Saratoga-North Creek Railway to rehab north end of line
Saratoga-North Creek Railway to rehab north end of line
Saratoga-North Creek Railway plans to rehabilitate miles of railroad tracks between and over a five-month span this year, and five jobs will be created as the railroad hires workers for the project.
The work will begin in late May and run until mid-December, said Justin Gonyo, general manager of SNCRR.
The work will take place along what is known as the “Sanford Lake Branch” from North Creek to Tahawus, a line that was used for decades to transport material from mines in Newcomb to points south.
He said the work was “general right-of-way” improvements, but would not discuss whether it involved trimming vegetation along the tracks or other specifics of the project. He pointed out it is a privately owned stretch of tracks.
“This is all to aid freight traffic,” he said.
Warren County Administrator Paul Dusek said the work will be done on the stretch of line north of Warren County, and Warren County leaders have not been informed of specifics.
The 33-mile stretch of tracks, which begins at the former NL Industries mines in Tahawus, was unused for more than two decades until SNCRR took over operations on the Warren County line in 2011. SNCRR’s parent company has been negotiating to remove thousands of tons of stone from the closed mines for industrial use.
Gonyo said additional loads of stone to be used by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation will be taken out of Tahawus via rails later this year.
The railroad is also making some changes along the stretch of the line to the south.
The “concession caboose” that has been in place at the Riparius station for years will be moved to the recently renovated Thurman station.
The county-owned caboose had not been operated in Riparius, but Gonyo said it will be open in Thurman.
“We believe it will get better foot traffic,” he said.
A group of railroad enthusiasts was allowed to take a rail trip on the Sanford Lake line last fall. For the post and photos, visit http://goo.gl/OGhlO5.
Don Lehman covers crime and Warren County government for The Post-Star. His work can be found on Twitter @PS_CrimeCourts and on poststar.com/app/blogs.
Don Lehman covers crime and Warren County government for The Post-Star. His work can be found on Twitter @PS_CrimeCourts and on poststar.com/app/blogs.
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