Friends of Taconic State Park (FTSP) will celebrate the grand opening of the Pomeroy Family Railroad at the Copake Iron Works in Taconic State Park on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 2 pm. The public is invited to attend the celebration and take an inaugural ride on the railroad.
The opening day ceremonies will feature remarks by Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner of New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and William G. Pomeroy, Founder and Trustee of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Other dignitaries who will attend include New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett, Copake Town Supervisor Jeanne Mettler, and Edgar Masters, the Chair of the Taconic Region Commission. Jim Mackin, president of the FTSP Board of Directors will officiate.
The Pomeroy Family Railroad, built and operated entirely by volunteers, will run on a 950 foot loop and will pull two ore carts retrofitted to carry children and adults of all ages. The train replicates the narrow gauge railroad that circumnavigated the Copake Iron Works during its 19th century heyday. The original train transported iron ore from the nearby mine (the area now known as the Ore Pit Swimming Area) to the blast furnace located in the center of the Iron Works. The railroad is expected to attract many visitors to Taconic State Park and educate them about the area’s rich industrial heritage.
Friends of Taconic State Park identified the re-creation of the narrow gauge railroad that once circumnavigated the Copake Iron Works as a priority project in 2010. Following several years of planning and permit seeking, construction of the railroad began in September 2021. The train is operational and will be open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays from mid-June until late October.
Read more about railroads in New York State here.
Photo of Pomeroy Family Railroad at the Copake Iron Works provided.
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