this writing, the SNY is on borrowed time for its daily service to and from Delanson, as the multi-level traffic is under contract with Norfolk Southern and it is reportedly going to be moved to the new facility at Mechanicville. The SNY utilizes a pair of B23-7s
(4211 and 4212), both in Santa Fe “bluebonnet” scheme, and SW14 No. 1424 and SW1200RS No. 1337 in the SMS corporate green scheme. The B23- 7’s handle the traffic on the branch line to Delanson, while the SW’s are used for switching within the industrial park. This railroad is a real mix of ac- cessibility and off limits territory. The industrial park work can only be viewed from the outside on the west parallel road, County Route 201. While there could be a long wait to see a switcher moving around the park, not all hope is lost; the branch line to De- lanson has a multitude of locations to photograph movements between De- lanson and Voorheesville. If the dedi- cated multi-level movements stop oc- curring daily, it would still be probable to catch the local (NE-1) shuttling freight cars along the line on Monday and again later in the week, as their in- terchange freight is handled by CP Trains 555/554. If the SNY is still mov- ing daily multi-level traffic, they usual- ly depart from the industrial park around 7:00 a.m. for Delanson with a mid- to late-morning return with in- bounds from CP train 938. Regardless of the outcome, the SNY appears to be quite serious with its new found in- volvement in the Capital District and should have a future of business oppor- tunity, hopefully with some shared op- portunity for railfans alike.
Crossroads of the Northeast I cannot emphasize enough the im- pressiveness of the Capital District. There are trains everywhere and it is well worth the visit, whether it be a se- ries of weekdays or a weekend. If given the opportunity to visit for multiple days, one could easily split a two-day trip between the west side and east side to capture a variety of action. Whether it’s foreign power draw on CSX main line trains, following the old D&H or B&M routes, or tailing the lo- cal short lines, its all worth the effort. Food, lodging, gas, and other supplies are all within easy reach (you’re never far from a Stewart’s, a local chain of convenience stores). Bring your scan- ner and camera. Unless you commit to a very specific spot, there’s no need to bring much reading material beyond this article — the action is coming!
TOP: With the offices of Empire State Plaza rising in the background, a CP switch job works the south end of Kenwood Yard at the Port of Albany on September 19, 2010. — OTTO M. VONDRAK MIDDLE: A CSX maintenance crew and the Interstate Commodoties trackmobile clear the path for CSX train B761 on March 23, 2012. GP40-2 No. 6206 is working the Troy Industrial Track, the last active rail in this once busy terminal. ABOVE: Albany Port Railroad No. 13 and a CP cabin car await their orders in front of the APD office on September 6, 2010. — OTTO M. VONDRAK
I’d like to extend a very big thank you to friends at CSX and Canadian Pacif- ic, Bill Markowski and Dean Splittger- ber for their assistance over the years and with preparation of this article.
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