Nostalgia & History > Water Level Wednesday: 21 years at Syracuse

Syracuse, NY has a pretty good RR station now, but for quite a few years, it was a small nondescript building, way out of town at the edge of Dewitt yard.  Access from the interstates was reasonably good, but it was in an industrial nowhere.

1)  On my first NRHS-sponsored trip, the 14-year old version of me is on a Mohawk and Hudson Chapter trip from Albany to Syracuse in April 1972.  Unlike the old fogies traveling with me, I scoot up to the head end of our train to see the engine servicing. ( As for the rain, well this IS the Water Level Route.  Where do you think all that water comes from?)  There is a slight techinical problem: I'm loaded with Kodachrome 25 and thus in the pouring rain, I'm shooting at 1/60 wide open on my hand-me-down rangefinder camera.  I return utterly drenched.  I guess those fogie guys who went to the snack bars knew something I did't.

2)  Run the clock forward to 1993.  I'm returning home from a field assignment in Rochester, marveling at the gorgeous clear sunset in my rear view mirror.  Somehow, the notion of swooping in off the Thruway to catch the last Niagara Falls train of the day pops into my head.  Within a few minutes, he shows up right on time, with an oddball GP40 on the point.  Same spot, different weather.

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Nice photo's!

I lived in Sorryexcuse NY (er, Syracuse) for 15 years from 1994-2009 and recall the old station on the edge of Dewitt Yards, which was an enjoyable place to watch trains. The new station on the other side of Route 81 from the Carrousel Mall went in a few years before I moved away. Interestingly, there is still a vestige of the old original platform an Route 690 just northeast of down town; it has some passenger statues there as a legacy. Passenger trains once passed through down town at street level according to an old "period" train picture I have. If I can get it scanned, I'll try to post it sometime.

Cheers, Jim Fitch

Definitely like the first photo.
Thanks for posting.
ALLEN

krm152 Wrote:
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> Definitely like the first photo.


Me too!!