Adirondack Railroad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adirondack Railroad |
|
|---|---|
| Adirondack Scenic Railroad | |
Saranac Lake Station
|
|
| Locale | New York |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Mohawk and Malone Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Reporting mark | ADIX |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| 1913 | New York Central takes over |
| Closed | 1980 |
| Preserved era | 1992 - |
| Preservation history | |
| 1992 | Restoration starts |
| Headquarters | Utica, NY |
| Website | |
| adirondackrr.com | |
The Adirondack Railroad (also known as the Adirondack Scenic Railroad) is a special train line. It takes people on fun trips through the beautiful Adirondack Park. This train runs on old tracks that were once part of the New York Central Railroad. The line stretches between Utica and Lake Placid.
The Adirondack Railroad Preservation Society runs the trains. This is a non-profit group. Many of the people who work on the trains are volunteers! They help make sure everyone has a great time.
The trains run between Utica and Remsen. This part of the track is also used by freight trains. The section from Remsen to Lake Placid is owned by New York State. It's used for trains in spring, summer, and fall. In winter, it becomes a trail for snowmobiles!
You can ride passenger trains between Utica and Thendara. Some old train stations have been fixed up. These include stations in Holland Patent, Remsen, Saranac Lake, and Lake Placid.
Contents
History of the Adirondack Railroad
The train line was first built in 1892. It was called the Mohawk and Malone Railway. A man named William Seward Webb built it. Later, a bigger company, the New York Central Railroad, bought it.
From Passenger Trains to Tourist Rides
New York Central trains carried passengers until 1965. After that, another company took over. They stopped running trains north of Remsen in 1972.
From 1979 to 1981, a different company called the Adirondack Railway ran passenger trains. They went from Utica to Lake Placid. After 1981, the tracks were not used for a while.
Bringing the Railroad Back to Life
In 1992, people started working to fix the tracks. They began with a small section near Thendara. On July 4, 1992, the first trains ran again! At first, the line was called the Adirondack Centennial Railroad. In 1994, it was renamed the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.
The people who run the railroad wanted to bring back trains for the whole route. This meant going all the way from Utica to Lake Placid. Many towns, like Tupper Lake, supported this idea. However, some people wanted to turn part of the track into a walking and biking trail.
There was a long discussion about what to do with the tracks. In 2017, a court decided that the railroad could keep its plans. This meant the rail trail idea was stopped.
A New Name for the Railroad
In 2020, the railroad changed its name again. It went from the Adirondack Scenic Railroad to the Adirondack Railroad.
Gallery
-
ASR #6076
-
NYC caboose, Now in Utica, NY
-
ASR #6076, Lake Placid
-
Saranac Lake Union Depot
-
Remsen Depot. Rebuilt in 1999, on the same site and to the same plans as the original station.
