Introduction/history: I know that we already have lots of New York-area railroads, but the "Old Put" is really something unique. The line, built in 1881, ran between Sedgewick Avenue in the Bronx and Brewster in Putnam County. The line actually ran between the Hudson and Harlem Lines, so at this point there were three lines that connected Westchester and Putnam counties, and beyond, to New York City. The route was taken over by the New York Central in 1894, and they ran passenger service on the line until 1958, when it was deemed unprofitable. At this time, the line was unelectrified, single-tracked, and had no access to Grand Central, so it was pretty much useless to the New York Central. However, freight service continued on the line as it was slowly falling apart. The last customer served on the line was a bakery in the Bronx, which stopped using the line in 1989. After that, the tracks were torn out, except for a mile-long spur in the Bronx, where Metro-North stores MOW rolling stock. The rest of the former right-of-way became a rail trail. There are still a few remnants of the line, however. The former chemical plant in Chauncey is now an arcade and laser tag joint for kids, mileposts can be seen among the overgrown trees, and some of the station houses still exist, and one in Briarcliff Manor is a public library. Steel skeletons of stations still remain in a few locations too, reminding those riding bikes and jogging that they're on a former rail line. The trestle bridge that lead to the Woodlands station is also still present, and I have found the concrete base of Chauncey Station and some tracks across from where Woodlands Station was. In the context of Train Simulator: I think this would be a great route since it wouldn't take place in the modern day like all of the other NYC-area routes do, so it won't feel like "another" NYC route. It's also a very unique and fun route. It was single-tracked, tree-lined, and full of curves and interesting things to see. Plus, if it's set in the late 40s or very early 50s we could have both diesels and steam locomotives, since the line was in the process of dieselisation. Every station was about a mile apart, so making every stop in a steam locomotive would be quite the challenge, and cruising the line in a Lima or ALCO diesel would be nice too. My ideas for rolling stock: Since the time period that I proposed was during the line's dieselisation, it would make sense to include both steam and diesel power. For the steam side of things, I propose the line's trademark locomotive, the New York Central F12a ten-wheeler. These locomotives were usually seen hauling passengers along the line. If it's possible, I think a steam switcher would be good for the Sedgewick Avenue yards. The B10 0-6-0 should fit the bill for these switching duties. As for diesels, during this time period, they were either built by ALCO or Lima. A few of Lima's rare LRS-1200s were seen on the line, as well as some ALCO RS-3s. As for cars, the New York Central's passenger and baggage cars would do the trick, and maybe some freight cars to switch around in the Sedgewick yards. Photos of the route: An ALCO RS-3 makes the stop at Brewster in 1958. This was one of the last passenger trains on the line. What appears to be an F12 makes a stop at Ardsley. On the right is the Saw Mill River Parkway, which was later expanded to two lanes in each direction, and the New York State Thruway would later be built on the left. An F12 sits at the Sedgewick yards while a Lima LRS-1200 passes by on an adjacent track. Route diagram: Photo credits: Union Turnpike on Flickr, scans of photos by Edward L. May, Wikipedia (route diagram)
Thanks. It's definitely a fun route. Imagine managing your steam pressure and water while making all those stops!
I'd love the old Put!!!! As it is the lost Metro North line, it would be cool to explore now abandoned areas and especially visit Getty Square station.
Yes, the Old Put was a great line! If we got it in its later state, I think it would be too short, however. By the 70s the tracks were torn all the way back to Chauncey, to serve the chemical plant there. I'd love to have the Getty Square Branch though. I don't think they tore it up when they abandoned it, so if the route was set during dieselisation we could maybe place freight cars there for storage or just explore the line or something.
