Colorful Hudson Valley
Amazingly I had never done this famous photo angle myself. Long on my list I finally decided to prioritize it this fall during what was probably the peak weekend for foliage in the Hudson Valley. Alas the sun didn't cooperate, but the trains were plentiful and the sweeping vista is simply stunning.
CSXT train M433-23 (manifest from Selkirk to Conrail Conrail Shared Assests Oak Island yard) has 60 loads and 40 empties totalling 6589 ft and 8863 tons trailing two units the first of which is a veteran more than quarter century old GE AC4400CW dressed in its as delivered YN2 'bright future' livery. They are southbound as they cross Iona Island at MP 41 on the River Line and roll out over the causeway over Snake Hole Creek that separates the marshlands from the Hudson River.
CSXT's River Sub (ex Conrail, Penn Central, New York Central, nee West Shore) dates from 1883 in this area and despite being a relative latecomer its mainline up the west bank of the Hudson has only grown in importance over the decades as traffic patterns have shifted. Today this line between northern New Jersey and the Albany area is by far the busiest north south route in the northeast, while conversely virtually the entirety of the West Shore's route to Buffalo along the south side of the Mohawk River has long been abandoned.
Iona Island is now part of Bear Mountain State Park but has an interesting history. In the mid 1800s a hotel and amusement park were located on the island but in 1899 it was bought by the US Navy and served as an ammunition depot during both World Wars but was decommissioned in 1947 and sold to the state in 1965 though large portions still remain off limits and the few remaining buildings are closed the public.
Rising beyond is the Bear Mountain Bridge. When it opened a century ago it was the longest suspension bridge in the world spanning 2255 ft across the Hudson River and 155 ft above the water line and with its towers reaching another 205 ft skyward! Originally a private toll road it has been property of the state of New York since 1940.
The bridge has a couple railroad connections I found interesting as well. The original Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge as chartered in 1868 was originally planned to be a railroad bridge which if built would have been the farthest south rail crossing of the river. Despite raising capital, completing engineering work and even starting excavation of the anchor pits it never came to fruition and the second charter finally expired nearly a half century after the first.
When the state then authorized the private highway bridge instead in 1922 one of the directors of the new company was E. Roland Harriman of the famous banking company who was the youngest son of legendary Union Pacific and Southern Pacific president E. H. Harriman who purchased the UP out of bankruptcy in 1898 and then acquired the SP in 1901. His leadership until his death in 1909 turned them into modern economic and corporate powerhouses that would be hugely influential throughout the 20th century leaving a legacy that carries on to railroading today....but I digress!
Bear Mountain State Park
Stony Point, New York
Thursday October 23, 2025
Colorful Hudson Valley
Amazingly I had never done this famous photo angle myself. Long on my list I finally decided to prioritize it this fall during what was probably the peak weekend for foliage in the Hudson Valley. Alas the sun didn't cooperate, but the trains were plentiful and the sweeping vista is simply stunning.
CSXT train M433-23 (manifest from Selkirk to Conrail Conrail Shared Assests Oak Island yard) has 60 loads and 40 empties totalling 6589 ft and 8863 tons trailing two units the first of which is a veteran more than quarter century old GE AC4400CW dressed in its as delivered YN2 'bright future' livery. They are southbound as they cross Iona Island at MP 41 on the River Line and roll out over the causeway over Snake Hole Creek that separates the marshlands from the Hudson River.
CSXT's River Sub (ex Conrail, Penn Central, New York Central, nee West Shore) dates from 1883 in this area and despite being a relative latecomer its mainline up the west bank of the Hudson has only grown in importance over the decades as traffic patterns have shifted. Today this line between northern New Jersey and the Albany area is by far the busiest north south route in the northeast, while conversely virtually the entirety of the West Shore's route to Buffalo along the south side of the Mohawk River has long been abandoned.
Iona Island is now part of Bear Mountain State Park but has an interesting history. In the mid 1800s a hotel and amusement park were located on the island but in 1899 it was bought by the US Navy and served as an ammunition depot during both World Wars but was decommissioned in 1947 and sold to the state in 1965 though large portions still remain off limits and the few remaining buildings are closed the public.
Rising beyond is the Bear Mountain Bridge. When it opened a century ago it was the longest suspension bridge in the world spanning 2255 ft across the Hudson River and 155 ft above the water line and with its towers reaching another 205 ft skyward! Originally a private toll road it has been property of the state of New York since 1940.
The bridge has a couple railroad connections I found interesting as well. The original Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge as chartered in 1868 was originally planned to be a railroad bridge which if built would have been the farthest south rail crossing of the river. Despite raising capital, completing engineering work and even starting excavation of the anchor pits it never came to fruition and the second charter finally expired nearly a half century after the first.
When the state then authorized the private highway bridge instead in 1922 one of the directors of the new company was E. Roland Harriman of the famous banking company who was the youngest son of legendary Union Pacific and Southern Pacific president E. H. Harriman who purchased the UP out of bankruptcy in 1898 and then acquired the SP in 1901. His leadership until his death in 1909 turned them into modern economic and corporate powerhouses that would be hugely influential throughout the 20th century leaving a legacy that carries on to railroading today....but I digress!
Bear Mountain State Park
Stony Point, New York
Thursday October 23, 2025