Tools

Old railway could see new life as a tourist attraction

By By MEGAN KOSKOVICH

Story Created: Jun 24, 2009 at 3:38 PM EST

Story Updated: Jun 24, 2009 at 4:25 PM EST

RICHFIELD SPRINGS, N.Y. (WKTV) - An old, abandoned rail corridor that runs through Oneida, Herkimer and Otsego counties is getting a second chance.

Not as a railway, but as a tourist attraction.

Ben Gottfried and his business partner Ronald Sadlon recently purchased the 18 1/2 mile Utica, Chenango and Susquehanna Valley corridor. It stretches from Bridgewater to the Town of Richfield.

"We were the ones who came along and said we would take the whole corridor intact and not parcel it out," Gottfried said.

The corridor was built in 1868. Many local businesses along the corridor used the rail line to ship their goods and cargo. Now the corridor is overgrown with weeds and tall grass.

Gottfried and Sadlon have many ideas for the corridor, such as creating snowmobile and cross country skiing trails and pedestrian paths.

"I'd like to see it as something we could all be proud of in the area, something that would bring value to the area," Gottfried said.
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