The Greenwich and Johnsonville Railway (G&J) was incorporated in the late part of the 19th century, and built a rail line between Greenwich and Johnsonville, New York.[2]
Around 1900, G&J became a subsidiary of the Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H). By 1907, the G&J (with support from parent D&H) had built a branch from Greenwich to Greenwich Junction (just south of Salem) where it connected to the D&H's Washington Branch that was built circa 1856. The old G&J route to Johnsonville was abandoned in July 1932 and all traffic henceforth went via "The Junction" in Salem. [3] Most of the abandoned section to Johnsonville eventually became (Washington) County Route 74.
Following the 1980 closure of the Georgia Pacific pulp & paper mill in Thomson, New York, the D&H planned to abandon the G&J along with the adjoining Washington Branch, which ran from Eagle Bridge, New York to Castleton, Vermont. In 1982, Mohawk-Hudson Transportation, owned by Ron Crowd, purchased the railroad from the D&H, forming the Batten Kill Railroad. Crowd had the distinction of being the first African-American to own and operate a railroad in the United States.[4]
While initially financially successful, a series of national railroad strikes in the mid-1980s left the railroad in a less profitable state. In 1994, the railroad was turned over to NE New York Rail, a non-profit, and the BKRR remained the operator. Passenger excursions were started, but were terminated by late 2003 due to declining ridership.[5] In November 2008, William (Bill) Taber purchased the Batten Kill from Mohawk Transportation and the estate of the late Ron Crowd. Taber is the current President and CEO of the railroad.
Rail assistance programs
In 2016 the Batten Kill Railroad got a $1.3 million state grant funding installation of new cross ties onto about 4 miles of track.[6]
Route
The Batten Kill's sole interchange location is in Eagle Bridge, New York where it connects to the main line of Berkshire and Eastern Railroad (formerly Pan Am Railways and the Boston & Maine). The line runs north from Eagle Bridge, through Cambridge, New York and Shushan, New York, to Greenwich Junction. From there, a short remnant of the D&H Washington Branch continues north into Salem, New York. This segment is out of service. This north-south component of the line is paralleled by NY Route 22. The other route from the junction continues west to the village of Greenwich, paralleled by NY Route 29. The line running west from Greenwich to Thomson, New York, is also out of service. In Greenwich, the railroad maintains a small engine house and the former G&J depot as an office.
^Nestle, David F. (January 1, 1983). Rails Along the Battenkill: A History of the Greenwich & Johnsonville Railway (1st ed.). David F. Nestle. ASINB003I803UI. Fascinating history of the Greenwich & Johnsonville Railway, a small upstate New York railroad which ran from about 1870 until its demise in 1981 (although portions were carried on as the Batten Kill Railroad). The book also covers the Greenwich & Schuylerville Electric Railway. With locomotive and equipment rosters.
^Nestle, David F. (January 1, 1983). Rails Along the Battenkill: A History of the Greenwich & Johnsonville Railway (1st ed.). David F. Nestle. ASINB003I803UI.
^Toscano, Bill (June 7, 2016). "Batten Kill Railroad gets $1.3 million state grant". Glens Falls Post-Star. Retrieved 27 August 2021. This is the second time the Batten Kill has received similar funding. Ten years ago, Taber said, the company was able to repair 2.75 miles of track and a bridge with $1 million in funding.
