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Hudson Valley Railway
Map showing the lines of the Hudson Valley Railway
Streetcar on trestle surrounded by trees
An open streetcar crosses the Battenkill River
Overview
Dates of operation1901 (1901)–1928 (1928)
Predecessors
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification625 V DC
Length116.82 miles (188.00 km)

The Hudson Valley Railway was an interurban railroad that operated in upstate New York in the early 20th century. At its fullest extent, the company's line ran north from Waterford, New York, to Warrensburg via Saratoga Springs or Schuylerville, over 100 miles (160 km) in total. The company was created in 1901 from the consolidation of four existing interurban and street railroad companies. The Delaware and Hudson Railway acquired control in 1907, which continued until the abandonment of the entire system in 1928.

Route

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The southern terminus of the system was at Waterford, New York, a small town located at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers. From Waterford, streetcars continued south over the line of the United Traction Company to Troy. The line ran north along the west bank of the Hudson to Mechanicville, where the line split. One branch ran northwest to Saratoga Springs via Ballston Spa, and then north to Glens Falls. The other branch continued due north through Schuylerville and Thomsons to Glens Falls, where the two branches rejoined each other. From Glens Falls, the line continued north to Warrensburg. The company also had two branches off the main north-south line: to Kaydeross Park, from Saratoga Springs; and to Greenwich, from Thomsons.[1]

History

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The Hudson Valley Railway was formed on August 14, 1901, from the consolidation of four companies: the Greenwich and Schuylerville Electric Railroad, the Saratoga Northern Railway, the Stillwater and Mechanicville Street Railway, and the Warren County Railroad. These four companies or their predecessors had, between them, built most of what became the Hudson Valley Railway's network.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ Nestle (1967), p. 17.
  2. ^ Nestle (1967), p. 12.

References

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  • Hilton, George W.; Due, John Fitzgerald (1960). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-4014-2. OCLC 237973.
  • Nestle, David F. (1967). A History of the Hudson Valley Railway. Greenwich, New York: Privately printed. OCLC 950904150.
  • Shaughnessy, Jim (1997) [1982]. Delaware & Hudson. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-0455-6. OCLC 36008594.