Van Cortland Park
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
These things in Van Cortland Park completely mystified me. They seemed to have no structural purpose, had been there for years, and didn’t seem to be intentional art. I told my pal, Lipbone Redding, a Bronx resident and my trail guide for the day, that all I had to do to find out what this was all about was to post the photo on Flickr.
drewbic says: Before constructing the new Grand Central Terminal , the New York Central Railroad set up thirteen pillars made of different stone alongside the Putnam Division tracks. After comparative evaluation, one particular type of stone was chosen for use in Grand Central.
weird, eh?
The Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. We started out on this but also intersected with the John Muir trail and the John Kieran Nature Trail, and briefly over the border in Westchester, the well maintained North/South County Trailways.
All along the trail you can find very closely placed railroad ties, maybe placed there as a plank road.
There were many geese in the park. I’m not sure if they are just visiting or permanent residents.
It looks like we are in the wilderness but the sound of one highway or another was always in the background.
Van Cortland Lake an artificial lake. The location of an old saw mill.
Before constructing the new Grand Central Terminal , the New York Central Railroad set up thirteen pillars made of different stone alongside the Putnam Division tracks. After comparative evaluation, one particular type of stone was chosen for use in Grand Central.
weird, eh?
Wow. that is amazing! I was totally mystified, they didn’t seem to fill any likely function. Thanks, drewbic.
Before constructing the new Grand Central Terminal , the New York Central Railroad set up thirteen pillars made of different stone alongside the Putnam Division tracks. After comparative evaluation, one particular type of stone was chosen for use in Grand Central.
weird, eh?
Wow. that is amazing! I was totally mystified, they didn’t seem to fill any likely function. Thanks, drewbic.
w o w !
Love this
Great description. Next time Lipbone’s your guide for a hike of the wilds of the outer Bronx, let me know and I’m there.
Love this
w o w !
spooky.. are the tracks still there? looks like they’re gone
I didn’t see any rails, just the ties, sometimes forming a plank road. I should go back and explore more, maybe after doing some research on the history of the trails.
This is the remains of the Van Cortland Park Train Station on Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad.
Thanks uhl4ever.