I’ve been looking for new places to railfan in the northeast. A few websites recommend railfanning along the Hudson River in New York State. The Hudson River flows 315 miles north to south through eastern New York State. The Hudson (Metro-North) and River (CSX) Lines run parallel to the river banks for many miles. The CSX River Line runs along the river between West Park to Stony Park, NY. As for Amtrak and Metro-North’s Hudson Line that runs Stuyvesant to Marble Hill, NY.
CSX River Subdivision (West side of the river)
The River Line is strictly freight service running 132 miles between Selkirk, NY and Jersey City, NJ. The primary rail operator on this line is CSX but it is not uncommon to see an occasional Norfolk Southern. There are several parks along the Hudson so people can enjoy the river view. Many of these parks are abutting the River Line right of way. So for railfans like myself, these parks are ideal for railfanning along this active line on public property.
Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge | Milepost 72 – River Line
One of the coolest railfanning spots is the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge over 160 high above and spanning over 6,768 feet across the Hudson River valley. This double track railroad bridge was open to traffic 1889 and serviced the Maybrook Railroad Line for nearly 100 years. Rail traffic abruptly came to a stop after a fire damaged about 700 feed of the bridge in May 1974. Long story short the bridge was never repaired between changes of railroad operators and becoming too costly to repair. In 2009 a group called “Walkway over the Hudson” was formed and the railroad bridge was converted to a footbridge.
Milepost 78.0 | West Park
Dead end of Floyd Ackert Road, West Park, NY
Milepost 72.3 | Highland
Highland Landing Park
52-78 River Rd, Highland, NY 12528
Milepost 72 | State Park
Walkway Over the Hudson State Park
Parking: 87 Haviland Rd, Highland, NY
Milepost 68 | Milton
Milton-on-Hudson Station
Old Indian Trail, Milton, NY 12547
Milepost 52
Donahue Memorial Park
Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY 12520
Milepost 42.9
Mine Dock Park
80 Mine Dock Rd, Highland Falls, NY 10928
Milepost 42.7 | Fort Montgomery Tunnel
Fort Montgomery
690 US-9W, Fort Montgomery, NY 10922
Milepost 42.5 | Popolopen Creek Trestle
Great view from the Popolopen Creek Suspension Footbridge
(Located in Fort Montgomery Site)
Milepost 41.5 | Iona Island Trestle
Bear Mountain (Short walk from the Bear Mountain Dock)
Highlands, NY 10986
Milepost 41
Iona Island
Stony Point, NY 10986
Scanner Frequencies:
River Line – West side of the Hudson River
160.62000 CSX NI Dispatcher
160.98000 CSX Road
Hudson Line – East side of the Hudson River
160.95000 Amtrak/Metro-North Road
Track Side Guide:
Milepost Report – CSX River Sub
