Historic rail cars that have to be moved for the Port of Albany’s wind project on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 in Glenmont, N.Y.Lori Van Buren/Times Union
ALBANY — Nestled in the woods of Beacon Island, with the Hudson River shimmering in the distance, a line of forgotten rail cars rests on tracks choked by dry weeds.
Graffiti sprawls across most of the rail cars’ exteriors, masking the peeling rust and overgrown moss. Windows are shattered, and doors are missing. At first glance, they might seem like forgotten scrap, out of place and abandoned. Yet, these rail cars are rich with history, representing a vital part of America’s industrial age. Now, their future is uncertain, threatened by the development of a new wind project at the Port of Albany.
The rail cars — one the first electric locomotive, built in 1903, and the other an upgraded version from 1926 — were used by Amtrak to transport passenger cars before being retired and acquired by the Mohawk Hudson chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
“This (1903) locomotive was built before Ford, before airplanes. The railroad was the only way to move goods and people. It was faster, more powerful, and cleaner,” said Paul Marsh, a Bethlehem resident dedicated to preserving the rail cars. “Now, we’re moving this electric locomotive to help build windmill blades for a wind farm.”
After being displayed at the Altamont Fairgrounds and Northeast Industrial Park, the rail cars were abandoned in the 1980s on tracks at the Port of Albany, which had since been cut off from the rail system. But with the Port of Albany’s proposal for an offshore wind farm tower manufacturing site, the rail cars’ time in that spot is running out — the area where they sit is slated for development, with four buildings to be constructed as part of the project.
Although preservationists have secured a new home for the rail cars at the Danbury Railway Museum in Connecticut, along with nearly half a million dollars in funding to relocate them, a solution for how to physically move the cars has yet to be determined. This dilemma was reported by the Spotlight Newspapers in December 2021.
“We’re hoping that the Port of Albany will build a road first, so we can move the locomotives out of the way and allow them to start their project,” said Marsh. “If that doesn’t happen, we’re all stuck here.”
Just up a steep hill behind the rail cars lies Route 144. Marsh and his colleagues are hoping for a road to be paved, so side-arm bulldozers can transport the cars a few hundred yards to the main road. The only other option would involve paving a road leading through neighboring PSEG, an electric utility company, and using their property to reach Route 144.
“We’ve explored building a road, but some of the challenges we face are making it difficult to get it done,” said Richard Hendrick, CEO of the Port of Albany. “At the end of the day, I can’t justify spending a lot of money on a road that will just end up being plowed up.”
While the Port of Albany has been in regular talks with those working to preserve the rail cars, Hendrick mentioned that he would like to begin the wind project by May 1. Additional meetings will be held before then to come up with a viable plan to move the cars.
credit and source: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/These-Albany-rail-cars-look-like-junk-but-their-17078900.php
