Posted 9 years ago
pajrr
(102 items)
I have over 100 railroad stocks and bonds in my collection. This one may not be the most fancy, but it is my oldest dated 1869, the same year that the Transcontinental Railroad was finished.. This one, however, is my most prized. The Glens Falls Railroad stretched 14.5 miles from a connection with the Rensselaer and Saratoga at Fort Edward, NY with Lake George, NY. It carried products from Glens Falls to the rest of the country and brought vacationers from the rest of the country to the Lake George resorts. The reason this little railroad is so special to me is that 4 generations of my family lived their lives in Glens Falls. They were there when the railroad was being built. I don't know if any of my ancestors worked directly for the railroad, but being in textiles, blacksmithing and carriage / wagon making it is pretty safe to assume that they did supply the railroad with tools, uniforms and other such items. The Glens Falls Railroad became the Glens Falls Branch of the D&H. The Glens Falls branch still operates from Fort Edward to Glens Falls under Canadian Pacific (who took over the D&H). The rest of the railroad from Glens Falls to Lake George survives today as a hiking/biking trail. The Lake George Station still stands, I believe as a visitor's center. Today, the Fort Edward Station is used by Amtrak and is still serving passengers to the region. My father went off to WWII from Fort Edward Station.