The Putnam Division Yesterday and Today
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2012
- The Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad, affectionately known as the "Old Put", was a single-track railroad line that ran from Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx to Brewster in Putnam Country. The motive power was first steam, and then diesel. With the exception of a short-lived spur line to Getty Square in Yonkers, the Put was never electrified. While that state-of-affairs doubtlessly lent to it's charm, it also hastened the Put's downfall. Because it effectively meant that trains on the Putnam Division could not enter Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, thereby forcing riders to switch trains in order to continue their journey into Manhattan. That, plus the fact that no fewer then three other train lines basically paralleled the Put, insured it's eventual abandonment.
But, from 1881 to 1958, the Put ran passenger railroad trains along what was probably the most scenically varied route in New York. The right-of-way followed the contours of the land, rather then simply blasting and leveling every inch of it. From it's terminus at Sedgwick Avenue, the Put moved from the urban industrialization of the South Bronx, to the bucolic sanctuary of Van Cortland Park, remarkably quickly. And, as it continued up through Westchester and into Putnam County, the route passed primarily through lightly-developed areas. In fact, prior to the construction of the Saw Mill River Parkway, followed later by the Major Deegan Expressway, the Put's right-of-way went through a countryside that was decidedly rural in character. Both highways parallel the Put along it's southern half, and both had a substantial impact on the railroad. The impact of the Saw Mill however, was mild compared to the changes wrought by the Deegan. The comparison that comes to mind is that of an artist's paintbrush vs.a vandal's sledgehammer.
To chronicle the history of the Put as both a railroad, and it's current incarnation as a "rails-to-trails" project, I am utilizing a combination of archival footage, and videotape taken of the line as it exists today. Whenever possible, I tried to match the archival footage with what we shot during our explorations. Some of the results are quite impressive.
The genesis of this project was the fact that I grew up a literal stones-throw from the Put tracks during the 1970's. We lived in Elmsford, NY which was a passenger stop along the Put, and the line still saw occasional freight movements during the time we lived there. My brothers and I spent a lot of hours along those tracks as kids, always thrilling to the sight of a freight train slowly rumbling along that overgrown roadbed. We moved north to Mt. Kisco, NY in 1975, and forgot all about the Old Put.
Upon learning of the fact that portions of the old right-of-way were being turned into biking and walking trails, my brother Keith and I decided to set out and explore it. That quickly turned into the decision to make a movie about the Put. I'd like to think that it is a worthwhile effort, albeit perhaps a bit amateurish. Most of the videotape we shot is of the southern portions of the line. Our intention was to return in order to do the upper Put, but that would likely result in a movie that is over an hour in length. So, we decided to deal briefly with the line from Briarcliff Manor, which was the last station we visited, up to Brewster, the northern terminus of the Put.
Scott and Crew, Thanks for your effort ! I enjoyed it ....Looking forward to any updated footage you have....
Thanks for filming this! You had a great adventure!
My daughter and son walk the rail trail from Baldwin to Yorktown finding pieces of coal iron ore and glass toppers that used to be on the adjacent telephone poles. History still leaving its mark.
You were right there at the station platform!! I don't know if those steps were cut off or not, but back in 1993 I played hooky from high school one day, went down those steps, walked the Sedgwick and platform were the Put met the Polo grounds shuttle. I walked the entire length of the tunnel- no tracks just the row- up until you hit a wall were nycta closed off the tunnel opening, but there was room to get through due to some vandals breaking through. So I walked back through the creepy tunnel, and then walked the Metro North tracks up to Stella Doro / 238th street and took the#3 bus home. I grew up in Sedgwick and 197th in the Bronx
I'm so jealous lol. You have no idea!! You did you're a little adventure two years after the new Jack city movie came out and as you know they filmed on that site I was born and raised on Sedgwick Avenue in 1991 so I was two when you did that however when I found out about the Pologrounds Arroyo let's just say it was mostly too late but I'm just glad that I'm working for the MTA now. hopefully I'll get my chance. but it looks like they borded that area up. I remember an individual who unfortunately passed away years ago saying that when he was in the Riverpark towers as a kid they would go and play on those tracks as it was a banding the polo round Putnam bridge tracks.
I also heard rumors that they are thinking of extending the number three train to High Bridge Villa the polo grounds but I don't see that happening however if I can help it it'll definitely happen
I remember freight trains in the 60's once in a while while we hung out near the lake
Great video Scott - I used to walk the rails when trains would still occasionally make a run on the line in 1970s
You actually found the Terminal but didn't realize it.
The terminal is located on the Sedgwisk side of the bridge over the Thruway at 161st St. At the foot of the stairs on Sedgwick Ave. is a metal grating. This was the entrance to the station. Two Tracks.
Also attached to the station was an IRT Shuttle station that ran over a bridge from the Polo Grounds (157th St) in Manhattan, to the IRT Woodlawn Line station at 167th St.
Good Hunting !!!
The Thruway was built over the station just north of the bridge. If you cross the bridge to the southbound side of the Thruway and look north you should see parts of the old station beneath the highway foundations.
You are very welcome! I glad you liked the video. We had a great time filming it, and are pleased with the final product. At some point, we might tackle the upper Put. I still have some archival footage that I didn't use for this video. Maybe in the Spring...
our window growing up in Highbridge section of the Bronx overlooked the Major Deegan the railroad yard and of course the Harlem River, with the Polo Grounds across the river. vaguely remember the train on Gleneida Ave across from the same named lake in Carmel,on the the way to the family Summer cottage in Lake Carmel. today we walk the different segments of the bike path in Brewster ,Carmel and Mahopac and its breathtaking ,a walk back to the past.
The American Legion Post in Mahopac, to which I belong, used to be a station for the Putnam Division. I used some of the discarded railroad ties for landscaping ties on my first house in Putnam Valley. There used to be some abandoned tank cars along the line where the old Union Carbide Headquarters was in Tarrytown. They destroyed the track south of that location so there was no way you could move them.
Thank You Scott; I enjoyed the Video of the " Old Put.", especially the old movies. Growing up in Marble Hill in the Bronx in the 1950's and playing in Van Cortlandt Park, I did see the " Old Put ". I have walked the Trail many times, mostly from Tibbetts Brook to Van Cortlandt Park. Last Year, Westchester County , just finished hard topping the Trail between Yonkers Ave. and Tuckahoe Road. I walked the old trail before they hard topped that section. Thanx again.
The RS3 was pushing the train north at Brewster to turn at the wye and continue northwest to Carmel and Mahopac. The turning wye was the starting point and the terminus of the Put just south of the Brewster yard. The long hood on the RS3 was actually the front of the locomotive.
Thanks for sharing the rare Old Put clips. This may have turned out to be the best bike trail on the planet.
There will be tracess on the way on the old Putnam Greenway . However they have the nice trailer and there's still enough room to lay down the train tracks down. There are not no houses 🏘️ on the Putnam railroad land park. They are definitely planning something big is coming back I'm telling you. I'm glad that the state is doing this because if you ride to maybrook Connecticut you will definitely see the trails and rails. They never took down the train tracks down or removed them. That is something that the Putnam Hudson river New York central line is doing is putting up the trailer and back to rails that the trains to pass tibbitsbrook park so people could see the trains passing by as people are jogging and riding there bycical or scooter 🛴 riding. As you walk to the first Birdge putmam you will see that they cutting down the weeds and repainting the trestle sky blue 🔵 and you will see some old train tracks ties on the ground. There s is still enough room for the trailer and rails. They still have ways to go cutting ✂️ down a lots of trees. If you walk up the second trestle you will see the painting 🖌️ number on the ground floor 104 at the rear trestle . If you ride pass tibbitsbrook park you will see a white straight spray paint mark on them which is four of them.
I remember in the early 90's the Milk plant on Exterior street and the Stella Doro plant on Broadway used to load freight on box cars when they where still running freight on those tracks. After Stella Doro closed, the tracks were removed. All thats left is the right of way and the skeleton of the old Van courtlandt park stop near the pond. Its a nature trail now but the little trestle bridge just north of the old station across the pond is still there as well as the bridge across the foot path just south of the stop. As a kid I used to play on track near the golf course before it was removed.
Thanks for posting this up! I grew up right near the reservoir (197th and Sedgwick) and would walk to VanCortland park all the time as a kid to go fishing or exploring. I've walked the Put from the start, where it meets the abandoned IRT 9th ave line tunnel en route to Yankee Stadium (as well as the length of that dark tunnel) all the way up to somewhere in Yonkers past the Saw Mill about 4 miles or so. You can only go so far in the legs of a kid in one day!
Wow great video. I wasn't able to watch all of it now, I'll do that later. I explored MNRR small yard near Marble Hill which I believe is a part of the Putnam Line.
Yes it is part of the Putnam line by the metro North.
The Segwick Ave station was just right of those cut-off steps wen yall was on that walkover pass way over the Deegan Highway. The station was under the highway.
very fun to watch! I watched all 40 minute of it... the time went by so fast!
Semper Fi, Marine. Glad you enjoyed my video. We had a blast doing it. My son was our cameraman, and did a real good job of it. It was good to see him get interested in the history of his city. Andrew was born in the city, and lived there for his first 11 years.
hi. this was a really good video, i watched the entire thing at work :-) i have alot to discuss, so i will pm you some facts and observations shortly. thanks for posting this
nice video
The old Hagstrom street maps had the line pretty well mapped out. I witnessed the last freight cars being pulled away from the middle of Westchester (I-287) before the line was permanently abandoned.
Also, Stella-Doro was closed within the last 2-3 years, and has since been completely demolished! It was last served as a freight customer by Conrail on what they called the "Kingsbridge Industrial" circa 1993. SD was THE last freight customer on any remnant of the Put.
Thank you for posting this. I work at Bronx Community College and sometimes take the Metro North home and when I stand on the Morris Heights platform, you can see the right of way of the "Put" as well as some of the original fencing.
So glad you enjoyed the video! As far as I know, the archival footage I used is the only footage of trains running on the Put anywhere on the internet. I've had those VHS tapes for many years and always wanted to incorporate them into a movie about the Put, and finally went ahead and did it. I'll send you an email so we can get in touch.
Glad you enjoyed the video! There was a line called the Rhinebeck and Connecticut Railroad that existed in the 19th and early 20th century. As far as ruins, I don't know of any. Although, the Rhinebeck Station still exists, but as a private home that had been relocated from the original location. If you haven't seen the old Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge over the Hudson, which is now a pedestrian walk, definitely check that out!
thank you scott
I agree with you on exploring in cities vs. outside of them. It is far more interesting, although the opportunities are greater now in the suburbs, because of the rails-to-trails projects. Earlier today, we were exploring the upper Harlem Line which is now a trail. The railroad abandoned the line north of Dover Plains back in the early 1970's, but did restore service to a couple of stops since then. The rest, north to Chatham, NY, has been turned into a biking and hiking path.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed it! We are planning on doing some more filming in the spring. Nearly all of what we did last year was of the lower Put. I have some more archival footage that I didn't use in this video, and would like to work that in with whatever we film from another journey.
Now there are only 3 station buildings remaining on the old New York Central Putnam Line. The Millwood Station was demolished on May 9, 2012. There are remnants of the old Mt. Hope station which was destroyed by fire in 1962. Also you'll often see the occasional telegraph pole along the former Putnam line. Some of the the telegraph pole cross trees there will be an insulator or two.
Glad you enjoyed it! I don't think we would have gone ahead with it, had I not had the old footage to use. As far as I was able to determine, there is no footage of trains operating on the Put anywhere else online. To be able to weave together the old, and the new, really made the effort worthwhile. Did you know that the Stella Dora Plant is completely gone now? We went by and filmed, right before they demolished it.
vancortland park in the amalgamated section of the Bronx takes you from sawmill river parkway to yonkers avenue to the upper nyc nys.you have the major decan highway to the nys highway.there are plenty of hicking trails .when the railroad was still running gangs of teenagers used to jump from vancortland pk avenue bridge to the top of the moving train insane.the pony rides a little push by the wrangler and off you go there were slower to faster ponies it was great.i lived in that section for most of my life this park has hidden lakes and trails and skying and ice skating.wish you were there.
Nice old footage and you did a great job of re tracing the line. I'm from the Bronx and I'm 59 so I well remember the freight trains. Stella Doro had a "flour" car dropped off it is hay day. We'd put pennies on the track as our highlight of the day. We fished for pan fish as well as for golfballs which we sold back to the golfers on Van corts course for a nickle
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! We did indeed enjoy making it. I often think about how wonderful it would be to bring back the Put. Nearly all of the right-of-way still exists. It would make a terrific scenic railroad. Sadly, I don't see much chance of that ever happening. It is fun to dream about though! And no, I am not very familiar with the Bergen Line.
Light rail to NYC ??IT would cost $500,000,000.. from Thornwood to Grand Central
@@kim621100 we don't know if it's going to happen or not never say never so could this now if you ever ride your bike on the new green vancortlant park Putnam trailer you will see some big trees knocked down right in the middle of the new trailer on the right side you will see ten or twelve old Track ties laying on the the ground I road my bike over there And before you ride to tibbits Brook park right by the highway you would see another big trees knocked down some thing good is about to happen
You would see big trees knocked down you have to ride around it on. The new Putnam trailer you will see ten or twelve old Track ties laying on the side something good it's gonna happen
Gonna happen soona or later I'm telling you they don't knock trees for nothing they doing it for a reason so you have to pay closer attention
I didn't mean to beat ya up- I just kinda grew up near there so I knew a good amount of the area, plus I knew a LOT of the NYC history in the area. But there is SO much history there, glad you got to see some. You can spend a whole day i VCP and not see it all.
Great camera work
On our first visit to the park, we saw the trestle from the Henry Hudson Parkway and assumed that was the ROW of the Put. So, we followed that north until we hit a wall of apartment houses. I learned later that we were actually following the Getty Spur Line.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I was concerned that the length would discourage people from giving it a chance. And, nearly all of the video concerns the southern half of the line. We barely touched on the line north of Briarcliff Manor. The plan was to return and chronicle the rest, but that would have resulted in a film of over an hour in length! I probably could have used a good film editor...
I remember in the late 80's and early 90's I would go down to Van Cortland Park and walk down to where the tracks were and walk south and I would see the old towers that held the above wires for the graph for the train's power. I believe there is still one left you can see heading south on the highway. I wish I could have been around when the PUT was in service.
+TheReIntegration Don't know what you saw but the Putnam division wasn't electrified and, if it had been, it would have been by third rail and not an overhead system.
You are very welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. We had a lot of fun doing it, and it seems to have found an appreciative audience. The number of views is up over 1200 now, which is quite a pleasant surprise. Obviously, there are a lot of rail fans out there and they managed to find my video on the Old Put.
Van Cortlandt Park is perfect for dirt bikes, this is a great video , I love the history. There is a lot more dude I've seen a lot more history but only because I'm on the dirt bike,an amazing buetiful place to visit, ,,,,,,I love van courtlandt
Very cool documentary! I am happy to find someone as interested in the line as myself. Not to take away from your journey, but you forgot some biggies along the line-maybe you can add them in at another time? I could be wrong but there was another station that still stands off of Palmer Road in Yonkers and off Tuckahoe Rd at Mile Square Road is another very large and still standing railroad bridge that is now used to park buses-you can walk along the trail for a bit.
have had access to old Maps that show Rilne to Yonkers via Van Cortlandt park; Real Neat
Thanks for watching and commenting. We searched for the Millwood station, but I guess it was gone by then. We filmed the Stella Dora plant right before they started demolition. That footage of the steam train crossing 119 is my favorite. I would guess it was taken in the late 1940's, at least judging by the cars and trucks. And I think the Put had changed over to diesel locomotion by the early 50's. In fact, they were experimenting with diesel locomotives on the Put as early as the 30's.
My uncle (who worked with Conrail (then NS) from 83 to 05 went to the opening of the rail bridge but I haven't gone yet. He said they really did a good job.
Yes they did a mighty good job the bridge is still up for a reason I'm talking about the trestle bridge
On our first visit to Van Cortland Park, we followed the roadbed of the Getty spur line thinking it was the main line of the Put. We didn't exactly research our trip all that well. We returned to the park several weeks later after studying some maps, and found what we were looking for. I decided to open the movie with the footage from that first effort, since it was actually part of the Put. The Getty spur line was a short electrified branch line that was abandoned in 1943.
Interesting question about Rhinebeck by JohnnyZnuff, Rhineebeck was on the old Central New England/New Haven which ran from Silvernails to Rhinecliff and was abandoned in the 1930's. Central New England was sucessor to several early roads which built the route, there is still a water crane at Silvernails and the old depot is still standing on a dirt road south of the right of way but it was converted to a house after the abandonment. The owner of the house was the former depot agent .
theres an abandon station right under those steps on sedwick you was close just had to walk down its being dismantled now
No problem at all. I appreciate getting feedback on the video, and don't mind having things pointed out to me. Van Cortland Park is a great resource and I wish I took more advantage of it when I lived in Manhattan. Now that I've moved 100 miles north of the city, I have been to the park twice already. Which is exactly the number of times that I visited VCP when I lived less then 10 miles away from it. I knew I should have gotten out of Manhattan more...
Hey, you succeeded in finding what i was never able to. Too bad I now live in California (US Marines) so I may never get a chance to visit family back in NY AND get to Van Cortland. Thanks for letting me know where it is though!
hmmm could you have possibly converted it to mov? Im not familiar with VHS format on computer, I am 21st century when it comes to using video clips and did not film much before HD and other previous formats came out.
Hi Scott, good video, thanks. BTW: Haven't you been doing commentaries on DVDs about elevated lines in New York? Your voice sounds familiar to me.
Hey was that trestle by the stables the Getty Square spur? The ROW for the put is pretty well defined. I've always wanted to trace the old Getty Square spur, I believe the switch was just past the stone slabs on the other side of the first bridge over the lake, just north of the VC station.
That was the Getty Sq Branch right away which led you to the Building
One more thing LOL- I remember walking the track before that silly trail was put it! made it a lot more fun but harder. Back in the late 80's early 90's.
Unless those are offshoots from the original line that you discussed-the part that goes thru Yonkers to Getty Square?
Great video! :) I wish the Putnam Line could still be in use today or revived! Also, where did you get the footage from?
actually its a trail now- all of it.
@@josephmiele2277 you never know they may decide to put the Putnam train or a light rail train a long side by the bike trailer so people could see train passing by
@@josephmiele2277 but now a days they need more rail road trains i love the double tressle one could be for a bike or jogging one for a train a long side
What was the difference between putnam division and harlem line.
Is that the line that connects to the old Poughkeepsie rail bridge?
Great footage! Any info on the line that branched out into Getty Square in Yonkers? I used to live in the "Alan Towers" apts. on S.Brodway & Highland Ave. Just behind the building are the stairs which lead to to the Park Hill Sta. the 'elevator' building just above also remains, it's now a house.
The line within van cortlandt park is a trail, and the rest of the corridor north of the bronx is scheduled to be turned into a new greenway
Great video Scott. I assume that some books on this history exist?
Hi Scott,thanks for the marvelous footage!I grew up in the bronx and was always curious about trains and els and routes that they took.you must of really enjoyed yourselves retracing the old paths of right away for the Putnam?Next question to you i want to ask is if you were in charge of the NYCentral and it was up to you would you have dismantled this line???Or would you have made a tourist scenic nature train ride??@nd question do you know anything about the bergenline?Thnx for the memories
OMG Scott thanks a lot for this video. My train fascination started cause I was born, raised and still currently live on Sedgwick Ave parallel to the Hudson Line and I-87. So I always saw the metro North out my window as i grew up.
Nevertheless with my train obsession I NEVER knew about the hidden Sedgwick Ave station down by 162st, HAD NO IDEA until a friend of mine told me. Ever since I've been seriously obsessed with the history of that an doing research on the NYW&B, "Old Put" and ect...
i now look at the Bronx waaaay differently.
Thanks 4 this vid!!!!!!!!!
You're very welcome, Joshua. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. We had a great time making it, and people seem to appreciate the effort. It is always fun to discover new things about the place where you lived all of your life!
Scott Tyson
Most definitely no problem! I wish I could discover like u guys. I envy u lol
Scott Tyson
and where u get these videos... i'll never know
Btw I made my friend's day by showing him this vid. He's like a Bronx historian lol
Scott - thank you for preserving this amazing historical legacy. There are several questions: 1) would you know when the tracks were pulled up, and 2) when the last freight train ran through VCP? 3) do you know who put the combined sewer outlet at the lake weir - the railroad or the city? Thank you!
The last train was the A&P train back in the 70's. It would go from NYC to the Elmsford warehouse
Save PutnamTrail The last freight train came through in 1982.
@@10.11.9 Yes 1982. I took pictures of one of the last northbound Conrail freight trains passing through Van Cordlandt in 1982.
@@Putmann If you go to Yonkers gettysqare the old Putnam railroad station 🚉 they still have the ghost 👻 train station up and they are definitely cutting ✂️ down some trees. They are cutting down the trees and they have those old Putnam railroad station s up for a reason. Nothing runs or take over the old Putnam railroad line anymore. No matter how much they have the trailer up that's is fine. The Putnam is definitely coming back I telling you right now. You ever ride your bike or drive your car you will see what I'm talking about. Look very carefully and God 🙏 will give you a viston . Alots of Abandoned railroad s are definitely coming back like ever before.
I walked that entire line when it was still in use between 1958 till the end. Modeled it in N scale at one time.
You guys missed the most important remaining section of the Old Put in the Bronx. At 225 St. on the Harlem River the Putnam division separated from the Hudson Division and IT STILL DOES. There is a mile or so of the original line and a small two track rail siding for freight cars that was and is still there as of 2017. It runs north to about 228th street right alongside the I-87 Deegan Expressway, but the roadside trees hide it. There's a picture looking south from the end of this siding area on the Putnam Division page of Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_and_Putnam_Railroad#/media/File:Old_Put_working_stub_jeh.jpg
The two tracks on the left side were for Putnam mainline traffic. I grew up in the Bronx in the 1960s and the NYC was
still collecting freight cars with an Alco RS-3 on an extension of these tracks that ran up along the I-87. I believe the last freight car pick-up was at Stella Doro Bakeries on 238 Street, which was situated between Broadway and the Deegan on 238th St. I think this went on into the early 1970s.
Points well taken mongo731. We did turn the Van Cortland Park visit into more of an adventure then it needed to be. And we should have tried a bit harder to find the Sedgwick Avenue Station, but my son was a little leery about venturing any further down that path so I decided to move on. We did have a lot of ground left to cover. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Quite a few of the things spoken during the driving footage are incorrect. I would suggest reshooting that segment from the front seat and perhaps dubbing in the audio so there isnt so much road noise. Just before you "exited at yankee stadium" you were driving on top of the Sedgwick Ave terminal (remember, it was partially under the Degan).....
Yes I had dinner with my wife and mother in law at the Riverdale Diner and saw the workers on strike. I only found out they tore it down watching you video. I usually drive into the city (if I'm not taking my usual Metro-North train) via Saw Mill to Riverdale and through the Broadway bridge (hate to pay so much for a toll that was a dime on the HHB) So. I do not see Stella Doro often.
@18:00- what are you guys doing up on the hill cemetary? You park at the golf court parking lot, go toward the lake, and BAM there it is LOL.
how you doing scott can you footage the harlem line railroad
No, I think that was the Maybrook Line that connected to the Poughkeepsie Bridge, which has now been turned into the Walkway over the Hudson. Although, I think plans are afoot to eventually link all of these rails-to-trails projects with one another. It is wonderful that the state is doing this. Next best thing to having trains run on the lines, which would be my personal preference.
Maybrook has a trail and rails now still in good condition. The plans are now for the Putnam division is they are definitely planning on having rails trail and back to rails having trains running along side the trailer where people could see the trains passing by while they ride there bikes and scooter s and jogging. Now are definitely cutting down the trees and there are no houses on the Putnam area at all. The Putnam is gonna definitely be like maybrook Connecticut. However the Putnam is gonna take a while to do it. I road pass tibbitsbrook park and I saw a white straight spray paint mark four marks on the Putnam trailer. Something is coming back I'm telling.
Another thing to if you pass the vancourtland station south on the first trestle Birdge putmam trestle you will see that they are repainting the Putnam Birdge trestle on each sides. Nothing cannot replace or run over the Putnam railroad line anymore.
The Hudson Putnam line is definitely gonna have the same exact thing like the Maybrook Connecticut . I have been to Grand Central terminal and they was showing the maybrook Connecticut they have the trailer and rails. You know that the duchess and maybrook connects to the Hudson Putnam line. That's what the biggest plans for the Putnam line is to have both trailer and back to rails just like when you ride your bike or driving your car to Manhattan Birdge and William burg Birdge s.
That'is being planned now is getting having the links trailer and back to rails projects .
I would love to film the Harlem Line next! And, if you are interested in the Harlem, check out the website called "I ride the Harlem Line". A girl who commutes on the Line has taken hundreds of pictures and videos, as well as a lot of old archival material, and put it all together on a website. It is really terrific.
The challenge was converting the video from an analog, to a digital format. Once I had the right hardware in the form of a VCR made for that purpose, and the necessary software, it proved to be pretty easy. But, I needed a PC platform to make it happen. I could have imported the video into my mac, but would not have been able to edit the footage.
I used to use windows movie maker for my video... however it never saved a video over 10 minutes >:(... however I experimented with Imovie on the mac and boy let me tell you! It supported my one hour video like a pro! It took a long time to save but it was totally worth it. From now on I will use Imovie! Maybe you should look into it?
The swing bridge was removed in 1960.
I wish they would've saved it it would've been a great tourist attraction 1RS3 AND THREE COACHES
He was looking at the stairs those old stairs you don't realize how close you were you walked across the highway that was where the Ninth Avenue Sedgwick Avenue Putnam station used to be controlled by a analog King Tower Court SK Tower where the highway is is also the remnants of the yard that used to be the old Putnam yard before it crossed over the bridge into the Polo Grounds there you would have found Ash pit for the locomotives you would have found a turntable he would have found the engine house as well as the water plug further up north by the bridge by Highbridge there was a station to High Bridge station right there are you seeing the locomotive backing up into Sedgwick Avenue Station the tower you sore was SK interlocking Tower I lived in Highbridge for many years and had the pleasure and privilege to ride one of those locomotives that you see the ex New York Central RS3 but it was painted in those days as Penn Central the locomotive engineer in this conductor whom I became great friends with over the years Richard Falvey red Falvey I was lucky enough to ride with him and to make several deliveries along the putt in the 70s I hope the information that I gave you comes to you as a good help if you need more information please feel free to contact me at k2csx at yahoo.com take care God bless stay safe
Check Google Earth or Google Maps. I found the crumbling concrete platforms of the Sedgwick Avenue shuttle station under the major Deegan before the shuttle roadbed was overgrown with plants and trees. They are likely under the foliage next to and north of the stairway depicted in your video. I recall observing the remnants of the Van Cortlandt Park station from the Major Deegan Expwy. in the early 1970s and of Put embankments devoid of tracks near Mahopac. Larry S., 3/19/2024
@15:00- YOU GAVE UP TOO EASY! The station is down that stairwell and along the wall not more than a couple hundred yards north or south, can 't remember as I was last there in 1993. Go back and find the treasure!
Nice...I have a lot of Yonkers based Putnam RR...I will send you a friend request on FB from South Yonkers Photos
I've always had an interest to explore abandoned rail lines, especially in cities. My personal favorite would be the Flushing Branch on Long Island, would pass that every time I went to Manhattan. But never got a chance to explore it..
Vault Hill is the cemetery for Van Cortland and his family. The headstones were removed because of vandalism.
Thanks! I'd like to think that our efforts resulted in something that people might appreciate. Obviously, this kind of video isn't going to have a very broad appeal, so I'm trying to target youtube users who seem to be interested in this sort of thing.
This is an interesting video! I like the way you spliced in the vintage footage. I'm a "before and after" freak, and the part about the Van Cortland Park abandoned station was especially great! I'll be visiting Rhinebeck this summer-- Are there any RxR ruins I should check out?
Thanks for the great work,,,you mentioned in van Cortland that you were blocked by a bunch of buildings ,,,but I believe you were at the spot where it crosses into yonker's ,,100 Caryl Avenue is the building that almost blocks the caryl bridge,,My friends house was the caryl ave station...but I loved watching the vid of the put crossing 119..I go to Petes a lot and I just love the Put ,,They demolished the Millwood station those piece of shit politicains..Thanks for the work..
You can message me through youtube or send me an email if you like. scotus1962@gmail.com
What a shame
Several minutes of the back of your head and SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE, NOT DOWN THE ROW
get a proper camera person.
horrible.
i wonder if the declining buying power of the dollar brought about the decline of passenger service, after the ;engineered depression ' of the 30s
Actually, I started using imovie several years ago to make movies of my son's various ballgames and school events. I am completely comfortable with it. But, to make this movie, I needed to use a PC because of the software and hardware that I used to import the archival footage, which was in a VHS format. The movie program that I used is something called Pinnacle, and I found it to be very user-friendly.