In case you hadn’t heard yet, according to this Times Union article last month, a portion of the Albany County Rail Trail will be opened soon for public use. As announced on the Rail Trail’s website, and as followed up on the Bethlehem blog, the Albany County Legislature, the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and the Town of Bethlehem have entered into an agreement to further develop the Trail.
The Albany County Rail Trail is a proposed biking and hiking pathway from the Port of Albany to Voorheesville, on what was once nine miles of decommissioned Delaware and Hudson railroad tracks. Most of the tracks from the line have been removed; however, there are still some tracks and ties along the trail, and the Trail itself is still closed to the public.
The first portion of the Rail Trail that will be opened will go from Fireman’s Park in Slingerlands (near the Toll Gate Ice Cream restaurant) to Veterans Park in Delmar (where Adams Street merges with Delaware Avenue). According to reports, that stretch – when it is opened – will be available only to hikers and mountain bikers. Other portions of the Rail Trail, including bridge repair and other improvements, will take place in the future.
I’m really looking forward to the Rail Trail opening, even if it’s only a mile and a half of walkway from Slingerlands to Delmar. When my grandparents used to live in a small house near the intersection of Kenwood and Cherry Avenues, I could hear the trains zipping along the track every day.
Last year I walked through some portions of the Trial, taking pictures in Kodachrome of the flora and decay. One of the photos, “The Railsplitter,” appeared in the London gallery show A Celebration of Kodachrome, and is currently under consideration for various photo contests this year. The minute I hear any more news about the Rail Trail – such as when it will officially open – I will certainly pass it along to you. But for now, enjoy this slideshow of the Rail Trail from 2010.
Chuck The Writer 