Publisher's Synopsis
I was introduced to railroads at an early age, accompanying my grandfather on many trips to visit different railroad locations but most often in the Utica, NY area. So began a lifelong enthusiasm for railroads that has lasted nearly seven decades. During all of that time I continued to pursue my passion for railroads over much of the eastern U.S. but the majority of my time was still spent in the Utica area near my home. The purpose of this book is to simply recall and share my countless memories of pursuing trains in the greater Utica area. In an effort to provide some context and comparisons I have included what history I have learned, witnessed and even experienced concerning railroads in the area over the last nearly seven decades. I have tried to include pertinent definitions and brief explanations to enable those who have had limited exposure to railroad specific terms in an effort to make the stories more meaningful. This is not meant to be a comprehensive history of the railroads but merely a personal memoir. I have attempted to organize the information and events chronologically by decade but remembering exact dates can be problematic since so much of this was of course, decades ago. While I have made an attempt to fact check dates where possible some of the dating may still be a bit off. My extensive use of dating is not an attempt to nail down historically exact dates but merely a way of attempting to keep the chronology straight. The facts and incidents are as I remember them but often the exact dates can be a bit fuzzy and I am presenting the information for entertainment purposes based upon my understanding and personal memories. Hopefully the reader will find this book informative as well as entertaining. Jay Winn August 2021
