Toggle Background Video Playback Cornelliana All Aboard! ‘Observation Trains’ Offered Mobile Views of Crew Races Stories You May Like Vintage Scrapbooks Offer Fascinating Windows into Student Life Once Upon a Time, Beebe Was a Wonderland for Frozen Fun Alum’s Big Red Memorabilia Collection Captures a Bygone Era Once upon a time, thousands cheered on the Big Red from packed rail cars chugging along the shore of Cayuga Lake By Joe Wilensky More than a century ago, intercollegiate rowing at Cornell was at the height of its popularity as a spectator sport. Beginning in the late 1800s, throngs of Big Red supporters would gather along the east shore of Cayuga Lake. Some cheered from boats on the water—while others watched from coveted seats on the “observation train.” Imagine dozens of flatbed cars outfitted with open bleachers facing the lake, filled with cheering fans. They’d chug along the shoreline like a moving grandstand, keeping pace with the racing crews from start to finish, with race lengths ranging from two miles to four. A packed train on Cayuga’s shore. (Rare and Manuscript Collections) As Alan Held ’17—a former Big Red lightweight rower who’s now the archivist for the Cornell Rowing Association—explains, engines were situated at either end, so “after pacing each event, the train would reverse direction and run north to the start of the next race.” This configuration led professor O.D. von Engeln—author of At Cornell, a popular campus guidebook of the era—to describe the train as “a hydra-headed beast … puffing along down the shore.” Observation trains could stretch up to 40 cars long. With up to 100 spectators per car, that meant 4,000 fans could ride—yelling, cheering, and waving flags along the way. For other intercollegiate regattas, the trains plied the rails along Connecticut’s Thames River and the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie. A coveted ticket. (Joe Kirschner / provided) Rowing enthusiasts often lined up the night before tickets were available, says Eric Langstedt ’01, a former Big Red oarsman who authored The Rise of Cornell Rowing 1871–1920. News coverage of a May 1901 regatta noted that “ticket sales began at 8 a.m., with 3,000 tickets being sold in less than an hour.” Boarding the train in 1920. (Rare and Manuscript Collections) The trains nearly always sold out, with the tickets often kept as mementos. “I don’t think people realize how important Cornell rowing was,” observes Joe Kirschner ’93, a prolific collector of Big Red sports memorabilia. “It put Cornell on the map—they were the king of college rowing for many years.” Stories You May Like Vintage Scrapbooks Offer Fascinating Windows into Student Life Once Upon a Time, Beebe Was a Wonderland for Frozen Fun These Super Bowl-sized contests were some of the nation’s biggest spectator events, Kirschner explains. A ticket preserved in a 1919 scrapbook. (Rare and Manuscript Collections) Through his own research and the bounty of ephemera in his collection, Kirschner can paint a vivid picture. Celebrations were held in the days and nights leading up to the regatta, with crowds of 30,000 lining the river for the races and hundreds of boats following along. “Everyone would be dressed up, they’d have pennants and stuff, and they’d roar, cheer, and sing songs,” he says. “After a huge win, there would be a parade, and the athletes would literally be carried down the street.” Ithaca’s first observation train, outfitted by the Lehigh Valley Railroad, ran in 1890, when spectators watched Cornell beat Bowdoin; the last ran in 1936. (Story continues below) ‘A Unique Sight’ “The observation train, 35 or more cars long, banked high with seats and crowded to capacity with a gay freight of holiday makers is in itself a unique sight. It winds ponderously along the shore of the lake, an engine puffing at each end, while the bright colors of the gowns worn by the feminine passengers stand out in pleasing contrast with the dark rich green of the foliage on the steep slope and the high rock cliffs that overhang the tracks. Banners wave, Cornell colors predominating; heads bob, everybody is interested and excited. Along the shores and on the lake is an equally animated scene. Here thousands of other spectators have been gathering for hours past, coming by motor, afoot and afloat. Over the wooded hills on the far side of the water the sun is sinking low, evening clouds gather and the whole scene is soon aglow with the golden colors of a Cayuga sunset.” — Prof. O.D. von Engeln, Concerning Cornell A combination of factors prompted their demise, including railroads no longer wanting to tie up key stretches of track for hours, and wartime constraints. “To my knowledge, only a few feeble attempts at observation trains took place after World War II, when the trains were taken apart for their metal,” Langstedt says. “It was likely a main cause of the decline in regatta attendance.” The lake’s “fickle conditions” also played a factor, Held notes; Big Red races are no longer rowed on Cayuga’s open water. A more dependable course was created in the mid-1960s, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged a new inlet near downtown Ithaca. In 1930, a train chugs by cars lining East Shore Drive. (Rare and Manuscript Collections) Held is now a manager with the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway Corporation. Given his particular combination of career and Big Red crew experience, he sometimes feels nostalgic for an era that predated his own rowing days by more than a century. “Today, rowers in the last quarter of their races on the Cayuga Inlet can be inspired by the cheers of their friends and families as they come past the boathouse,” he observes. “But one can’t help wondering what it would have been like to hear those cheers pace them for the duration of the race.” Top: Big Red regattas of the 1920s (Rare and Manuscript Collections / Courtesy of Allan H. Mogensen 1923). Published April 12, 2023 Comments Joseph Kirschner, Class of 1993 13 Apr, 2023 Such a wonderfully vivid article describing this unique era in Cornell’s athletic history. How special would it be if such a scene could be reenacted today. It was an experience almost unique to Cornell. The observation trains provided the perfect platform for Cornell fans to watch their champion crews. The exploits of the Cornell Navy made headlines in every newspaper across the nation, and globally. Thanks for sharing this with all Cornellians. Reply Brooke Schumm, Class of 1977 13 Apr, 2023 As a train lover and former rower who walked all over Ithaca’s old roadbeds, I really enjoyed the article and thank you for preserving the memories. Reply Logan M Cheek, Class of 1960 25 Apr, 2023 Crew as a spectator sport: In speculating on a revival, is the railbed still in place? The alternative of course would be a drone video, now used at Henley. Reply David H Berwald, Class of 1970 26 Apr, 2023 Read The Boys In The Boat to learn more about the halcyon days of crew in America. Cornell was a power. Reply Eric Beane, Class of 1993 6 Jul, 2024 I also learned about Cornell’s rowing prowess in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century from reading Boys in the Boat Reply Steve Drayzen, Class of 1977 30 Apr, 2023 In reply to Logan Cheek’s question, yes the tracks are in place and used by a short line railroad to service the salt mine….it’s a freight only railroad and it’s most unlikely the scenes shown in the article will ever be repeated. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Alumni Alum’s Youth Baseball Club Fosters Pro Players—and Scholars Quizzes & Puzzles March / April ’24 Trivia Roundup Cornelliana Big Red Books, Perfect for Gifting