Retracing the Hudson Valley RailwayPlease use your device in landscape view.
Retracing the Trolley Line from Ballston Spa to Mechanicville
The Hudson Valley Railway ROW
On April 4th and 5th, 2014, I ventured out to retrace much of the old Trolley right of way (ROW) between Ballston Spa and Mechanicville. On Friday the 4th, my trek was solo but on Sat. the 5th, I was accompanied by my good friend from high school, Gary Cunningham. Frustratingly, the weather was cloudy and gray both days, but on Sat. we were blessed with a few moments of sunshine at the most opportune location!
Chronologically, the trek visits were scattered across two days but have been reorganized in sequence by location: traveling from Ballston Spa to Mechanicville. Caution was taken to avoid private property whenever posted. As the photographs will reveal, even after close to 100 years of abandonment, although some of the ROW is overgrown and impassable there is still a lot to see, hike and enjoy.
Wonderful scenery (especially by Shenetatha Park) and the strange exhilaration of rediscovering a forgotten era of our local history made these treks truly fun as well as informative. I hope visitors to this site will share the same feelings.
Overview
Check out the map page to get an overview of where the photos were taken.
By visiting either Open Street Map or Acme Mapper, you can follow along with either street, satellite or topo views.
Part One
The “documented research” is divided into three sections:
Each page details the current ROW in a north to southeast sequence.
Part Two
In addtion to the treks listed above, I ventured out at later dates to document a few other sections of the Trolley Bed.
