By Railfan & Railroad Staff

NORTH CREEK, N.Y. — A New Mexico company with grand plans to reopen a New York titanium mine and move ore by rail failed to pay the deposit on the $3.33 million it bid for a large part of the former Saratoga & North Creek, meaning the next highest bidder will now get the railroad. The Times Union reports that Revolution Rail will pay $2.7 million for the 27.9-mile section of track between North Creek and Tahawus, N.Y. 

The railroad was built in the 1870s and eventually became part of the Delaware & Hudson. In 2011, Iowa Pacific acquired it and formed the Saratoga & North Creek, which ran until 2018. Not long after, Iowa Pacific went bankrupt. Part of the line was owned by Iowa Pacific and the rest of the route is owned by local municipalities. 

In March, John and Carol McClean-Wright’s Doc N Duchess Rails LLC was the top bidder for the railroad. The couple previously owned a dude ranch in the area but had no railroad experience. The new owners were supposed to put down a downpayment for the railroad in the weeks after the auction and when they failed to meet the deadline the deal was voided. Now Revolution Rail, a local rail bike operator, will get the operation. SMS Rail Services will be contracted to operate any freight service that develops on the line.