The Adirondack.....40 years!

[NS VIA Fan]

The Adirondack was inaugurated on August 6, 1974 bringing passenger service back to the New York-Albany/Rensselaer-Montreal route that had been discontinued on May 1, 1971. It was an Amtrak train but you would never have known from the consist: The Delaware & Hudson operated the Adirondack and treated it as its own complete with D&H painted cars and locomotives including the famous Alco PAs. CPR Skyline Domes (still in service today on VIA) were even leased for awhile and repainted into a D&H colour scheme.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Here’s some shots from a trip over Labour Day weekend 1974...... including adding the Dome and Alco PA in Albany.....

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Arrival at Montreal Windsor Station:

 

[Acela150]

Sweet photos!

 

[MikefromCrete]

Nice photos! I've always wondered about the initial operation of the Adirondack. As NS VIA said, the D&H treated it as its own operation. No other Amtrak carrier ever did this and around this time, Amtrak was even forcing private car owners to paint their cars in Amtrak colors. I've always wanted to know the inside story behind the D&H's operation of the train and how they managed to use their own cars and colors. One of the photo seems show a New York MTA coach. Was this something that happened all the time or something out of the ordinary?

7H

 

[Bob Dylan]

☺☺☺ Outstanding as always!

 

[benjibear]

The D&H, a relatively small and unknown railroad to most, saved the four PA-1 locomotives from the Santa Fe in an era where preservation was not thought of. If it wasn't for this effort by the D&H, there would probably be no surviving examples left. To note the D&H also saved two RF-16 "sharknose" locomotives from the New York Central who was scraping them. These two may also exist in Michigan but they are believe to exist in storage but nobody has seen them in years.

I have heard stories how the D&H did everything they could to keep this train operating. I heard that even D&H management was called to staff the train when Amtrak wouldn't provide any staffing for it. It is probably one of the most unique Amtrak trains I even heard that the president of the D&H worked the diner on one train to keep it going. Not sure how true this is, but I believe the D&H took great pride in this and all there operations during this era when most railroads were losing their pride.

 

[CHamilton]

According to a post on the Facebook Amtrak group, it looks like both D&H and Penn Central got a little public credit, as did NYDOT.

 

[the_traveler]

Growing up in FED, the Adirondack was my "home train" and I rode it often. I loved riding in the domes, and was very surprised how few rode up there. (Many times I was the only one up top! )

The PAs ended up in Mexico, where they were found trashed and gutted. However, I think 1 was good enough to be rescued. But I don't think it survived!

 

[MikefromCrete]

One PA has been restored as a Nickle Plate locomotive and is at home in Portland, Oregon, alongside the SP Daylight and SP&S 700. It was recently featured at the "Streamliners" show of E's and F's in Spencer, N.C.

Another is owned by the Smithsonian and will eventually be restored in the Santa Fe War Bonnet scheme.

The other two are still in Mexico in various states of disrepair.

 

[Joe Riddle]

Long may she live! The Adirondack is not without its flaws but I have enjoyed several wonderful trips on this unique train.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

May the Adirondack provide direct service from Montreal to Havana.

 

[railiner]

Great photo's and memories!

Thankyou!

As for that MTA coach...perhaps the D&H bought or leased it from the MTA, since apparently they were supplying the rolling stock for the train?

I also noted the original route of the train has changed since then in two places.....mainly back then it used the CPR route into Windsor Station in Montreal, but it also used the D&H route between Albany and Saratoga via Watervliet and Mechanicville, rather than the current routing via Schenectady.....

 

[NS VIA Fan]

I rode the Adirondack several times during the first year. A quick weekend trip could be accomplished by taking the Montrealer south to Penn Station on a Friday or Saturday night. Then over to GCT the next morning and the Adirondack back to Montreal.

For extra capacity that first summer they were using the old MTA coaches out of GCT with almost opaque, heavily scratched, laxen plastic windows. But by the time you reached Albany you could switch to a refurbished D&H coach with clean glass or even take a seat in the Skyline Dome. Here’s the consist of the above train on that Labour Day weekend:

Train #69 n/b @ Lacolle, Quebec (Canada Customs) Sept 1, 1974
D&H 5020 Alco RS36
D&H 17 Alco PA1
D&H 34 White Face Mountrain - Coach
MTA 327 Coach
D&H 36 Bluff Point - Dome Cafe Coach (CPR Skyline 507)
D&H 32 Bulwagga Bay - Coach

I haven’t been able to locate a photo online…..but in the book: D&H Passengers Trains – The Final Years……there a photo of an Amtrak Dome in D&H colours. Seems that when the Skylines were returned to the CPR…… Amtrak then provided a Dome Coach for the train. The D&H.....wanting to maintain a uniformity of colour in the consist, quickly repainted the red in the red/white/blue window band to yellow. But guess this only lasted a couple of days until an Amtrak supervisor spotted it and ordered it painted back to red.

I also made several day trips to Whitehall NY or Ft. Ticonderoga where a quick connection was possible with the northbound train.

There were so many railfans riding the Adirondack the first year.....all you had to tell US or Canada Customs was that you were just out for the train ride and they hardly gave you a second glance.......Not like the grilling you get today!

It was all over too soon. After a couple of years the new Turboliners arrived to replace the D&H equipment. My first ride on the Turbo Adirondack was fine but it was essentially Amfleet with big windows!

 

[the_traveler]

I hated the Turboliners on that route! :angry:

 

[amtkstn]

The two PA in Mexico are both in museums According to Wikipedia number 19 is operating condition and on display. The other unit, number 17, is undergoing a paint job.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

The turbo liners had no food. Do the D&H?

 

[Rail Freak]

1974 was the 1st summer I worked in Saratoga at the Gideon Putnam Hotel & the Hall of Springs Restaurant. I remember watching Nixon's resignation on a large screen that was set up in the Saratoga Performing Arts Center! Long before my interests in trains, which is a shame!!!

 

[NS VIA Fan]

The turbo liners had no food. Do the D&H?

Yes....Here's the Luncheon Menu from Aug 1974. Meals were served in the leased CPR Skyline Dome-Coffee Shop.

After the Skylines were returned, the D&H received their own refurbished diners.....'Adirondack Lodge' is in the second photo from the top.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Look @ those menu prices!!! Wonder if Mica had been in Congress he would have had hearings about Gourmet $ 2 meals on a Train that went to a Foreign Country?!!!

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Look @ those menu prices!!! Wonder if Mica had been in Congress he would have had hearings about Gourmet $ 2 meals on a Train that went to a Foreign Country?!!!

That 3.95 Minute Steak would cost you about $19 today.

 

[NorthShore]

I'll have the breast of turkey, please!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Look @ those menu prices!!! Wonder if Mica had been in Congress he would have had hearings about Gourmet $ 2 meals on a Train that went to a Foreign Country?!!!

That 3.95 Minute Steak would cost you about $19 today.

Yes, Inflation rears its ugly head for sure! I tell people that the MiddleClass and Working People in General were better off in the 60s and early 70s !(before the phoney Gas Shortages and Double Digit Inflation!)
I do remember riding Trains, mostly in Coach, in both Canada and the US, and thinking that the Diners were too expensive! So I mostly carried my own food and drink or once in awhile would have lunch in the cafe/ cafeteria car!

 

[the_traveler]

Look @ those menu prices!!! Wonder if Mica had been in Congress he would have had hearings about Gourmet $ 2 meals on a Train that went to a Foreign Country?!!!

That 3.95 Minute Steak would cost you about $19 today.

Is that a New York Minute? :huh:

 

[railiner]

Great photo's and memories!

Thankyou!

As for that MTA coach...perhaps the D&H bought or leased it from the MTA, since apparently they were supplying the rolling stock for the train?

I also noted the original route of the train has changed since then in two places.....mainly back then it used the CPR route into Windsor Station in Montreal, but it also used the D&H route between Albany and Saratoga via Watervliet and Mechanicville, rather than the current routing via Schenectady.....

Oh....I forgot....the route changed in three places....it used to go into GCT before the Empire Connection was built....