Union Station (Troy, New York)

Troy's Union Depot c. 1911

Union Station was the main passenger railroad station of Troy, New York until it went out of service in 1958. A Beaux-Arts building, designed by Reed & Stem and completed ca. 1903, it served the New York Central Railroad (NYC), the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) and the Delaware and Hudson Railroad (D&H). This was the fourth union station in Troy. The tracks approaching the station were but feet away from homes.[1][2][3][4] It stretched from Broadway to Fulton streets, on the block east of Union Street.[5]

The New York Central use, by mid-20th Century, was mainly for conveying trains from the territory to other routes, carried by other companies. Thus, the D&H's Laurentian and Montreal Limited moved from NYC tracks to D&H tracks when leaving north from the station, toward their Montreal destination.[6] Until 1953, the Rutland Railroad ran the Green Mountain Flyer and the Mount Royal from New York City, then moved at Troy onto B&M tracks, for eventual completion of their trip on Rutland Railroad track (also bound for Montreal).[7][8][9]

The Boston & Maine ran the Minute Man from Troy Union Station to Boston's North Station. This train passed through the famed Hoosac Tunnel near North Adams and specialized in serving northwestern and north-central Massachusetts. The cutting of the Minute Man back to Greenfield, Massachusetts in January 1958[10] precipitated the closure of the station that year. The station was demolished later that year.[11]

  1. ^ Penny Vanderbilt, 'Troy Union Railroad,' 2013 https://penneyvanderbilt.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/troy-union-railroad/
  2. ^ Eric Anderson, "Albany Times-Union," '1929 Photos Capture Troy Railroad History,' https://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-business/article/1929-photos-capture-Troy-railroad-history-7463227.php
  3. ^ 'NEB&W Guide to Troy, NY - Fourth Union Depot, 1900-1958' http://nebwrailroad.com/index.php/NEB%26W_Guide_to_Troy,_NY_-_Fourth_Union_Depot,_1900-1958 Archived 2019-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Eric Anderson, "Albany Times-Union," May 13, 2017 'Penn Station Track Work Leads to a Grand Switch' https://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-business/article/Penn-Station-track-work-leads-to-a-grand-switch-11143260.php
  5. ^ "The Railway age v. 32 (July-Dec. 1901)". hdl:2027/nyp.33433012626481.
  6. ^ June 1953 New York Central Timetable, Tables 43, 45
  7. ^ 'Official Guide of the Railways,' 1921, Rutland Railroad section, Table 1
  8. ^ "An Eastern Regional Railroad - 1930's - 1940's, Rutland Railroad" http://www.r2parks.net/RUT.html
  9. ^ Lindsell, Robert M. (2000). The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 35–46, 175. ISBN 0942147065.
  10. ^ Ronald Dale Karr, 'The Rail Lines of Southern New England,' Branch Line Press, 1995, p. 168
  11. ^ Penny Vanderbilt, 'Troy Union Railroad,' 2013 https://penneyvanderbilt.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/troy-union-railroad/