NEB&W Guide to Johnsonville, NY

Last Update: 2009-02-17

Layout Photo Gallery Table of Contents
  1. A bird's eye engraving of Johnsonville c. 1887.

  2. The topographic map, c. 1949. (It indicates the line to Troy was built first - it is in such a straight line with the main east of the junction - and the line to Mechanicville came in later.)

  3. The signal diagram also shows the tracks. (The tower building I've indicated in red, the depot, in green.)

  4. Jeff English took some field notes of the scene in 1981.

  5. A c. '30's view up "Bankers Road". (The bridge was built in 1930.)

  6. From the NEB&W D&H Collection, this circa 1930 photo swarming with track workers. The B&M main to Mechanicsville is in the foreground, with the track under the bridge the branch to Troy, used mainly for passenger trains. (Note the turntable on the right.)

  7. A double-headed Rutland passenger train comes up from Troy. Note the number of "head-end" cars. Photo by Jim Shaughnessy.

  8. Phil Hastings photo, from Jim Shaughnessy's The Rutland Road of a Rutland train, using trackage rights over the B&M, coming up from Troy. The highway overpass and interlocking tower were the two key elements of duplicating this junction. Notice there were five or 6 baggage cars in the consist, including a B&M and a troop-sleeper NYC baggage car. The stones lined up to spell out the name in the ground clearly indicate the period when upkeep on the railroads was a source of pride. The rodding for the track switches run parallel to the track.

  9. Frank Losaw, Jr sent me a copy of an article in the B&M employee's magazine (Dec. '31 - Jan. '32) about how his grandfather laid out the stonework for the name, along with the following photos.     Losaw also pointed out that while the terrain around the stonework was not a lawn, despite how it might appear in black and white photos, but fine gravel, most likely cinders.

  10. Jim Shaughnessy captured a Rutland train coming off the main and heading down to Troy c. 1948.

  11. The Troy branch was torn up in the 1970's and for two decades, the truss bridge overpass remained, but not really needed. Around 2002, they removed the highway overpass.
    • [The tower c. 1973.]
    • [The tower c. 2002.]
    • [The tower c. 2004. (Be warned - The owner of the tower lives in the farmhouse next door and is one nasty SOB, who will chase you off his lawn for merely taking a couple of photos.)]
    • [The tower c. 2004. From the road.]
    • [The tower c. 2004. Extreme close-up.]

  12. Ray Hessinger found us this 1985 bridge inspection report by New York State Dept. of Transportation. ("N.T.S." means not to scale.)

  13. A view from the top of the bridge looking southeast.

  14. Our model scene, as photographed by Lou Sassi and used on the cover of Mainline Modeler (used with permission). The prize-winning model of the tower was scratchbuilt by Jeff English.

  15. The road overpass is being kitbashed from a Central Valley kit. (You can see our problem with trying to take a photo here as the backdrop bends away.)
    • [Model photo, 2004 of the nearly completed bridge.]
    • [Another angle. (That crummy model of an interlocking tower is a stand-in for English's scratchbuilt model.)]
    • [And a third.]

    Johnsonville, Not Being Modeled

  16. A view from the tower of a Rutland train heading to Troy. In the distance you can see the depot, water tower, etc.

  17. The B&M's depot was east of the tower. It still stands (2003), but is a private residence.

  18. The B&M freight house. Frank Losaw, Jr. said it located about 200 to 300 feet northeast of the depot.
    • [Photo, c. 1931. From our NEB&W D&H Collection.]
        Losaw pointed out the tracks curving to the left were the Greenwich & Johnsonville Railway. The tracks were removed July 1932, thus ending service between those two villages.

  19. The B&M's water tower and a shed.
    • [Photo, c. 1931. From our NEB&W D&H Collection.]

  20. There was an elevated gate tower just east of the depot. It was no longer needed when they changed the grade crossing to a road underpass.

  21. There was a small turntable here, manually operated.

See our Layout Guide for Johnsonville.