Former D&H ALCOS on a Former D&H Branch Line! Chasing the Battenkill RR & More In Upstate New York!
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- 4/02/21:
On April 2nd I headed up to Upstate New York. My initial plan was to buff the Mohawk Sub west of Selkirk, but then I got word of something I couldn't miss.
About an hour away from the Albany region my buddy Corey (R's Trains!) informed me that the Battenkill Railroad, with their orange ex-D&H Alco RS-3, was running! Being that this railroad has no schedule and is pretty hard to catch, I knew I had to take this opportunity to see the train.
I arrived as the train was departing on its northbound run. It had the RS-3 leading, followed by a rare visitor to the line- a SNEX RS-36. More info about that unit in the video. It was very cool to see these two former D&H units (built in the 50s and early 60s) lashed together. I ended up chasing this train all the way from south of Cambridge to East Greenwich, where it terminated. I stopped at several known locations along the way and was overall very happy with how this day went. It is truly unforgettable to see this operation in action!
After wrapping things up on the Battenkill, I headed out to the CSX Mohawk Sub where I caught Q004, Q621, and Q560 with a WIDE OPEN SD40-2 trailing. Finally, I moved over to Saratoga and caught CP 651 heading north past the station with a CP/UP duo. Overall, it was a great day trackside!
Check Out Corey's Channel! - / @rstrainsonyt
Subdivision(s):
BKRR Mainline
CSX Mohawk Subdivision
CP Canadian Mainline
Location(s) In Order of Appearance:
Cambridge, NY (And Various Spots just south of there)
Shushan, NY
Salem, NY
East Greenwich, NY
Amsterdam, NY
Fonda, NY
Saratoga Springs, NY
Thanks For Watching & Enjoy!
(c)2021 River Line Productions All Rights Reserved
I love the old Alco RS’s. They were a big part of the Reading RR roster in the 1950’s & 60’s when I lived very near the Port Reading branch that ran thru my NJ hometown. Nice catch!
Thanks! Yeah, this was my first time seeing one in action and it is a very sharp-looking unit. It was a nice change of pace from the constant GEVOs on the class 1s!
Love the look of those early ALCo road switchers like the RS-3. Great catches!
Yeah, they really do look great! Thanks!
Northern Nevada RR has some real classic ALCO engines
It's hard to imagine they still run trains over tracks that are in such bad shape.
When I started my train watching in the early 1970s, Penn Central had mainline track in worse shape than this! Lots of it.
@@b3j8 I would love to find content from that Era. It seems to me like it would be cheaper to maintain the track than to risk a derail with cargo, but this is a short train so the risk seems smaller.
@@haydendriscoll8474 Hayden I remember my railfan buddy and I had a challenge one day to see who could pull out the most spikes by hand from about 100 yds or so of eastbound main. He won w/ten. Officially, Amtrak could do 50 mph thru that section!
It's nice to see the old girl doing what she does the best hauling Freight.
Wow excellent catches here! My most favorite type of locomotive! I just love the arched cab roof! And that horn is so unique sounds like a leslie rs3l combined with a nathan k5la absolutely phenomenal 😀
Yea its an RS5L aparently, it was stolen sadly
Around 3:58, I just love the condition of those railroad tracks. They remind me of a certain railroad, many of their branch lines, out this way in northern/central New England area.
That old RS-3 looks delightfully weathered.
That old rs e looks so cool 😎
I can remember those Alco's from years ago. The Utah Railway ran RSD 4/5's from Martin to Provo with coal trains. Good reliable but very smoky power. Thanks for posting.
Great job catching the Battenkill. Gotta see them for myself one day. Those zoom shots really put into perspective how rough those tracks are. Also really like the through the bridge shot at the Rexleigh Covered Bridge. Awesome stuff!
Thanks, Scott! Yeah, I knew the tracks were bad but I was shocked as to the extent of the disrepair. Hopefully you will be able to get them one day soon!
Thanks for your reply to my comment. It is comforting to know that the tracks are being worked on, & I still enjoy your videos.
YES. LET THE BLUE SHINE THROUGH💙💛
Amen to that! I can't wait to see it.
@@NorthCountryTrains me to
Outstanding footage. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
That is amazing that the train actually stays on those hideous tracks, Wow!!!!!
Was certainly a sight to see!
wow... you found a RS3 roaming around in revenue service in 2021... jurassic park 2021
Kerry does a D&H/Batten Kill Video. TOTALLY. AWESOME!
Hey how long is the video? If it’s longer than 30 mins then I’ll move mine back to 6:45.
Nice,and to see D&H power,even at this late date,wow! By the way,that paint scheme,is shared by the LIRR/MTA,as they also had engines in the same paint[C420's],which operated on,guess,the D&H! Add some Alco,RS-2's,and 3's,from the D&H,and some S-1,and 2's,the Long Island had a treasure trove of upstate engines,during the 70's and 80's! About the only thing missing were the PA's,but that was compensated by having Metra engines running on the East End! More tales that take seeing is believing! Nice video,and I've been up in that territory,still beautiful! Thanks for your attention!!
Wow, that’s some very interesting history. Thanks for sharing! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Absolutely love the RS3.......those rails at 4:15 are so bad 😳
What a nice train video. Scenery is fantastic.
Thanks!
An epic chase for two epic units. When I was young Missouri Pacific used to bring 20 or so flats up the hill behind the house , to up town Independence MO, to the Alice Chalmers farm equipment plant and bring loads down into KCMO NEF yard I still have a picture of that. 1967ish? Great vid you have. Thanks much!!!
Good video! Some of their track looks almost as bad as the old Maumee and Western.
Man I wish I knew about this yesterday I was like 20 mins away! Nice video as usual RLP
Thanks! Yeah, the Battenkill is very tough to catch. I am pretty surprised I was able to catch a run!
This is sick, absolutely sick!
Great catch! Thanks for posting!
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!
Why didn’t I watch this sooner... DAMN these Alcos are sexy. Them horns are fire as well🤤
Yeah, that RS5T was incredible to hear! Was very cool to see an RS-3 in service. Thanks for the view!
@@RiverLineProductions looks like an RS3L to me, my guess would be a square tag RS3L, at first I thought it was an RS5T tho
Great vidéo 👍
love the ALCOS NICE ROUNDED CABS CAN T BELIEVE IT DID T FALL OFF THE TRACKS
I’ve seen plenty of comments expressing concern about the track condition on the BKRR. While the tracks are certainly not in tip-top shape, I can assure everyone that they wouldn’t be running trains on it if it wasn’t safe. As long as they run at the posted speed limit (which they always do), everyone will be safe and operations will run smoothly!
Great video man! You should ask if you could mount a Go Pro on the RS3s next run. Like on your hand! Back in 98 on the day of my birthday I went out to the Nevada Northern and I was told that I'm welcomed to ride along in the cab if you - looks like you found your seat already?! It was one of their RS2s.
Excellent catch on the BKRR... always enjoying seeing that line. The VP of my model RR club in Ocala, Fl use to work on this line, lived in Shushan and is in a group photo in the back of the now out of print book: Rails Along the Battenkill. Thanks for sharing.
Outstanding video! The photography is impressive and you keeping us in the loop is a further indication of the care and intelligence that went into this video. Keep up the good work. I just subscribed.
Thanks for watching!! I’m very glad that you enjoyed it!
THANK YOU...for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Wonderful video showing these old D&H ALCo's. Hard to believe the G&J is still wearing her original scheme. The RS-36 is another rare ALCo. Hope it makes it to the proposed D&H scheme.
Thanks for sharing your video!
P.S. - I know that 5012 made it to the D&H blue and gray lightning stripe scheme. Looks beautiful!
Nice to see the old girl still earning her keep!
That storage track was in a lot better shape than the 'main' line...
Great video! Especially liked the shot from inside the covered bridge.
CSX 978 was up here in Calgary, Alberta working with CP Rail the other day. Great video! Subbed!
Very cool!
Thanks!
Awesome!!! Thanks for posting!!
Thanks! Anytime, glad you liked it!
Looked like no trains had run for years on that creepy little line. Amazing.
Old track may make or great Zoom shots, but it's also very sad to see.
Now THAT is the kind of rail video that I like to see! So much better than 70 cars blowing past on pristine rail...The whole branch line, small town feel with the old equipment. Outstanding, thank you! Subscribed.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, the atmosphere out on the BKRR really is something special that can't be matched on the class ones. A nice change for sure!
Great job !
Awesome video! Great catch. As for the rails, much better than the old ND&W tracks in Indiana.
Nice! I saw SNEX 5015 trailing on an NS train... now I know where it was going
Ahhhhh vintage iron.
🚂🚃🚃🚃🇨🇦
Yup!
Listen to those gevos hummm sweat music to my ears
Some of that trackage is in deplorable condition. Seems to be a lighter rail than normal?
Yes, the rail is much lighter than the normal stuff we see on mainlines today.
Yes, it still lives as of today!
I use to watch those old ALCO engines run between MECHANICSVILLE and Albany, NY. Saw rt 313 in the background.
Good thing those Alcos aren't hauling cream on those tracks. It'd be butter at the end of the line.
🇮🇪. Very good capture cool upload
Very nice.
Some of the track at 4:00 mark looks rough.
Those tracks are very warped.
I'm surprised, a derailment hasn't happened. Yet!
great video!
Nice video of some classic locomotives . . . both of these Alcos could use a paint job, maybe something a little more inspired than the blue and yellow scheme depicted in the artwork, but even primer would be an improvement. Thanks for the upload!
Good stuff River Line Productions!
Nice video. Love the sound of that horn on the RS3. Great seeing old Alco's in use. I get to see some occasionally that the Western New York & Pennsylvania run near my home in north western PA.
I hope to see you at Burdeck st sometime.
A C-420 to how cool
It’s actually a RS-36
Just found your channel and I really enjoyed this vid. Seeing Alco's in action isn't very common so this was a welcome surprise. At the 3:57 and 6:24 marks I had to cringe at the condition of that track, lol, wow. Then again, many short lines have similar conditions in spots. That's a beautiful Alco RS-3. Hopefully they'll give her a wash and maybe a repaint to really make her stand out. Another cool thing I liked was at the 16:36 mark on that CSX mixed freight. You gave excellent CSX info including the type of train, I love seeing that. Looking forward to more of your vids.
12:26 why is their a lucas oil sticker on the Southern New England locomotive?
Nice video!
Thanks!
Pretty cool find. I would love to find one here in Ontario lol.
James.
The clip at 4:00 minutes looks like it needs new track it’s all bent and worn
Nice!
So awesome. Do you know when they run?
Damm I be afraid of a derailment
Very " Norman Rockwell scene at 3minutes
Very rough track!!
It appears that the tracks, need fixing. I know that it probably is an expensive undertaking, but it also looks like the Locomotive & train, are in extreme danger.
The zoom shots make it look worse than it is, so as long as they take it as slow as they do they will be fine. Believe it or not, they actually have replaced some ties recently!
did the batten kill railroad bought new trains?
Love old tracks like this, its rare to find railroads that have trackage in this condition anymore. Zoom shots are epic! Would love to know what year those rails were laid down?
Track maintanance is something they do not do. Pain to the eyes!
I saw the second alco on 12z
I knew that it was an Ex D&H, because it looked like one to me, is the green and orange one an ex Great Northern? because it looks like one to me
I am not sure about the history of the 605 unfortunately, but I think it is also ex-D&H
Bkrr 603 was originally Vermont railway 603
605 you mean
Yes, sorry. 605 was originally vtr 603 or 605, I can’t remember if the road # was changed.
Classic
For sure a classic scene!
Wait - the two Alcos are left out unprotected in the cold and slop? Won't they be vandalized? Terrific video!
Reckon that one day they might work on the tracks??
Awesome shots and video! Lol @ 3:59
When was the last time that work was done on roadbed & tracks??
4:00 that's... interesting track 🤔
Good video. What are the hicube containers on rear of manifest at 17:32 mark?
I'm from Australia and don't recognise the long rake of blue "containers" on grey spines at 17:54. What are they? Waste of some sort? Recycled plastics maybe?
Exactly right! They carry loaded garbage out of New York City
plus, I didint know that you still railfan the batten kill railroad, because its not a highly populated railroad
Yeah, this was my first time up there. It is a pretty cool little operation through a pretty rural area!
I wonder where 603 was today
Does this railroad still exist?
Do they still run Alcos? I haven't heard anything about this line in a while.
How often does this train run?
There’s no schedule, but I want to say like twice a week
3:57 I here corey
How do they even get parts for the RS3?
That’s a great question haha
@@RiverLineProductions basically they cannibalize parts from other alcos
Ill bet that house at 2:37 and that engine have met before
How come they did not have the second unit running?
Second unit was Dead In Tow just being transported, so it wasn’t pulling on this trip
why is the RS-36 stack capped?
It’s being transported for repaint, so it wasn’t running.
3:58 is that the Battenkill or the (MDW worst track in the US) love the Battenkill but they really need to fix that track
14:01 I’ve seen fast freight trains, but sheesh!
Do they defer track maintenance?
That’s a pretty odd Leslie s5t
How does it not derail on such a terrible track?
Those are some of the most F-up rails I have seen in a while how loco did not de-rail is beyond me.
🌐
How can a RR run a RR with tracks like that???? Do these trains ever derail on horrible tracts like those in the video???
Needs a surfacing gang
Haha that’s for sure!