Passenger Trains > Albany Southern RR begin new life as trail, Explains limit of ICC

Work began today on rebuilding the 35 mile long former trolley, interurban line call the Albany Southern RR into a 35 mile $30 million hiking and biking trail.  It ran southeast of Albany/Renesselaer, to Nassau, and then south through Niverville, Valatie, Kinderhook, Stockport and Hudson where it used the street railway to reach the Hudson station of NYC.
It owned electric motor that hauled coal and lumber cars at night and the attached letter explains how it was not considered under the Interstate Commerce Commission jurisdiction so they did not have authority to abandoned the line.  They immediate filed with the New York State Public Utility Commission and were abandoned and torn up.  The power company has used that right of way for a power line but has now permitted the construction of a hiking trail within the right of way.

What is unknown to most rail fans is the fact that just the movement of freight on an interurban line did not immediate put it under the ICC jurisdiction.  To be part of the interconnected system of the national interstate commerce, the freight cars have to be way-billed to specific station that are registered in the “Open and Prepaid Register", and interchanged between companies.  In this case the Albany Southern handled the freight cars to various stations like an industrial company moving it to siding in a plant.  None of the stations on the line were registered to receive or ship freight.  As the notice explains the cars were only way-billed to the interchange station, and even though they were part of zone rating were not interstate commerce.

This was primarily a busy passenger carrier that used pick up shoes on third rail, trolley poles while on street trackage and also had panographs for some power pick up.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/19 04:32 by PlyWoody.

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Surprised this ROW remains intact after 89 years!

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Trails. Rails. It's all good.