The people who worked to fix a 165-foot long by 20-foot tall washout on the Adirondack Railroad stand atop their finished project. After the repairs, the Adirondack Railroad is resuming service to Tupper Lake on two Sundays this month.
(Photo provided)
TUPPER LAKE — After two major washouts on the Adirondack Railroad between Old Forge and Tupper Lake were repaired — washouts which left tracks hanging in midair and truncated the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society’s first season back in early August — two scenic trains are scheduled to run to Tupper Lake over the next two weekends.
Adirondack Railroad President and CEO Frank Kobliski called Herb Storer and his crew of railroad contractors out of Buffalo “heroes” for their arduous task of repairing the rail line, and getting it done in time to ride again before the end of the season.
During heavy rains on Aug. 8, which Kobliski called a 100- or 500-year flood, rushing water scoured the bed out from underneath the rails leaving washouts estimated at 80 feet long and 130 feet long on the south end of the line closer to Thendara and Beaver River.
Kobliski said it was an “extraordinary” and “massive” amount of work to get the rails back just two months after the catastrophic washouts.
“A lot of manpower. An incredible amount of fill and an incredible amount of time,” he said.
A photograph of the finished work shows the workers and machinery dwarfed by the 20-foot mountain of fill they created.
“That photograph speaks a thousand words,” Kobliski said.
The state Department of Transportation which owns the right of way, hired the contractors.
The main washout was 165 feet long and 20 feet high. Kobliski said this was around twice the size of the smaller one at mile post 64 north of Thendara. The smaller washout was finished a few weeks ago, allowing trains to operate up to Big Moose ever since.
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Working on the railroad
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These washouts were in “the middle of nowhere,” according to Kobliski.
The larger washout was particularly challenging because there’s not a road crossing for miles in either direction, he added.
“There were literally thousands and thousands of cubic yards of heavy fill brought in to do this project,” he said.
Contractors had to find a large area to stage it all, then load it into trucks — three at a time — equipped to drive on rails, drive it in for a couple miles, dump it, grade it and compact it every 9 inches to make it “hard as a rock.”
“Each truck can hold, what, 10 cubic yards? Maybe 12 if you’re lucky,” Kobliski said. “And you’re talking about moving thousands of cubic yards.”
The crews worked from sun-up to sun-down, he said.
“The weather was cooperating, but most importantly, all the men and women (were) up there with strong backs,” Kobliski said. “It was really human dedication that made this happen. I cannot say enough in praise of Herb and his workforce.”
Crews will re-lay the track and ballast through the weekend. Then the rail will be inspected and tested.
Kobliski said this portion of the line will be better than the rest of the track originally laid 130 years ago.
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The return of the High Peaks Limited
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The tracks reopening means the Adirondack Railroad will be able to run two more trains to Tupper Lake — on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, both Sundays.
The High Peaks Limited is a long-distance runner with return trip service from Utica and a stop in Old Forge on the way to Tupper Lake.
“We anticipate the community of Tupper Lake will welcome the restoration of service,” Kobliski said in a statement.
Up until the washouts, he said the first season back was exceeding their expectations. And that was even before the trees began to show their bright fall colors.
“This would have been the busiest season of the year in Tupper,” Kobliski said. “So this carved a big hole right out of our prime foliage season.”
“The foliage season will be over,” Kobliski said of the upcoming trips in a statement. “However, the distant vistas are stunning and easier to see without leaves on the trees, and animal sightings increase.”
When the Aug. 8 washouts stalled the season, the Adirondack Railroad offered ride credits to anyone who had purchased tickets for cancelled trips through the rest of the season. These credit-holders were offered first choice for these upcoming two scheduled trips before ticket sales were opened to the public, but public sales are now open, Kobliski said.
He said some people took them up on cashing in those credits now and some took ride credits for next year.
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