Chasing the Batten Kill

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• published: 08 Oct 2015
• views: 455

It's that time of year again: the Fall season. With the changing of the season brings the change in the weather. With that, it gets colder out and the leaves change colors. One of the best railroads to see when the leaves change is the Batten Kill Railroad. The train only runs as needed, and can sometimes run as infrequently as once a week, but when it runs, it's a beautiful thing. The railroad has two ALCO RS-3's for power; the 605, which was built in November of 1950, originally as the Lehigh & Hudson River 10, which usually sits up on the north end of the line in Greenwich or Salem, and the engine we see today, the 4116. 4116 was originally built in September of 1952 as D&H; 4116. It is the last original D&H; engine to work on original D&H; trackage. Today, I was floating around Eagle Bridge looking for the train and having zero luck, so I decided to head north and see where it might be. As I was heading through the hamlet of Shushan, I hear the horn and turn back south. We see the train as it crosses Main Street in Shushan, then pace it for a moment along Washington County Route 64. From there, we see the train cross Route 64, followed by Fish Hatchery Road, which is just north of Cambridge. We then head into the village of Cambridge and catch the train going by the depot. From there, it's down to Eagle Bridge, where we see the train as it crosses Owl Kill before ducking under State Route 67. The last two scenes are in the yard in Eagle Bridge, as the train drills its consist of 5 covered hoppers for interchange. This railroad is extremely scenic and easy to chase, as track speed never really goes above 10 MPH. Enjoy the sounds of the chug of the ALCO 244 engine, as well as the Leslie S5T horn. If you have any questions about the video, feel free to message me. Comments are welcome. The videos were taken on October 6th, 2015.