FJ&G RAILROAD
STEAM TRAIN AT SACANDAGA PARK
In the early 1900's there were many railroads in the Adirondacks. They served the mining and lumbering industries, transported goods and provided access to camps and resorts. On June 16, 1867 the Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville (FJ&G) railroad was incorporated with a capital stock of 300,000. Willard J. Heacock who had been a leader in promoting the railroad sentiment, was appointed president. On November 29, 1870 the first puffing, snorting wood-burning railroad engine pulling a train of passengers and freight rumbled into Gloversville. It was the beginning of a road system that had Fonda, Gloversville and Broadalbin as its terminals. The New York Central and Hudson Railroad already existed when the line from Fonda to Johnstown and Gloversville was completed in 1870. The 16-mile track section from Gloversville into Northville was completed in 1875. Depots were built in Mayfield, Cranberry Creek, Sacandaga Park and Northville. The entire operation was taken over by the FJ&G through bankruptcy in 1881 and called the "Northern Division". In 1888, two large passenger stations were built in Gloversville and Johnstown. The addition of the section to Broadalbin, with a station in Vail Mills, completed a total of 32 miles for the FJ&G Steam Division. In 1894 the FJ&G merged with its regional competitor, the Cayadutta Electric Railroad. The latter then operated as the FJ&G's Electric Division. This division was powered from a large steam-powered electric generating plant in Tribes Hill. An "Amsterdam Division" was acquired in 1901. In 1903 FJ&G completed a double-track line from Johnstown to Amsterdam and on through the Mohawk Valley to Scotia, crossing the Mohawk River into Schenectady. After a disastrous accident that killed 14 people, the FJ&G acquired in 1904 the Mountain Lake electric railroad; it connected to a resort area north of Gloversville. This ended the railroad's expansion, with a combined Electric and Steam Division railroad bed of 132 miles. The FJ&G and its Sacandaga Park resort did well into the early 1920's. The flooding of the Sacandaga River valley in 1930, automobiles and roads, changing vacationing life styles and the economic depression of the late 1920's into the 30's, together proved too much. The FJ&G declared bankruptcy in 1938. The cottages were sold and over time, the Adirondack Inn, Golf Course, utility infrastructure, power plants, Stations, beach, other land parcels were disposed off. The Gloversville Station burnt in 1969, the ADK Inn in 1975 - after it had changed owners a few times. The remaining railroad assets were taken over by the Delaware Otsego Corporation in 1974.
.
RAILROADS OF THE ADIRONDACKS
In the late 1800's and .early 1900's many small Adirondack railroad lines served the logging and mining industries and provided passenger access to the resorts deeper in the region. There were no roads.
FJ&G RAILROAD TRACKS
The FJ&G railroad was a small but quality operation. At the time, the region had a well-diversified industrial base. The Sacandaga Park resort amenities showed attention to detai, planning foresight and aiming for the best.
THE GLOVERSVILLE STATION
The Gloversville Station was an impressive masonry structure. It was the FJ&G's administrative center. It burned down in 1969. By then it was largely empty and vandalized. Some of the historical documents and maps had been removed prior to the fire and turned up later.
THE NORTHVILLE STATION
The endpoint of the Northern Division. From here on, stage coaches took passengers deeper into the Adirondacks. There was also a significant amount of freight transport of lumber and manufactured goods.
TURN-AROUND IN NORTHVILLE
Notice in the background the Northville bridge over the Sacandaga River into Northville. The turn-around was right along the river and the entire area of the tracks, Northville Station, freight storage areas and turn-around were flooded in 1930.
THE TRACK RELOCATION MAP
By 1926 it was certain that the Sacandaga River Valley would be flooded by the construction of a dam in Conklinville. The valley was then quickly emptied by the threat of eminent domain, use of misinformation and land acquisition strategies. The FJ&G took the settlement $$, abandoned the Northville line, largely divested from the Park and focussed on keeping the remaining rail network profitable.
SPRING 1930 - WATER RISING
In the Spring of 1930, the water in the new reservoir filled more quickly than planned; not all of the railroad ties were salvaged. The design of the reservoir for flood control including retaining dams to hold back water and avoid exposing mud flats in late summer, was a success. Over time, recreational opportunities - bathing, fishing, boating - developed and the cost/benefit allocation of the reservoir became a hot topic.
;AFTER 1930
By the mid 1920's passenger and freight transportation over the Northville line started to decline. The FJ&G re-allocated maintenance, aiming to maximize the profitability of the line and the Park and maximize eventual compensation of its flooded out assets. After 1930, the Station served as a bus Station and remained a community gathering place.