By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer First published: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 CORINTH -- Broken down and draped in tarps, the Corinth depot doesn't look like much now. But after a decade of wishing and hoping, a group of locals is seeing plans finally take shape to create a welcoming sight along the train tracks. The Scenic Rail Implementation Committee will hold an open house Monday at the Corinth Fire House to gauge public interest in the 100-year-old depot and find out if people want to see it renovated or knocked down and replaced with a new building -- perhaps a replica of the 20-by-50-foot depot. "This is a vital, historic building in our community," said village Trustee Pauline Densmore during a recent visit to the depot. "It should be used for something -- a depot, a restaurant or a gift shop." The depot had its heyday decades ago when the Hudson River Pulp and Paper Company -- later International Paper -- a tool factory, a woolen mill and a chair factory all depended on the train. By 1960, the tracks were silent. Densmore, a native of Corinth, has been working for more than a decade to refurbish the depot, but said there wasn't much point in the work until the town acquired the tracks from CP Rail in December of last year. The town bought 16.8 miles of track between Saratoga Springs and the Saratoga-Warren County line for $2.2 million using federal money first earmarked by the late U.S. Congressman Gerald Solomon, R-Queensbury, in 1998 as well as money from the Corinth Industrial Development Agency, said Supervisor Richard Lucia. The federal grants covered the cost of renovating the Saratoga Springs train station eight years ago. The grants have since been sponsored by Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park, and used to buy and improve rail line and accompanying stations in Warren County. A $95,000 grant will pay Creighton Manning Engineering of Albany to do a design report on the Corinth depot. Final results, including cost estimates for renovating or demolishing the structure, will be released in the fall. Warren County owns another 40 miles of the line and this summer the Upper Hudson River Railroad will extend its scenic train trips 14 miles to the Thousand Acres Dude Ranch in Stony Creek, for a total of 28 miles from the North Creek train station, where President Theodore Roosevelt first heard the news President William McKinley was dead in 1901. In addition to the historic status of the tracks and the depot, scenic train rides will help bring tourists into Corinth, Densmore said. A trolley to carry passengers from the depot on the mile-long trip into Corinth's downtown will be part of the final project. Upper Hudson River Railroad began running trips on the rails in 1999 after a lengthy fundraising process to pay for the restoration of the North Creek station. Company President John Riegel said he has applied to run a scenic train operation in Saratoga County. The Delaware and Hudson Railroad built the rail line to haul iron ore out of the wilderness. The Adirondack railroad began in Saratoga Springs in 1865 and reached North Creek in 1871. By the 1930s, skiers from Schenectady and points south were riding the rails to the Ski Bowl in North Creek. Rex Moon, a retired school superintendent now serving on the scenic rail committee, was among them, he said. North Country leaders want to see a return of the ski trains and Densmore emphasized the importance of winter sports in the future of the depot. She wants to see trails for snowmobilers incorporated into the site. The small depot has a wide overhang that makes it look like a chalet and graceful, curled supports beneath the overhang. Inside, dark hardwood, now water-damaged and dirty, gives a glimpse of what it must have once looked like. Moon, poking around the ruins, found a lever and concluded it operated a light that let the train conductor know whether or not passengers were waiting. "I'd call the architectural style early D&H," Moon joked. Hornbeck can be reached at 581-8438 or by e-mail at lhornbeck@timesunion.com. What to do What: Public information meeting hosted by the Corinth rail station restoration committee and consultants. When: 5:30-8 p.m. Monday Where: Corinth Fire House, Route 9N Info: Pauline Densmore, 654-9198, weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
I hope they succeed. At least there is something left to restore. Better than ashes and only fading memories. Boxcab E50
Corinth Station I was raised in Corinth and lived there until 1993, I have many fond memories of the local coming into town and switching at IP. EdBLHS #137
Around early 1991, when I lived in Corinth and commuted to Albany, I used to help on the mail crew for the Bulletin, there used to be a monthly meeting at the Albany public library. a met some great folks at those meetings.
Return of train service celebrated in Thurman Rolling back into town: Return of train service celebrated in Thurman: THURMAN -- Even Amtrak has never left people waiting this long. With a long, deep horn blast and the screech of wheels against the track, the first passenger train in 50 years rumbled into Thurman on Saturday, welcomed by applause and waving red bandannas. Thurman Station Day drew a crowd of locals, train enthusiasts and history buffs eager to ride a stretch of rails unused since the last freight trains rolled through town in the 1980s. Nancy Lawton, of Stony Creek, said she was heartbroken when the trains stopped coming. "I used to get such a thrill watching the freight train go through," she said. "We lived up on the mountain and when it would go by, the whole mountain would shake." A group of Thurman residents and members of the Thurman Historical Society have been working since 1999 to bring train travel back to town. "It's one big hallelujah," said Perky Granger, an event organizer who so tirelessly promotes the town that John Haskell, the town supervisor, called her "Thurman's chamber of commerce." "She kind of pushed us along," said Daisy Kelly of the Upper Hudson River Railroad, which is adding the Thurman station to its summer schedule. "People have been waiting every year, and every year we'd say, 'Next year.' So, finally, it's this year." The next step is getting an actual station building at Thurman station, Granger said. Warren County is expected to start receiving bids to build one in the fall. Saturday's event included two half-hour trips in a 1960s-era diesel electric train, where passengers were treated to open-air views of the Hudson River and the Adirondacks through the curtained windows. Passengers waved out the windows at kayakers, golfers and spectators along the way. The event attracted train buffs like Tom Morton and his son, Jeffrey, 14, of Delmar. His wife, Lisa, said her husband and son are so into the train set in their basement, the only way she could get a remodeled kitchen was in exchange for more room for trains. The southern terminus was the 1,000 Acres Ranch Resort in Stony Creek, where guests could have lunch. On the return trip, a down-home group of fiddlers, banjos and guitars called the Desperados played classics like "Your Cheating Heart" from an open car behind the engine car. Bill Liebl, 74, of Stony Creek, showed off some pennies he had put on the tracks when the last ore train went through in the '80s. When he was young, he said, he would hop on the train to go to his favorite fishing spot. The engineer would always stop to let him on for the trip. In return, Liebl would share his catch. Back on the rails again, he tapped his foot and sang along to the band. "I feel like a kid again," he said, grinning.
D&H memories First momories are of RS-3's and caboose sitting on the IP spur idling, 1966-67. Hearing the ore train come down the branch, while camping along the upper hudson 1970, living in Corinth watching SC-4 switch every day but sunday. 1971-78. Spending week ends in Whitehall or Ft Edward, visiting in laws, 1988-1993, lots of night's sitting at the old yard office (now gone), camping at Port Henry 1988-1993,most week ends in the summner, lots of video of N and S boundtrains 1988-1993. Worked in Albany, spent most Tuesday evenings at Kenwood yard, or Colonie, watching SC-3, lots of video also. Would drive back to Corinth on most days following the old main through Waterford, Mville, Basllton, swing through Saratoga Yard and then home. 1988-1993. Also spent many summer week ends 1973-79 at my parents camp in Hadley just half way between Stoney Creek and Hadley 4 corners. On most nights you could here SC-5 (ore train) coming down the line usually around midnight. Lots of memories and video and photo's Ed BLHS #137
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