New Photo Vantage Point on the CSX River Subdivision:
From 212 feet above the tracks, CSX freight train Q409 is seen heading south on
October 6, 2009, 3 days after Walkway Over the Hudson opened to the public.
Walkway Over the Hudson
(Page 1 of 7)
Added 12/2009; updated 3/2010. Copyright © 2009 Lewis Bogaty
Be sure to see Lewis
Bogaty's article "First Look -- Walkway Over the Hudson"
in the January 2010
Railpace Newsmagazine.
New Photo Vantage Point on the CSX River Subdivision:
From 212 feet above the tracks, CSX freight train Q409 is seen heading south on
October 6, 2009,
3 days after Walkway
Over the Hudson opened to the public.
First Look
On Saturday, October 3, 2009, New York's 179th State Park opened to the public. The long-abandoned Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge began its new life as Walkway Over the Hudson.
The Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge spans the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, NY, in Duchess County, and Highland in the Town of Lloyd, in Ulster County. The bridge was completed in 1888, owned by a variety of entities, and ultimately abandoned by Penn-Central in 1974, after a tie fire. Since then, it has stood unused until 2009.
The new pedestrian walkway is 1.25 miles long, and at its highest point stands 212 feet above the Hudson River. It is said to be the tallest, and one of the two or three longest, pedestrian bridges in the world.We took our first look three days after the rainy opening, on a warm, sun-filled Tuesday, October 6, 2009, and subsequently returned a number of times. This page and the next offer a look at the walkway and its scenic views. The third, fourth, and fifth pages explore this new vantage point for viewing the CSX River Subdivision on the west shore of the Hudson as well as Amtrak trains on the east side of the river from high above the tracks. A sixth page adds views of the Walkway in the winter, and a seventh page adds views of the Walkway in spring.
The Way It Was
Above: The Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge as it
looked in March 2006,
with Q433 hurtling south through Highland on the River Subdivision.
The Walkway Today
Above: The Walkway Over the Hudson as it looked early in the morning on November 4, 2009, with a southbound intermodal train on the River Subdivision track. The light color along the top of the bridge is the concrete slabs and railing. The darker color above the railing near the ends of the bridge is the high fence over the streets and railroads on both shores.
Above: The west gate. October 6, 2009.
This photo appears in the January 2010 Railpace Newsmagazine.
Above: The east entrance. October 6, 2009.
Above: The last vestige of the railroad, this
rusting signal stands nestled among
the trees near the east entrance. October 6, 2009.
Above & Below: Looking west as the Walkway comes in view of the river. October 6, 2009.
Above: Last minute work continues high above
the Hudson River. October 6, 2009.
Above: A new day dawns on the Walkway. October
20, 2009.
Below: Last moments of sun, as a front rolls in. November 4, 2009.
In 2010, the Independence Day celebration began early in the morning on July 4th. The Walkway was the backdrop for the spectacular 6 a.m. Sunday morning mass balloon launch from the Poughkeepsie shore as the Dutchess County Balloon Festival reached its climax.
Above: A Saturday night solo launch warm-up for
the big
Sunday morning launch, seen from the Walkway on July 3.
Above & Below: 6 a.m. on the Hudson River, July 4, 2010.
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