Viewing Album: Rail Bikes across the Adirondacks - Railroad Picture Archives.NET

Bob Krug's Collection

4/24/2024

Viewing Album: Rail Bikes across the Adirondacks

By:	Bob Krug
Dates:	8/26/2016 - 8/26/2016
Album Info:	My wife Amy and I pedaled a rail bike across the former New York Central RR’s Lake Placid Branch. Back in the day using these same rails one could board a Pullman Sleeper in Grand Central Terminal and wake up the next morning in the Adirondack Village of Lake Placid. The current Rail Bike operator is Rail Explorers based out of Saranac Lake, NY. We reserved a tandem rail bike for a westbound transit from Saranac Lake to Lake Clear, approximately 7 miles. There are about 15 rail bikes available, both two-seaters and 4-seaters, and they’re all pedaled in one direction then turned on a specially-adapted turntable and a new group of passengers pedals them back. The first and last bikes in a tour are operated by Rail Explorers’ guides. The guides did a good job of setting up a staggered spacing of several hundred yards between adjacent rail bikes, so we had the sense of running the track by ourselves. There are (5) highway grade crossings on the route and they are flagged by other guides from Rail Explorers. Tour duration is about 90 minutes to pedal the 7 track miles. We returned to our car in Saranac Lake via a shuttle bus. This was a fantastic experience! It’s a very scenic section of track across wild forest, lakes, and bogs that are otherwise inaccessible except by rail / i.e. no closely paralleling highways. We had a blast, and I could see this idea of railbikes being implemented at other tourist railroads around the US. My wife and I had previously traveled these rails back in 1980 on the Adirondack Railway (I have a separate album posted here on RRPictureArchives from that trip: http://rkruginnaz.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=57544

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Pedaling our railbike westbound over the Lake Colby causeway

Title:	Pedaling our railbike westbound over the Lake Colby causeway
Description:
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 4:34:48 PM
Location:	Saranac Lake, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,Passenger,Action
Locomotives:
Views:	88 Comments: 2

Railbiking through the great North Woods

Title:	Railbiking through the great North Woods
Description:
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 4:39:50 PM
Location:	Saranac Lake, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,Passenger,Action
Locomotives:
Views:	66 Comments: 1

Out on the High Iron

Title:	Out on the High Iron
Description:	We're headed west enroute to Lake Clear, NY. This is the Lake Colby causeway on ex-NYC trackage
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 4:38:28 PM
Location:	Saranac Lake, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,Passenger,Action
Locomotives:
Views:	57 Comments: 1

In-cab view of the track ahead

Title:	In-cab view of the track ahead
Description:
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 4:46:52 PM
Location:	Saranac Lake, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,Passenger,Action
Locomotives:
Views:	39 Comments: 0

In-cab view of the prime movers and the track behind.

Title:	In-cab view of the prime movers and the track behind.
Description:	We're nearing the end of our transit - you can see Lake Clear through the trees to the left.
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 4:51:30 PM
Location:	Lake Clear, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,InCab,Passenger,Action
Locomotives:
Views:	38 Comments: 0

Flagging the grade crossing at NY State Route 186

Title:	Flagging the grade crossing at NY State Route 186
Description:
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 5:00:43 PM
Location:	Lake Clear, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,InCab,Passenger,Action
Locomotives:
Views:	53 Comments: 1

Flagging the McMaster Road grade crossing

Title:	Flagging the McMaster Road grade crossing
Description:
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 4:56:58 PM
Location:	Lake Clear, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,Passenger,Action
Locomotives:
Views:	82 Comments: 0

Across a boggy section

Title:	Across a boggy section
Description:	typical of the spectacular and wild scenery along this route. Note that the main roadbed of the track is cinder ballast, but there are some spots up ahead where they added crushed rock; presumably to fill in some minor wash-outs.
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 6:33:51 PM
Location:	Saranac Lake, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,InCab
Locomotives:
Views:	47 Comments: 1

Crest of an up-grade

Title:	Crest of an up-grade
Description:	The up-grade climbs required noticeably more pedal exertion by the prime movers. We could coast on the down-grades!
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 6:42:30 PM
Location:	Saranac Lake, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Scenic,InCab
Locomotives:
Views:	40 Comments: 0

Turning a Quad rail bike in Saranac

Title:	Turning a Quad rail bike in Saranac
Description:	After all the rail bikes have finished a run, they are inspected and then turned around on this combination lift and turntable. The rail bikes are heavy enough that you wouldn't want to do this by hand. I tried lifting a tandem rail bike at the front axle, and couldn't get it off the railhead. I'm estimating they weigh around 300-400 lbs each.
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 6:40:40 PM
Location:	Saranac Lake, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	Yard,Action
Locomotives:
Views:	63 Comments: 0

Tandem Rail Bike

Title:	Tandem Rail Bike
Description:	Disc brakes on each axle (operated from the "engineer's" seat on the right). Adjustable seats / each seat can pedal, but the pedals are ratcheted like a bicycle, so you can coast without the pedals turning. There's a foot plate, a basket for your stow-along stuff, and an umbrella. Flanged wheels are steel / tubular frame is steel.
Photo Date:	8/26/2016 Upload Date: 8/29/2016 6:48:22 PM
Location:	Saranac Lake, NY
Author:	Bob Krug
Categories:	RollingStock,Yard
Locomotives:
Views:	82 Comments: 0

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