The Last of the D&H Commuter Trains

8/4/2019 The Last of the D&H Commuter Trains

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In May 1961, I visited Albany Union Sta-tion specifically to record the commuter trainphotograph that appears on this edition'scover. Although commuter trains wereviewed as utilitarian, in this instance thetrain's locomotive (Road Switcher No. 4020)had recently emerged from the D&H

Colonie Shop with a bright new appearance.Approximately one-third of a century earlier(1927), an unidentified photographer visitedAlbany Union Station specifically to recordthe locomotive of a commuter train. The lo-comotive (4-6-0 No. 556) had recentlyemerged from the D&H Colonie Shop with a

bright new appearance. Admittedly, themagnitude of the 1927 locomotive reno-vation was much greater, but so was themagnitude of the commuter service.The train I photographed in 1961 was

all that remained of a once extensive com-muter service on the D&H in and out of

8 THE CALL BOARD NEWSLETTER OF THE MOHAWK & HUDSON CHAPTER, N.R.H.S.

The Last of the

D&H Commuter TrainsBy Don Barbeau

In May 1927, D&H 4-6-0 No. 556 emerged from the Colonie Shop with a new configuration and chrome jacketing on the boiler andcylinders. She was tested on the Albany-Troy Belt, as seen here at Albany Union Station. (Don Barbeau Collection)


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THE CALL BOARDEWSLETTER OF THE MOHAWK & HUDSON CHAPTER. N.R.H.S. 9

Friday evening, September 21, 1962 marked the departure from Albany Union Station of the final D&H commuter train. (Photo by DonBarbeau)

Albany Union Station. Back when ex-cam-elback No. 556 displayed the results of herColonie rebuilding, the options of commuterruns on which she could be tested were nu-merous. In the photograph, the chrome jack-eted "Ten-Wheeler" isworking the Albany-Troy Belt, the D&H portion of which af-forded departures from Albany every half-hour between 6:30 am and 10:30 pm. Therewas also commuter service on the D&Hbetween Albany and Altamont, and betweenAlbany and Saratoga Springs. By the 1940's,only the Albany-Saratoga Springs commuterservice had survived. It was still survivingin 1961, although it in 01 ed but a singletrain each way.Because Saratoga Springs" as the north-

ern limit of the commuter area, the morningcommuter train originated there. The after-noon run obviousl originated in Albanybut, during the 19 -O's terninated beyond

Saratoga Springs as it was used as an equip-ment balance for other local (but not com-muter) service. For instance, in 1955 thenorthbound commuter train left Albany atthe long established 5: 15 departure time butoperated all the way north to "Plattsburg"(Until the 1962 timetables, the D&H insistedthat was the spelling of Plattsburgh). By1959, however, the northbound terminatedat Whitehall. Declines in local service by1960 resulted in the northbound commutertrain fmally terminating at Saratoga Springswhere it would become the consist for thenext day's southbound. The final schedulewas as follows:Lv. Saratoga Springs:Ar. Albany Union Station:

7:00 am8:00 am

Lv. Albany Union Station:Ar. Saratoga Springs:

5:15 pm6:15 pm

There were eight intermediate stops(Ballston Spa, Round Lake, Mechanicville,West Waterford, Cohoes, Watervliet,Colonie and Menands).What was unusual was that patronage on

the Saratoga Springs commuter train wasquite high, even circa 1960. While the NewYork Central was using a single Beelineron its Chatham and Hudson commuter ser-vices, the D&H commuter train routinelyhad a need for three or four coaches. Thenew Saratoga springs station (1959) pro-vided improved parking for patrons, somany were confident that the then 37.1 milecommuter run would continue for severalyears to come. But it was not to be and, onSeptember 21, 1962, the last D&H com-muter train became history.


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10 THE CALL BOARD NEWSLETTER OF THE MOHAWK & HUDSON CHAPTER, N.R.H.S.

loin. TABLE 2160 I 264- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - 1 - - - - ' _

MONTREAL, A l l A l lWlndllor StatIon Lv. .. , .Weetmount.............. . .Montreal Weot........... . .Rou PoInt Ar. .. ..o Rouaea Point Lv. ~ --------7.7 ChuJ' " .H.O W Cbuy " .23.3 Platt8blllll Ar. . ..

23.3 Platt8blllll Lv. ,----,---26.2 CUllHaven (Blua Polnt) , "27.9 Soutb JunctIon .........~:! ~ ! C O : ' - ~ i . : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 1 : : : : : 1 : : : : :39.8 DougWio.. . . . . . . .. . . .. '8.9 WUlaboro.............. "~:~=~::::::::::::::::1 : : : : : 1 : : : : :63.1 weotl>Ort............. "7'.2 Port H.nry ............81.8 Crown Poln\. . . . . . . . . . . 91.2 Fort TIconderoga. . . . . .. (Tloonderoga)98.5 Put.nam ..........103.5 Dreaden ...............113.3 Wbltehall.......... . .Ar.Ii3.3 WbltellaJl Lv.119.9 Co_k "123.9 Fort Ann ..............127.8 Smltb', Baoln "135.3 Fort Edward Ar.Lak.=rge Lv. ~ ~ ~Glono Falla.. . . .. . . . . . .." .. .. .. . .Hudaon Falla.. . .. . .. ..." . .Fort Ed"Md Ar .

135.3 Fort Edward Lv. 620~ ~141.6 Gansevoort............. .. .152.' Saratoga Bprtngo Ar. 645.... .. .152.' BaraWi. Sp1'lnlla Lv. 6 55~ ~159.1 Ballaton................. 7 08 .165.3 Round Lake.............. 7 18 .171.8 Mecllanlcvllle. .. .. .. ..." 7 28 .. .. .180.0 Weot Waterford.......... 7 ~ .181.9 COboeo.................. 745 748

1

.184.7 Green laIand " ~ 756 ~ ..185.3 Troy Ar. 800 .184.7 WatervUet Lv. 7 52 ~ ~18ro.0 COlooJe.................. 757 .186.8 Cemetery................ 800 .187.' Meo&nde................. 802 .190.7 ALBANY Ar. 81 0 .A l l A l lm:o NEW YORK, 125tb St.. Ar. ~ ~'----339.0 Orand Central Term..." 11 30 ..A l l A l l

~B~fi,.-.- ,. . .Z

Train 264 atops at River St . Troy. 7.58 a. m.

Rouaea Point LV.

I.Montreal Weot.. ....... .. .Westmount ..................MONTREAL Ar .(Wlndaor StatJon)

TABLE t 263MU.

NEW yORK Lv.1 A l lOrand central Twm...l25tb Str t "

o [ALBANY' D. o k H Lv.......3.3 Menande "3.9 Cemetery.............. "4.7 COlooJe "6.0 wa\erVUet "7.8 TROy "17037. 2 Green I.land. . .. . . . . . .." 7 078.8 COboeo 71410.7 Weot Waterford .18.9 Mecbanlcvllle ...........25.4 Round Lake .31. 6 BaUOton............... ..38.3 Saratoga Sprtngo AT.

38.3 saratoga BprtnllO LV.'----49. 1 Oanaevoort............. ..55.' ForI Edward Ar., .55.4 Fort Edward Lv.57.8 Hudaon FaUO Ar .80.9 GlenI Falla ss, .. .69.9 Lake George Ar. .. .ii:4 Fort Edward Lv.. ~62.9 Bmltll'. Baaln ................68.8 Fon ADD " .70.8 COlDltook....................77. WhltebaU Ar .77.' WhItehall Lv., .87.2 Dreaden............... "112.2 PutIWD .........911.1 Fon TloondOl'OC&.. . . .. (T1oonderoga). . . . . . .. .108.0 Crown Point ...........110.0 pan Hel!or7...........127.11 W_porS ..............13J.O MerrIAm ...............137.1 _ ..................1.1.8 WUlIboro..............160.8 DOIJll\aol..............1M.3 Pon K.nt ..............1110.6 Valoour................162.8 Soutll JuncUon .........1M.O cwr Haven (Blua Point) 187.' PlattobU11l Ar., .

187.' IPIa't8blllll" LV

I.178.7 wt CIwsy .183.0 ChuJ' .......................190.7 Rouaea Point Ar .

W1!:l!K DAY TRAI

In this 1934 D&H timetable, the southbound commuter train to Albany was Train # 160, while the northbound was Train # 5. Train # 160originated in Fort Edward and the schedule between Albany and Saratoga was slightly different from what it was at the end of service in1962. Note trains 263 and 264, which were apparently morning shuttles connecting Troy, Green Island and Cohoes. The notation at thebottom of Table 2 states: "Train 264 stops at River St., Troy, 7:58 a.m." (Mohawk & Hudson Chapter Library Collection)

535

A l lA M I A l l I A M I I P I2 05 8 30 9 00 1 15 .

rl~15 r~ 40 ~11;..:.;.;.:..:. r~251=-=

1210 I 12 35...... 515, .524 .626 .530 .~=

700t708t 7 f 1 3t 7 l l7 16 1223

724 1f3o .J ~ 512 ~7 30 12i35 ~ ~ . .. . .. 5 47 .7 44 12 48..3 5 59 .7 55 12i59 6 15 .8 08 1 12 .. . . .. 6 28 .820125138 640 .828130T4i -- 66ii--8441144 f706 .8 52 1 52 2 05 7 169 05 -- -- -- ---- --1913 .925 .948902 168 207 - 720 --9 16 2110 7132 .923 2115 .. 7137 .931 2121 7143945233 238 755955 - 246 -- 805 --10 15 8 1 2 2102 5 8 1 3 0 .1045 321 843 .11 02 8r67 .11 18 3 47 9 09 .11 42 4 07 9 3 0 .11 52 913!1 .1202 9147 .12 13 -4 29 9155 .12136 .12 46 101211100 10131 .. 10138 .'' 1 '2 5 " 5 '2 0 ' iO '4 8 .'T35 524 10 5 5158 11122 .210 11134 .2 3 0 6 01 11 50 .- -606----

7 12 .7 21 .730 .A l l P I P I P I P I

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The Last of the D&H Commuter Trains