From the Train

Some observations from the train. I'm on a Metro North train going into New York City. It is an hour and forty minute pleasant journey along the Hudson River. The foliage is out now so you don't get a full view of the river all the time, but there are long clear spaces to take in the river and it's life.

The river itself is 315 miles long and is not really a river below Troy, New York. It is an estuary and very tidal. The Lenape Indians called it Muhheakantuck which means the river that runs both ways.

Someone just got on the train at Beacon with an aromatic toasted onion bagel; the aroma is wonderful.

Question: Why do those who have a bad connection on a cell phone shout to see if they hear you? Loudly, “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” The entire car turned to look at this idiot.

West Point is coming up across the river. It is the oldest of the military service academies and still a magnificent fortress. It has been an army-post since 1778.

Just across the river from West Point is Constitution Marsh, a massive marshland and breeding ground for both flora and fauna of water and land. At one time it was one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world. During the Korean War there was a cadmium battery plant nearby and it discharged its toxic waste into the marsh. No modern era cleanup was even planned thinking it is better to leave the waste undisturbed and covered with a half century of silt.

There are five bridges crossing the river heading southbound into NYC from where I get on the train. The last bridge is the George Washington that connects New Jersey to Manhattan. When I first comuted into Manhattan the toll was fifty cents one way. Now it's $13.00 round trip. Now you know why I'm on the train.

The Bear Mountain Bridge has an interesting history. It was built privately by the Harriman family in 1922 under a bond issue through the Harriman banking and brokerage firm. At that time the Harriman family owned land on both sides of the river and a bridge was needed for access. Eventually it was deeded over to New York State in 1940. When it was opened in 1924 it was the longest suspension bridge span in the world.

Heading into Peekskill you can see the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, New York. It's one of the oldest nuclear power generating stations in the country; operating since 1962 and there are continuous efforts from various groups to have it closed down.

The train is fairly full now. Lots of kids, teenagers mostly heading into the city for some experience. It's near the end of the school year and many class outings visit the United Nations as part of their educational curriculum. Their dress, for me at least was suspect; Short shorts, grubby jeans, tee shirts and halter-tops. That wasn't the way I was allowed to travel way back when.

There are patches of lingering late morning fog in the wider expanses of the Hudson. This morning it gives the river a mystical character, but boat and barge traffic brings it back to reality.

In a few moments we'll stop at Ossining, New York. It's home of the famous Sing Sing prison and the genesis of the prison phrase getting sent up the river.

As a pilot I have flown the Hudson corridor many times. Granted I was concentrating on my approach to Teterboro Airport, but I do remember the expanse of the Hudson and its service to the people of the region.

Some more observation in the future.