2011 Road Trip – Railroad Depots + (#10)

Continuing with our late summer-early fall 2011 road trip to New York and Pennsylvania…

As the followers of this blog know, we’re always on the lookout for old railroad rolling stock plus railroad stations, ranging from derelict to those in current use.

This is former Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 Electric Locomotive #4917…later Amtrak Commuter Locomotive #4934.  It’s now owned by the Leatherstocking Railroad museum and, according to the Internet, it’s ‘in storage’ at Cooperstown Junction New York.  This particular unit was built in 1942…

This is a refurbished GG1 from the Northwestern Railway System that is now part of the National Railway Museum’s collection in Green Bay Wisconsin.  Check out this great collection at http://www.nationalrrmuseum.org/en-us/default.aspx.

These electric locomotives are 80’ long, weigh 237.5 tons, and they can generate 4,620 H.P. with their 12 electric motors.  Depending on the condition of the track, they operated at speeds as high as 100 m.p.h.  A total of 140 of these units were built between 1934 and 1943 by General Electric and the Altoona Works in Pennsylvania.  The last GG1 was retired from commuter service by the New Jersey Transit Authority in 1983.

This is the Rhinecliff-Kingston Amtrak Depot which, confusingly enough is located in Rhinebeck New York.  This depot was built in the Mission Spanish Revival Style in the early 20^th Century for the New York Central Railroad.  Approximately 14 or 15 trains stop at this station every day of the week.  It’s a stop for the Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express and the Maple Leaf Amtrak routes. 

In 2010, ridership was up 6.6% for a total of 158,534 passengers.  Major cities that can be reached from here include Toronto, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, Albany, Poughkeepsie and New York.

This is the Metro-North Station in Poughkeepsie New York.  Trains depart from this station to New York City every hour on weekdays…and every 25 minutes during rush hour.  Both Amtrak and Metro-North Commuter trains operate through this depot.  Via Metro North trains, it’s 1 hour and 46 minutes and 73.5 miles from here to the Grand Central Terminal in New York City.  Amtrak trains…the Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf plus the Lake Shore Limited…all end up at New York’s Pennsylvania Station. 

This is the northernmost outpost of the New York Metro area’s Metropolitan Transit Authority…and it even has an MTA police presence on location.  There are 1,101 parking places adjacent to the terminal.  Ridership in 2010 included 424,580 Metro-North (MTA) passenger…with no increase from 2009, as well as 75,775 Amtrak passengers…a 12% increase over 2009.

I ‘borrowed’ this photo of the main waiting room at the Poughkeepsie Station.  The terminal was completed in 1918 and it was modeled after New York City’s Grand Central Station.  It has a high gallery, 3 original chandeliers, 14 original chestnut benches, wood paneled and carved stone walls and walnut rafters.  This depot is listed on America’s National List of Historic Places.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave