slingerlands d&h station

August 1993 NEWSLETTER OF THE MOHAWK & HUDSON CHAPTER, N.R.H.S. THE CALL BOARD 11

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The Slingerlands D&H StationBy Tim Truscott and Dick Barrett

The first station in Slingerlands wasbuilt in 1864, when the Albany &Susquehanna was constructed through thissmall community approximately six milessouthwest of Albany. This station was acombination freight and passenger stationlocated on the south (east) side of the tracks.

In 1888, a new passenger station wasbuilt on the north (west) side of the tracksapproximately opposite the original stationand facing New Scotland Road. It's stoneand frame construction was topped by theusual slate roof. It was a fairly ornate sta-tion for a small community, and was at leastas beautiful as the D&H station in Altamont,further west past Voorheesville.

The unusual size and attractiveness ofthis station in such a small community hasbeen attributed by some to be the result ofthe influence of a prominent official at theDelaware & Hudson headquarters in Al-bany, Charles Darius Hammond, who livedin Slingerlands near the station. The househe occupied for many years in Slingerlands

is well-known to local residents for its rolein the 1987 film "Ironweed." Hammondcame to hold another place in history in1901 when he took personal charge of thetrain which sped to North Creek to pick upVice President Teddy Roosevelt after Presi-dent McKinley was shot.

It might seem unusual that there shouldbe several railroad stations along the Dela-ware &Hudson's "Albany Main" in such ashort distance: Elsmere, Delmar (originallyAdamsville) and Slingerlands. But it wasthe railroad which permitted these smallcommunities in the Town of Bethlehem tobecome suburbs of Albany. In 1869, pas-sengers boarding a train in Slingerlands at8:37 AM would arrive in Albany at 9:00,with an afternoon 5:30 PM departure fromAlbany arriving in Slingerlands 5:55.

In 1927, passengers boarding a localtrain at Slingerlands station at 6: 12 AMwould arrive at Albany Union Station at6:35, or boarding at Slingerlands at 7:05AM would arrive in Albany at 7:30. A laterBinghamton-Albany train, departingSlingerlands at 8:55 AM would arrive in

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Alban y at 9: 15. Passengers returning homefrom downtown Albany at 4:25 PM wouldarrive at Slingerlands at 4:50, or boardingat 5: 10 PM would arrive in Slingerlands at5:34. These local trains on the D&H "Al-bany Main," which originated in Altamont,were part of a fairly sophisticated CapitalDistrict rail commuter system which flour-ished for several decades in the first half ofthis century.

The once-beautiful Slingerlands stationbecame the local firehouse after it wasclosed by the railroad. Records of the Capi-tal District Railroad Club indicate that thestation was closed to passenger service andhad already been acquired by the fire de-partment in 1940. While the 1933 D&Htimetable lists Slingerlands and the 1939timetable doesn't, the exact year of closingis not known at this time. Eventually, thestation building was demolished and a newfirehouse constructed on the site. Ironi-cally, it was the older structure, the original1864 station, which was to survive. It canbe seen today' on Kenwood Avenue inSlingerlands ..

The second Slingerlands D&H station was built In 1888 on the west side of the tracks approximatelyopposite the original station and facing New Scotland Road. It became the local firehouse In the late1930's and was later demolished. Ironically the original 1864 passenger station, which became a freighthouse In 1888, stili survives on the south side of the tracks. (Collection of Dick Barrett)