The West Albany Yard: The Birthplace of the Legendary No. 999.

The West Albany Rail Yard, tucked between the interstate and warehouses just west of downtown, hums to life at 5 AM as the first light paints the tops of Albany’s buildings. The smooth, frictionless whir of the highway’s few early travelers blends with the low idle of trains and the sounds of the surrounding neighborhood, creating a white noise layered with a million small sounds. Once a major hub for New York City’s railroad maintenance, the yard now sees shipments of corn syrup, paper, and lumber and is the starting point for the Troy and Rensselaer locals—smaller trains feeding industries across the Hudson. 

Yet, at this hour, you would never guess this yard birthed a legend. Here, in 1893, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 999 was built at the West Albany Shops, where it would soon claim the world speed record as the first locomotive to surpass 100 miles per hour on the Empire State Express. This Albany-built 4-4-0 “American” type, with its towering 86-inch wheels and sleek black-and-white finish, symbolized the New York Central Railroad’s ambitions and secured Albany’s place in railroad history. 

By dawn, the Corning Tower’s aircraft beacon pulses in the distance, marking time in steady three-second intervals as bakers in culinary whites emerge to begin the day’s bread in the vast bakeries at the yard’s southern boundary. If you’ve ever spent a morning near the yard, you know the fragrance—a wonderful warmth that hangs in the cold air, especially on a cold morning.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
www.bulmerphotography.com
www.johnbulmermedia.com
www.noreasterfilms.com
All Rights Reserved