Passenger Trains > Lake Shore Limited, Gulf Curve, Little Falls, NY Today

Here is Amtrak No. 48, the eastbound Lake Shore Limited, passing Gulf Curve in Little Falls, NY earlier this afternoon. The Lake Shore was running nearly an hour late.

This is the location of a major derailment on 4/19/40 involving New York Central's Lake Shore Limited in which 31 people died. NY Central later reduced the angle of the curve, a major project which involved changing the course of the Mohawk River.

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A single locomotive.  Interesting.

Nice shot.  Plenty of room to put back a third track.

Great photo of a place with immense railroad history.  Other than the Big Nose curve area around Yosts to the east about 50 miles, this is the narrowest place in the Mohawk Valley .... and that small passage contained the four track mainline of the NYCRR, NY Routes 5 and 5-S, the Mohawk River and the NY State Barge Canal (formerly the Erie Canal) and the world's high lift lock, and the two track NYWS&B (West Shore).  Transportation concentration!!! 

(Side note -- the old alignment of the NYC is still in place, and along its rock face (north side) one can sometimes break the rock with a hammer to reveal a "Herkimer Diamond," beautiful quartz crystals)

I count three tracks, but there is room to put a fourth in, isn't there?

Chessie1963 Wrote:
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> A single locomotive.  Interesting.

I believe that is common practice on the section between New York Penn Station and Albany/Rensselaer.  Even during the 1980s, assigning one FL9 was common practice.  There are no significant grades on this line.

Really informative.  Still early spring!!

1..Lake Shore 48 and 49 typically run with a single unit from Rensselaer to Chicago now. New practice as of a week or so ago. The Lake Shore has run with a single dual mode from Rensselaer to NYP for a long time. 

2..The line is double track with a passing siding at this location.

John

Replying to Chessie 1963, RuleG Wrote, in part:
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> There are
> no significant grades on this line.

It was termed "the Water Level Route" with good reason.