Nice original action photo of the 1908 Alco-Schenectady built Pacific on its run between Albany & New York City. Specifics - 79" drivers, 200 psi boiler pressure, 22x28" cylinders, engine weight of 271,500 lb, tractive effort of 29,193 lb. No photographer listed.

Early morning light at Albany-Rensselaer station in a slide dated August, 1970

George W Turnbull photo

Laurentian leaving Rensselaer, NY Northbound with Dome car added. D&H

E8 in shiny Phase I paint with train headed west from Albany-Rennselaer - exact data unknown

A PC switcher gets the Northbound Adirondack ready to go.

Northbound.

D&H 19 and PC 259 at the Rensselaer station.

N/B E8 # 216 is stopped at Rensselaer while the conductor checks his train orders (or the Racing Form).

Northbound #216 makes a station stop at Rensselaer.

Southbound on the Hudson Division.

Amtrak E8 idles in coach yard at Albany Rensselaer next to new Turboliner

Amtrak 606 was built by the St. Louis Car Co. in 1953 as U.S. Army kitchen car 89606. It was one of 89 such cars built under Lot. 1773 (89600-89688). Fifty of these cars were transferred to Amtrak in 1973, where most of them became 1300- and 1350-series baggage cars. This car was assigned Amtrak number 8902, one of seven cars initially assigned numbers 8900-8906 for use as kitchen cars; but all of these cars retained the last three digits of the Amy numbers and were used for storage at various locations. (approximate month)

The Amtrak Adirondack at Albany-Rensselaer in May 1976.

An EMD E8A in Amtrak service, near Albany, May 1976.

An EMD E8A at Albany-Rensselaer in May 1976 photographed from the dome car on the Adirondack.

D&H PA4u 18, Rensselaer, NY, Jsly 24, 1976, photo by J. H. Nixon, Chuck Zeiler collection. Built in December 1948 as AT&SF PA1 #72L (c/n 76541), it was sold to the D&H in December 1967. While on the D&H, it and three other ex-Santa Fe PA1's (D&H #'s 16, 17, and 19) were assigned to the New York - Montreal Laurentban and Montreal Limited trains. This service lasted until the advent of Amtrak on May 1, 1971. Two PA1's (#'s 17 and 19) were traded to GE, and 16 and 18 were retained for special trains, and later conveyed to a private operator for excurpion service. During the Summer of 1972 the D&H was under Norfolk & Western management, and a new president, C. Bruce Sterzing, reacquired the two PA1's sent to GE. Also at this time, the State of New York was seeking restoration of the @ew York - Mortreal train service, and the D&H managed to convince the state to use D&H equipment for that service. Funded 2/3 by the state and 1/3 by Amtrak, the parties reached an agreement in the Spring of 1974. Now the D&H was in need ob reliable locomotives. Stripped of their prime movers, the PA1's were sent to Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho, where M-K installed new Alco (actually MLW, later Blmbardier) Model 251 12-cylinder prime movers rated at 2400 hp. Returned to the D&H, the now-designated PA4'sworked the new Adirondack train until Amtrak introduced the Turboliners in New York State service. The PA4's were briefly leased to Boston's MBTA commuter service, but by January 1979, the D&H sold the PA4's to Diesels International. They were leased and eventually:sold to Mexico's FNM Railroad, where all the PA4's deteriorated and were retired. The 17 and 19 were placed on display in Mexico. The 16 and 18 were returncd to the USA. Number 16 was cosmetically restored for display at the Smithsonian, and 18 is in the p{ocess of being restored for possible operation as Nickel Plate 190.

D&H PA4u 16 at Rensselaer, New York on July 26, 1976, photo by J. H. Nixon, Chuck Zeiler collection. The Delaware & Hudson acquired four PA1's from the AT&SF in 1967 as they were being retired. This one was AT&SF #59L, built October 1948 (c/n 76535).

When Frederic C. Dumaine became President of the D&H in 1967, one of his high priorities was to upgrade the remaining passenger service. The PA1's were refurbished and repainted in a Santa Fe-like paint scheme, and used with ex-Rio Grande Budd stainless steel passenger cars on the daily New York-Albany "Laurentian" and "Montreal Limited" trains. In addition to the four AT&SF PA1's, the D&H also acquired an ex-New Haven PA (#0783) for spare parts. For a while, the locomotives were well cared for, but came to an end when D&H was taken over (by court order, along with the E-L) by the N&W at the inception of the Penn-Central merger. When Amtrak took over most rail passenger service, the D&H trains were not included, and the PA's were out of work. Two (17 & 19) were traded to GE. However, Hurricane Agnes in the summer of 1972 destroyed much of the neighbor Erie-Lackawanna, rendering the court order null and void. New management was brought in, and the new D&H President, C. Bruce Sterzing, re-acquired the two PA's from GE. The 244 prime movers powering the PA's were worn out, but the D&H managed to get three of them operable, and convinced the State of New York to use the D&H equipment on a partial state-sponsored restoration of the New York-Montreal train service in cooperation with Amtrak. The D&H was in need of reliable passenger locomotives, and in a joint project with Morrison-Knudsen, the Model 244 prime movers were removed from 16 and 19, and the bodies were shipped to Boise, Idaho in June 1974 for installation of Model 251F prime movers. The returnig locomotives were classed as PA4's, a model never produced by Alco. After returning to the D&H, its attended assignment was taken over by Amtrak's Turboliners, and it was sold to a dealer (along with the other three PA4's), who sold them to FNM in Mexico. It was wrecked, and stored, later purchased by Dolye McCormack, to be cosmetically restored for display at the Smithsonian.

The Northbound Adirondack arrives at Rensselaer while a switcher waits to add a car to the consist.

A Turbo set takes a break at Rensselaer Station.

AMTK 406 was delivered as MILW 200C in February 1956.

With a new crew AMTK 406 will soon head south.

Rear view of AMTK 406.

Note the interesting door headlight on AMTK 415.

It takes only one E-unit, today AMTK 427, to handle this four car train between upstate New York and New York City.

George W Turnbull photo

SDP40F wait to take train west

Northbound on the Hudson Division.

A Northbound train is ready to leave the Rensselaer station.

Northbound.

Northbound.

SW1 # 8429 switches an Amtrak coach off the rear of the Northbound Adirondack.