The stretch from Wassaic to Chatham would probably be among the most scenic in the nation. I bet they wish they could have it back.

The Hudson line up to Poughkeepsie is a great trip as well.Very scenic.

Hi Retired railfan.
I like how you explain what we seeing as  you move along. Keep up the good work.

By Wingdale, there was a spooky mental hospital. Several murderers were incarcerated there.

In June of 2000 I ran the inspection train to Wassaic that was the first passenger train to operate there in 28 years. A month later the line was open for regular service. At that time, it was manual block but has since been upgraded to CTC with cab signals and ATC. This video brought back memories. The Genesis engines are up to 30 years old and have reached the end of their life cycle. They will be replaced by Siemens SC42 DM locomotives that will have the ability to run extended range in electric operation. Two are on the property now for testing. The Putnam Division did have third rail to Yonkers Getty Square from 1926 to 1943 when service was ended on the branch. Thanks again for another great video.

It just amazes me that the scenery changes so much from the beginning to the end… 82 miles..

I lived in Woodlawn from 1954-1957 (ages 2-5). I still remember, like it was yesterday, standing on the platform at Woodlawn watching the trains go by. My mother was very generous and patient to take me there often. It was like standing in the middle of a Lionel layout: an NYC or NH train every few minutes, four tracks, express and local...

I spotted many familiar places going back over 50 years.
As a kid we played in the Mott Haven yards. Of interest is a track that connects the Hudson line to the northbound Harlem line. About a half mile north there was a spur line (Port Morris branch)
off of track 1 that cut across the south Bronx to what is now the Amtrak line and local industry. It was fun to watch the old freight trains traverse all four tracks which effectively stopped all other traffic on the Harlem line. They eventually abandoned it saying it was problematic to block all four tracks at one time. Frankly,  it died a slow death due to the decline in industry.

Further north I can see many day-to-day familiar places including my apartment building near the Fleetwood station.

Thanks for the video and credit for maintaining such steady filming the whole time.

Worth mentioning is that the line to Chatham was supposedly the line that got Commodore Vanderbilt into the railroad business

Appreciate the trip down memory lane! Grew up in Dopey Plains (as some of us would call it as kids) on the opposite side from what you videoed.  Spend many a day next to the tracks as my granfather had a house a whopping 75 ft from rail to the front door. That area is as rural as it gets, but it is a pretty ride in the spring/summer/fall; would be worth a return. That old little coal power plant in Wingdale was what powered the Psychiatric Hospital back in the day. You also travel through what's known as The Great Swamp on the entirety of the Upper Harlem. Comes in from Connecticut at Ten Mile River and travels down through Dover, Pawling, etc to Westchester to the Croton River. I think its about 97 square miles total. If I remember correctly, max speed on the upper end is 70mph.

I can only imagine what it must have been like to ride all the way to Chatham NY on this line.

I used to work in Pawling and would often go down to that little park by the station just to watch the trains

The tunnel that runs under park Ave used to be owned by the new york central water line route to Chicago which is run by amtrak

9:41 Reminds me of once where got on a train at Rye years ago, and either the announcement was fast, muffled, or completely absent, but I found out the hard way it was skipping Harrison, Mamaroneck, and Larchmont. 😂

Thank you for this video, I used to travel a lot to Wassaic, back in 2006-2008 when I spent months working in summer camp up in Copake. Nice memories 🙂

Would love to see you do a ride out to Hackettstown on NJT's Morristown/Montclair Lines some day. A lot of scenic areas on the line west of Dover.

If this was the sunbelt, we'd still be in sprawl at Brewster.

Metro North probably has the most scenic commuter railroad lines in the nation. Or among the most scenic.

Always enjoy the comments you make on these trips. Thanks

very well done sir...and your a wealth of information..I wish a lot more people took more pride in their work...