NEB&W Guide to Green Island, NY - George Street Crossing Area

Last Update: 2009-11-18

Green Island Table of Contents
Layout Photo Gallery Table of Contents

---

• The George St. crossing contained the D&H tracks, the New York Central tracks, and up until 1938, United Traction trolley tracks.
  • [Valuation map.]
  • [Track map.]

Water Tower

• A standard D&H enclosed-base water tower on the west leg of the wye. By 1950, the base had been resheathed in clapboard.
  • [Valuation photo c. 1919, looking east.]
  • [Jim Shaughnessy photo, from his Delaware & Hudson book.]
  • [The northbound Laurentian roars past the tower c. '48. Chuck Yungkurth photo.]
  • [Unfinished model, using the Revell tank up top.]
  • [Progress on the model, Feb. '05.]

Roadmaster's Office

• The roadmaster's office sat between the two branches of the wye closest to Troy. It appears the forward section was an addition.
  • [Proposed second floor addition c 1916 (never built).]
  • [Photo c. 1915. From Jim Shaughnessy's The Delaware & Hudson.]
  • [1919 Valuation photo.]
  • [Scratchbuilt model by Al Wood.]

• Just on the other side was this building. In the background is the west side of the signal department.
  • [1919 Valuation photo.]

Troy & Schenectady/New York Central Depot

• The New York Central's Troy & Schenectady RR depot probably dated back to the beginning of the line in 1842, when Greek Revival was still THE major influence on architecture. Note the Doric columns built into the corners, columns framing the doors, and the half-windows ("eyelet windows") in the frieze band (a.k.a. cornice). (Greek Revival depots are rare. Few roads date back that far, and of those that do, many depots were replaced by "modern" Queen Anne style ones later in the 19th century.)
  • [Prototype view of the passenger depot c. 1930's.]
  • [Prototype view of the freight house and the back of the depot c. 1930's. (That's trolley tracks in the street about to be paved.)]
  • [Plan of the depot and freight house, courtesy Melanie Sembrat. The c. 1930 plan seems to indicate they were going to move their offices from the passenger depot into the east end of the freight house.]
  • [In progress model view, March '05. Alex Stroshane is adding the final touches to this building, which sat almost finished for a decade or two.]
  • [Model photo, April '05.]
  • [Model photo, April '05. Photo by Alex Stroshane.]

Troy & Schenectady/New York Central Freight House

The NYC freight house is just to the right. It still stands today, its end dead-on to motorists heading west across the Green Island lift bridge. (Last I knew, it was occupied by "Bricks-R-Us".)
• [Prototype view of the freight house c. 1930's. (That's trolley tracks in the street about to be paved.)]
• [Distance view looking east.]
• [Plan of the depot and freight house, courtesy Melanie Sembrat. The c. 1930 plan seems to indicate they were going to move their offices from the passenger depot into the east end of the freight house, at which point they added the windows here.]
• [Prototype view looking northwest c. 2004.]
• [Prototype view looking southwest c. 2004.]
• [Prototype view looking southwest c. 2004.]
• [In progress model view, Feb. '05. Alex Stroshane is scratchbuilding the model. Check out the arched window in the end. He added the entire circle of mullions in the outer circle from styrene strips.]
• [Close-up.]
• [In progress model view, March '05. Not the best picture.]
• The NYC tracks on our layout are just dummy tracks. We plan on positioning a dummy engine here. We got a cheap AHM/IHC IHB 0-8-0 for this purpose, but might make it look more NYC 7478, which was used in Mohawk yard just outside Schenectady.
  • [Photo from the Burns collection, courtesy of the Mohawk & Hudson Chapter, NRHS.]

The D&H's Depot

• The D&H's first depot here was similar to their one at Howe's Cave, NY. It was built in the Gothic Revival style in vogue in the 1840's, with extremely steep roof pitches. For some reason, rather than being torn down, it was moved about a block away and was converted into a house. It still stands today.
  • [Howe's Cave depot.]
  • [Another postcard.]
  • [Contemporary view of the Green Island former depot.]

• The D&H's second depot was built about 1914, in a Queen Anne style, although the twin spire turret-dormers are certainly unique. (Most Queen Anne is asymmetric.) Prototype photo from the Jim Shaughnessy Collection.
  • [Prototype view c. WWI courtesy Jim Shaughnessy.]
  • [Another view.]
  • [Valuation photo, front, c. 1919.]
  • [Valuation photo, side, c. 1919.]
  • [Floor plan c. 1928.]
  I'm not sure where I came up with the 1914 built date as Chuck Finley found a postcard with a postmark of 1909 on it.
  • [Postcard courtesy Chuck Finely.]
  • [Close-up of this postcard courtesy Chuck Finely. (Note the crossing gates are solid white, not striped.)]

• George Street crossing looking west c. 1938, shortly after the depots were demolished. The yardmaster's office is in the distance.
  • [Prototype view.]
  • [Close-up view of the above photo shows the tower and in the background, the water tower.]
  • [Prototype view c. 2004.]

Ray's Variety Store

• The building just to the north or right of the above photo still stands today (2004) but as a residence, not a store. In 1950, it was Ray's Variety Store.
  • [Looking north c. 1938.]
  • [Looking west (at the front) c. 1938.]
  • [Looking south c. 1938.]
  • [Looking northeast (trackside) c. 1938.]
  • [Photo c. 1973. (Don't know what those "strings" are. They aren't cobwebs or scratches on the photo or the scanner glass.)]
  • [Photo c. 1983.]
  • [Close-up of the cornice, c. 2003.]

Other Buildings on George Street

• The next buildings north of Ray's.
  • [Photo c. 1938.]
  • [Close-up.]
  • [Photo c. 1983. (The single story building is missing.)]
• Apparently the D&H owned the houses at No. 5 and No. 6 George Street, as they included a photo of each in their 1919 Valuation photos. (These would be off the layout, so we can't model them.)
  • [George Street, further back, c. 1938, after the depot has been torn down. No. 5 is on the extreme right.]
  • [No. 5 George St. Valuation photo c. 1919.]
  • [No. 6 George St. Valuation photo c. 1919.]
• George Street looking south on the prototype, 1938, before they took out the trolley system and demolished the passenger depots.
  • [Prototype view.]
  • [Another photo.]
  • [The building in the background of the above photo c. 1973.]

• George Street on the layout, looking south. (Scene still unfinished.)
  • [Model view.]
  • [Another view.]
  • [Yet another.]

George Street Gate Tower

• The D&H took their standard elevated gate tower and boxed in the first floor. We took a Revell elevated gate tower and did the same.
  • [Photo c. 1938, after the trolley tracks had been taken out, looking north. From our NEB&W D&H Collection.]
  • [The other or north side c. 1938. From our NEB&W D&H Collection.]
  • [The east side c. 1938. From our NEB&W D&H Collection.]
  • [The west side c. 1919. From our NEB&W D&H Collection.]
  • [The west side c. 1938. From our NEB&W D&H Collection.]
  • [Our unfinished model.]

• Looking east on the prototype shortly after demolition of the depot in 1938. The Green Island lift bridge is in the background.
  • [Prototype view.]
  • [Close-up.]
  • [The shanty at the end of the bridge c. 1919.]

• Looking east on the layout.
  • [Layout view.]

• Alex Stroshane has been working on finishing up several of the models in the George Street area and as of Dec. 2005, this is what the layout looks like now. (All these photos taken by him.)
  • [Model photo, overall view.]
  • [Model photo, NYC depot and freight house.]
  • [Model photo.]
  • [Model photo.]
  • [Model photo.]
  • [Model photo.]
  • [Model photo looking toward Troy.]

---