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From: "Joseph A DOT Braun" joebraun AT optonline DOT net
Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2006 22:31:05 -0400
Subject: Cycling the Erie Northern RR and Piermont terminus
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For any interested Listers, I have put together a cycling ride centering
around the early history of the Erie in the Piermont/Nyack area of New York.
This is my "backyard" from my native Park Ridge NJ so I have already cycled
the components of this ride many times. I realized the other day that all
the little segments I have randomly hit could be combined into one cool ride
for a visitor to the territory. I scoped it out Friday and came up with a
ride of 17.70 miles with only one steep climb (and it lastsjust .2 m). The
ride's aim is to just smell the roses and soak up some Erie history. Road or
mountain bikes can do this one. My thin 23C road tires have no problem on
the fine gravel and packed dirt on the rail trails. (You might just want to
throw a little Deet on your legs as sometimes the rail trail grasses get a
tad high on the side in the very few narrower areas. This is a greenbelt for
deer.)

The ride starts in the middle of Nyack (easy access from the NY Thruway) at
the former terminus of the Northern Branch, at a park bordered by Franklin
St on the west, Depot Place on the east, and Cedar Hill Ave on the north.
This part of town lies just a tad southwest of Nyack's major intersection of
Main Street and Broadway. Parking is available nearby on the street or in a
town lot off Main Street.

The circular ride could also begin in the parking area at the Piermont Pier,
in Sparkill by the south wye switch area, or at the southmost end of the
trail at Oak Tree Road.

If you do not cycle, just know that the Pier is an easy destination point
for a great 2-mile walk. Only cars with permits are allowed out on the pier.
There is parking one-mile from the end. Many people think that the Erie pier
was just a wooden structure and so must be long gone. Completed in 1838, the
"pier" was a marvelous landfill extending one mile into the river. It is
very much "alive" today. You can clearly see the Erie pier extending from
the west shore of the Hudson when you look south crossing the Tappan Zee
Bridge. That tree-lined extension is the Erie "pier"!

THE RIDE
00.00 Start of rail trail in Nyack -- on the SE Franklin/Cedar Hill corner.
The beginning is clear and as you head south you are pulling out of the old
Nyack yard and depot area.
00.60 Middle of through-girder bridge that carried the Northern over the NY
Thruway (2nd bridge west of the Tappan Zee).
02.03 On the left: railings and station-platform concrete for former station
at Grandview.
02.49 You cross remnant of stone bridge. Mileage of 26.6 is visible on left
side.
03.29 The old Piermont depot, currently in process of restoration (see
attached pix). Passenger trains were restricted to 40 mph from Nyack to
here. From here down to Sparkill, 30 mph was the allowed maximum.
03.76 The old roadbed heads east. Down below on the left you can see the
valley of the Sparkill creek. The grade for the original Erie line to
water-level Piermont is down below between you and the housing, at the very
foot of the hill you are on.
04.00 You should be able to view the original Erie road down below, all
along between you and the backs of the houses below.
04.19 Just beyond the Rt9W trestle is where the 1870 line to Nyack you are
on joined that original 1851 line to the river coming in on the left.
04.22 Cross Rt.340 with great care watching the traffic lights, none of
which is oriented to you
04.25 Just on the other side of the road was the east wye switch of Sparkill
Jct and the rights of way and swaths of the wye are still there to be seen
and ridden. To the left, the Northern trains headed to JC. To the right was
the orignal route to Dunkirk via Suffern. Take the RIGHT alternative.
04.39 Here was the northwest wye switch. Just head through it to the RIGHT
and travel down the original 1851 mainline. This segment is not particularly
remarkable except that it IS the original Erie RR! I can picture Daniel
Webster here sitting on the chair he had put on a flatcar for the official
first run to Dunkirk getting cinders all over his head as the engine started
to really work.
05.47 Top of bridge approach. For now this trail segment ends here where a
bridge for the trail is being constructed over busy Rt.303. With that
extension, a break for trainwatching on the CSX River Line will be possible.
Now head back down the mainline.
06.54 Back at the NW Sparkill wye switch. Stay on the blacktop and head
south toward Jersey City.
06.74 Head straight ahead where the south switch of the wye was. Northern
Branch trains to Nyack and Piermont would come in from your left. South of
Sparkill junction you can notch up your RS-3! The allowed speed from here to
JC was 60.
07.84 The trail ends here at Oak Tree Road. On the other side of the road
the Northern rails are still in place but very overgrown. (See 2 photos
attached.)
Go LEFT (east) on Oak Tree Road..
08.46 Straight thru the light, followed by the one hill climb: fairly steep
but only .2 mi.
09.32 LEFT at the light onto Rt. 9W, a busy road but with a wide shoulder.
9W is a major north-south cycling conduit.
09.61 RIGHT into Tallman State Park (first driveway after a defunct eatery
on the right). Just head straight through the gate to the trail and follow
it straight in.
09.98 Keep going ahead to the left. Disregard the trail coming in from the
right.
11.08 LEFT after the gate and LEFT again at the road
11.12 RIGHT at the road, following signs for swimming pool
11.24 Stay RIGHT at the circle/triangle and head down hill
11.44 At bottom head straight. Check out the wonderful salt marsh extending
to the right.
11.75 RIGHT at the road.
11.81 RIGHT at the light. Follow signs "To the pier"; the last one takes you
to the right down Ferry St. [On the way look out for a little settlement
from 1820 known as Bogertown.]
12.99 END of ERIE RR pier. To the sides as you ride out, you can see pilings
remaining from the railroad days. At low tide, the remnants of structural
pilings are quite dramatic. Imagine -- with the country a bare 75 years old
-- President Millard Fillmore, his Secretary of State Daniel Webster, and
entourage coming up river by paddle-wheeler to ride the first official train
all the way from Piermont to Dunkirk!!
13.94 Having ridden back from the pier, make a RIGHT here at the first stop
sign.
13.97 LEFT at this next stop sign.
14.14 Intersection: as you approach it, know that you are riding where the
Erie tracks, yards, and early shops were. According to the 1851 Harper's
Guide, the early Erie maintained extensive shops here for the whole
railroad, employing 70 in the machine department. The car-shop employed 80
and in one year made 200 freight, baggage, and passenger cars.
Look straight ahead across the intersecting street and you will see
two large white rocks. Beyond them, you can clearly see the original Erie
right of way heading back into the bush. This continues westward below the
roadbed upon which you just came down from Nyack (my notes re 3.76 to 4.19).

Make a sharp RIGHT at this corner and head due north along the
Hudson on Bike Rt9. Enjoy the views that made Eleazor Lord, Erie's first
president, build his "castle" on a hilltop here. He and his wife as well as
guests would often be transported across the river in Lord's two-oarsmen
large rowboat to visit Lord's friend, Washington Irving.
16.29 Don't miss that cool, terraced house on the left.
17.04 LEFT at the STOP/blinker onto Washington Ave.
17.13 RIGHT at the STOP onto Broadway
17.55 LEFT at the light onto Cedar Hill Ave
17.70 On the left is where you started this little venture.

If any conditioned rider would want to double this mileage, contact me
off-list. You can continue up Broadway a few miles to Nyack Beach St Pk,
thence up along the Hudson shore and up through the woods along the river
some 5 miles more to Haverstraw -- and back via roads.

As a postscript, I often wonder what would be if the Northern tracks had not
so aggressively been decommissioned and ripped up. Now the Tappan Zee is a
rushhour disaster, as Rockland and Orange Counties have grown immensely.
While the Northern would still be an operational problem to gain the grade
into Hoboken, it now could link up with the northern end of the
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail or even have joint trackage for a mile or two thru
the tunnel to terminate by the Weehawken ferry terminal. Eh, but they tore
down Penn Station, didn't they?

Photos:
1. Old Piermont depot looking south [Ride Mile 3.29]. Compare to an old
photo at:
http://www.piermontstation.com/PSHS%20website_files/slide0001.htm
2. Looking south just beyond Oak Tree Road at the end of the Northern
trackage [Ride Mile 7.84]
3. Looking north at the end of the Northern tracks. Trail end is visible in
the distance.

I hope that some of you can get out and enjoy this ride.

Joe













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