple trains plied
the line, connecting with services and cities across the US and Canada. But, as Occasionally, just as in life, a heart beats again. A torch was lit. 1980 would find the Olympics hosted at Lake Placid and for a two-year rebirth, the railroad line through the Adirondacks would find trains operating again although profitability would never be reached. By 1981, the line fell into disuse, bankruptcy, and New York State ownership. Again, those rails were silent, awaiting another kind of torch. Could life begin again? 1992 would be
the 100th anniversary of the railroad and the Adirondack Park. A
small group of volunteers had an idea to resurrect part of the line once again,
to haul tourists near the popular vacation site of Old Forge, NY. The suggestion
was to offer a 4-mile ride south along the Moose River from Thendara, NY to a
small location known as Minnehaha. A door opened. New York State would allow
some limited operation. Known as the Adirondack Centennial Railroad, equipment
was begged and borrowed. A handful of volunteers prepped the line, the
equipment, helped restore the Thendara station, manned the ticket counter and
gift shop and on July 4th, 1992, once again the sound of a train horn
sounded over the Adirondack line. After nearly a dozen years of silence, a heart
beat again. In fact, the heart began to beat stronger than ever before. Over 50,000 people rode the train during that first short season. More volunteers appeared, helping where they could and the enthusiasm grew. Beginning in 1992, year by year, those volunteers have come. And one railroad tie at a time, mile by mile, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad has grown to encompass expansions both north and south from that original 4-mile stretch. Minnehaha is simply a place the train passes on its way south to Otter Lake, Remsen, or Utica. In all, on the southern portion of the railroad, there are now 55 miles in-service. Trains run locally between Thendara and Otter Lake to the south and Carter Station to the north. Mainline passenger trains operate out of Utica bringing people to Thendara/Old Forge. A second heart began to beat in late 2000 as Lake Placid to Saranac Lake service began on the northern most 10 miles of the railroad. In a scene from a rail enthusiast’s dream, on Monday, September 18th, 2000, two locomotives and seven cars began a slow trek north from Thendara. Slow and deliberate, one mile at a time over a railroad line that had not seen a passenger train in 20 years. On this day, magical Adirondack locations known as Big Moose, Beaver River, Sabattis, Nehasane, Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake would all hear that whistle and feel that first pulse of the heart. Nearly a hundred volunteers were on board traveling once again on a line that carried the Webbs and Vanderbilts into the mountains. As that train approached Lake Placid all felt a huge sigh of relief. The trek was over. The line was once again complete. Accomplishments are many and thanks to
public support and investment by NY State, the line will continue to be
developed. Although Volunteers. That heart that continues to beat on this railroad line is that of its volunteers. They come from all walks of life. Everyone from a school crossing guard, to teachers, to an electrician, to surgeon and airline pilot. They leave their normal lives and jobs behind and become volunteers on a line into the past. They work for a day, or weekend, a week and sometimes the whole season. They work with purpose. The railroad trains them. Other volunteers train them. They train others. They cut brush. They dig ditches. They lube locomotives and wheel sets. They wire new electrical panels in passenger cars, grind rust, and paint over 50 years of neglect on equipment. They don overalls and conductor’s caps and become engineers and trainmen (and trainwomen!). They sell tickets and punch tickets, learn history and share it with the public. And, so much more. The Adirondack Scenic Railroad . . . . our Volunteer Railroad. Help Wanted. Long hours. No pay. Information on the
Adirondack Scenic Railroad,
Photographs of trains,
stations and volunteers, railroad logos, and any additional information can be obtained by contacting the author The author has extensive
files on the Adirondack Scenic RR as well This web page was
created for www.newyorkrailroads.com New York Railroads © Updated 9/2/06tt |
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a life.
Volunteers are essential to the sheer
existence of so many organizations.
automobiles took over, one by one, many railroad lines died. The branch lines
serving smaller communities were pulled up and like so many railroads in our
country, the last train plied the tracks on a sad day in 1972. Over 100 miles of
track would lie silent, waiting for the scrapper to pull up the rails.
volunteers have not done everything, and the state is
contracting major work to others, the public investment is simply a conduit to
allow other volunteers to get involved. A new core of volunteers now plies the
line between Lake Placid and Saranac. Stations are getting restored. New
equipment is getting prepped. The heart beats.