Lost Railroads of the Kaydeross Valley

NEW YORK STATE

A History of its Industries, Railroads and Inventions

Lost Railroads of the Kaydeross Valley

The Electric Trolley Line of Ballston Spa, New York

Author's note: this was a limited run printing in honor of the village's bicentennial. Due to the high costs of printing a full-color, heirloom-style book, only 150 softcover and 50 hardcover copies were printed and sold at the Brookside Museum.

A second version of this book, titled The Ballston Terminal Railroad And Its Successors was released in June 2008. It is essentially the same as the one below, except only black-and-white pictures were used to cut down on costs. Several updates and additions were also added as more information became available over the proceeding year.

Book Table of Contents

Introduction		1

I. Prelude to a Railroad
	Spring Water Is Discovered	6
	Decline In Tourism; Rise of Industry	9
	Railroads Serving Ballston Spa	15
	The Need for a Local Railroad	21
	Financing a Railroad	24
	Trolleys Become Popular	27

II. Railroad Operations Begin
	The Ballston Terminal Railroad	34
	Route of the Railroad	53
	Roster of Equipment	56
	Powering The Trolley	61
	Villages and Industries	65

III. Optimism Meets Reality
	The Eastern New York Railroad	90
	Big Plans, Little Action	99
	Life Along The Line	104
	Accidents	113

IV. Changing Times
	The Kaydeross Railroad Corporation	120
	Bankruptcy	128
	Traces of the Railroad Today	141

Timeline of Significant Events		151

Bibliography		156

Printed in full color with glossy paper in honor of Ballston Spa's bicentennial.

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