Adirondack Scenic Railroad
Encyclopedia
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
to Thendara
Old Forge, New York
Old Forge is a hamlet on New York State Route 28 in the town of Webb in Herkimer County, New York. Old Forge was formerly a village that dissolved its incorporation, but remains the principal community in the region. Old Forge forms an extensive business district, primarily directed at tourism...
, and from Saranac Lake
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
to Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
. During the Winter, the entire line (including the Saranac Lake to Old Forge section) is used as a snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
trail.
The Adirondack Scenic Railroad is now operating over 70 miles (112.7 km) of track between June and October; historic stations have been restored in Holland Patent
Holland Patent, New York
Holland Patent is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 461 at the 2000 census. The village is named after a land grant....
, Remsen
Remsen, New York
Remsen, New York is the name of two locations in Oneida County, New York, USA:* Remsen , New York* Remsen , New York...
, Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
, and Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
. The line is not used for any freight
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
traffic.
There are plans to extend operations through to Tupper Lake. But the line has been controversial, with some calling for the removal of the tracks to improve use by snowmobiles, and to allow creation of a bicycle/hiking trail along the rail corridor.
History
The line itself was originally built by William Seward WebbWilliam Seward Webb
William Seward Webb, M.D. was a businessman, and Inspector General of the Vermont militia with the rank of Colonel. He was a founder and former President of the Sons of the American Revolution.-Biography:...
as the Mohawk and Malone Railway
Mohawk and Malone Railway
Dr. William Seward Webb's Mohawk and Malone Railway crossed the northern Adirondacks at Tupper Lake Junction, just north of Tupper Lake. Webb was president of the Wagner Palace Car Company...
, which was subsequently bought by the New York Central. The railway remained dormant from 1980 until 1992 when restoration began with a short, 4-mile section from Thendara to Minnehaha, New York. The section was approved and was demonstrated that year on Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
.
At this time, it was called the Adirondack Centennial Railroad. In 1994, after gaining popularity, it was renamed the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, and has run under that name every year since.
Route
- Union Station (Utica, New York) 43°06′15"N 75°13′24"W
- Built between 1912 and May 1914 by the New York Central RailroadNew York Central RailroadThe New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
, it is also served by AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
.- Holland Patent DepotHolland Patent Railroad StationHolland Patent Railroad Station is a historic train station located at Holland Patent in Oneida County, New York. It was built in 1890 and is a one story, rectangular, wood frame building sheathed in board-and-batten siding. It was built by the Utica and Black River Railroad, later acquired by New...
43°14′24"N 75°15′16"W - Remsen Depot 43°19′46"N 75°11′07"W
- Holland Patent Depot
- Located in Remsen (village), New YorkRemsen (village), New YorkRemsen is a village in Oneida County, New York, USA. The population was 531 at the 2000 census.The Village of Remsen is in the southwest part of the Town of Remsen....
this was a union station for the Utica and Black River Railroad and the New York Central Railroad. - See remsendepot.com for more information.
- Kayuta Trestle
- Snow Junction 43°20′47.1"N 75°11′59.3"W
- for Mohawk, Adirondack and Northern Railroad to Lyons Falls.
- ForestportForestport, New YorkForestport is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,692 at the 2000 census.The Town of Forestport is located in the northeast corner of Oneida County...
Station 43°25′59.5"N 75°11′03.2"W - Otter Lake, New York
- Thendara StationThendara StationThendara Depot is a Adirondack Scenic Railroad station near Thendara, New York. It is served by trains heading south to Utica beginning around the month of May each year. Trains continue along the 57 mile route along the Moose River in Adirondack Park. In the Winter, the right-of-way is used as a...
43°41′54"N 75°00′21"W
- Forestport
- Headquarters for the railroad and close to the tourist center of Old ForgeOld Forge, New YorkOld Forge is a hamlet on New York State Route 28 in the town of Webb in Herkimer County, New York. Old Forge was formerly a village that dissolved its incorporation, but remains the principal community in the region. Old Forge forms an extensive business district, primarily directed at tourism...
.- Carter Station
- Tupper Lake Station in Tupper Lake (village), New YorkTupper Lake (village), New YorkTupper Lake is a village in Franklin County, New York. The population was 3,935 at the 2000 census. The village takes its name from a nearby lake, which, in turn, is the name of a surveyor who drowned there while fishing....
- Saranac Lake Union DepotSaranac Lake Union DepotSaranac Lake Union Depot is a former New York Central Railroad station in Saranac Lake, New York. It was built in 1904 by the Delaware and Hudson Railway, and is now served by the Adirondack Scenic Railroad Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness Line tourist train to Lake Placid Station...
44°19′51"N 74°07′57"W in Saranac Lake, New YorkSaranac Lake, New YorkSaranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby.... - Lake Placid StationLake Placid StationThe Lake Placid Station is a former New York Central Railroad station, originally built by the Delaware and Hudson Railway, in Lake Placid, New York. The Adirondack Scenic Railroad runs a tourist train between Lake Placid and the Saranac Lake Union Depot....
44°16′34"N 73°59′10"W in Lake Placid, New YorkLake Placid, New YorkLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
- Winter sports center, best known as the two-time host of the Winter Olympics.