Mount Beacon Incline Railway

Mount Beacon Incline Railway
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Incline railway route seen from city in 2006
Location	Beacon / Town of Fishkill, New York, USA
Coordinates	41°29′27″N 73°57′20″W / 41.49083°N 73.95556°W / 41.49083; -73.95556Coordinates: 41°29′27″N 73°57′20″W / 41.49083°N 73.95556°W / 41.49083; -73.95556
Built	1902
Governing body	Scenic Hudson Land Trust
MPS	Hudson Highlands MRA
NRHP Reference #	82001151
Added to NRHP	1982

The 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Mount Beacon Incline Railway was a popular tourist attraction in Beacon, New York, USA, and the neighboring Town of Fishkill. It operated for much of the 20th century, providing sweeping views of the Hudson Valley and efforts continue to restore it today.

The Otis Elevator Company and Mohawk Construction opened the railway on Memorial Day, 1902. Sixty thousand fares were sold in its first year; two decades later that had almost doubled. Riders were often day visitors from New York who came up the Hudson River by steamboat to Newburgh and then took a ferry to Beacon. After a trolley trip to the base station on Wolcott Avenue (today NY 9D), the railway would take them up to the 1,540-foot (469 m) northern summit via an average gradient of 65% and a maximum gradient of 74%, the steepest in existence while the railroad operated.^[1]

From a 1907 post card

Once on the mountain, tourists could then visit the Beaconcrest Hotel, the Casino, or enjoy the natural setting while taking in 75-mile (121 km) panoramic views of the valley and surrounding areas. Once it opened in 1922, Beacon Reservoir, the city's main water source, also became a popular place to visit.^[1]

In 1978 the railway ceased operations due to financial problems. In 1982 the railway was added to the National Register of Historic Places. A fire attributed to vandalism destroyed many of its buildings the next year.^[1] The route still remains and is visible from much of the city. The Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society is working to rebuild the railroad and restore service.

See also

• List of funicular railways

References

External links

The railway's two cars passing each other in this circa 1905 postcard.

• Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society
• Images of vintage postcards that illustrate how the railway looked in the early 1900s.

Rail trails in New York by county List of rail trails in New York Albany Mohawk Hudson Hike/Bike Trail Albany County Rail Trail Allegany Allegheny River Valley Trail Genesee Valley Greenway Cattaraugus Allegheny River Valley Trail Cayuga Cato–Fair Haven Trail Cayuga Hojack Trail Webster Hojack Trail Columbia Harlem Valley Rail Trail Delaware Catskill Scenic Trail Dutchess Dutchess Rail Trail Harlem Valley Rail Trail Mount Beacon Incline Railway Poughkeepsie Bridge Franklin Rutland Trail Livingston Genesee Valley Greenway Monroe Genesee Valley Greenway Lehigh Valley Trail New York East Coast Greenway High Line Ontario Ontario Pathways Rail Trail Orange Orange Heritage Trailway Walden–Wallkill Rail Trail Oswego Oswego Recreational Trail Putnam Putnam County Trailway Rockland Dunderberg Mountain Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail St. Lawrence Rutland Trail Schenectady Mohawk Hudson Hike/Bike Trail Ulster Hudson Valley Rail Trail Poughkeepsie Bridge Walden–Wallkill Rail Trail Wallkill Valley Rail Trail (Rosendale trestle) Westchester North County Trailway South County Trailway Wyoming Genesee Valley Greenway Genesee Valley Canal