Question: The Albany and Schenectady Railroad was built as a quicker alternative to bypass a place that a feat of supernatural strength was performed by who?

Context paragraphs:
Schenectady and Duanesburgh Railroad: The Schenectady and Duanesburgh Railroad, incorporated in July 1873, was a predecessor of the Delaware and Hudson Railway that owned the 14.2 mi line between the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad at Schenectady and the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad at Delanson.  It was incorporated on December 27, 1869, as the Schenectady and Susquehanna Railroad, and opened in about August 1872, always leased to the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company.  The property was sold under foreclosure on July 10, 1873, and conveyed to the Schenectady and Duanesburgh Railroad on July 12.  The company was merged into the Delaware and Hudson Company on August 4, 1903.

Harmony Mills: Harmony Mills, in Cohoes, New York, United States, is an industrial district that is bordered by the Mohawk River and the tracks of the former Troy and Schenectady Railroad (now the Mohawk-Hudson bike trail).  It was listed as Harmony Mills Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.  A portion of the district encompassing the industrial buildings and some of the housing built for millworkers was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1999.  The centerpiece building, Harmony Mill No. 3 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

George William Featherstonhaugh: George William Featherstonhaugh FRS (London, 9 April 1780 – Le Havre, 28 September 1866) was a British-American geologist and geographer.  He was one of the proposers of the Albany and Schenectady Railroad and was the first geologist to the US government.  He surveyed portions of the Louisiana Purchase for the US Government.

Muleshoe Curve: Muleshoe Curve is a curve of track on the former Pennsylvania Railroad, located near Duncansville, Pennsylvania.  It never reached the same amount of popularity as the nearby Horseshoe Curve, located 4.34 mi (7 km) north of Muleshoe curve.  This was mainly due to it being merely a secondary route between Spruce Creek and Gallitzin.  Built in 1850s by the state of Pennsylvania as part of the New Portage Railroad (itself built to bypass the inclined planes of the Allegheny Portage Railroad).  Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) purchased the line (and the curve) in 1857 and promptly closed it, as the PRR already had their own line in the region.  The rails were removed and used by the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad.  In 1904 the line was reopened and double tracked by the PRR as a bypass.  One track was removed in 1955 and the other in 1981.  After the railroad was taken over by Conrail, Muleshoe Curve was permanently abandoned in 1981.

A7 road (Great Britain): The A7 is a major trunk road in the United Kingdom, that runs south from Edinburgh in Central Scotland to Carlisle in North West England.  The A7 meets the M6 motorway close to Carlisle, which runs south to the north west, Midlands and south of England.  However, the A702 road, which runs further to the north east, and the A74 (M) south, provide a quicker alternative and serve as the main link between Edinburgh and the M6.

Pioneer (locomotive): Pioneer is the name of the first railroad locomotive to operate in Chicago, Illinois.  It was built in 1837 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Utica and Schenectady Railroad (U&S) in New York, then purchased used by William B. Ogden for the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (G&CU, the oldest predecessor of Chicago and North Western Railway).  The locomotive arrived in Chicago by schooner on October 10, 1848, and it pulled the first train westbound out of the city on October 25, 1848.

Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad: The Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad was incorporated on February 16, 1831.  The founders were Henry Walton, John Clarke, William A. Langworthy, John H.

Schenectady and Troy Railroad: The Troy & Schenectady Railroad was incorporated May 21, 1836.  The stock was divided into five hundred shares at one hundred dollars each.  The building of the road began in 1841, and trains began running from Schenectady to Troy, New York in the fall of 1841 (21.0 miles).  It was constructed by the city of Troy, the corporation issuing its bonds in the amount of $649,142.  Consolidated into the New York Central Railroad under the act of 1853.

Albany and Schenectady Railroad: The Mohawk & Hudson Railroad was the first railroad built in the State of New York and one of the first railroads in the United States.  It was so-named because it linked the Mohawk River at Schenectady with the Hudson River at Albany.  It was conceived as a means of allowing Erie Canal passengers to quickly bypass the circuitous Cohoes Falls via steam powered trains.

Cohoes Falls: Cohoes Falls [Kahon:ios, Mohawk for "Canoe Falls"] is a waterfall on the Mohawk River shared by the city of Cohoes and the town of Waterford, New York, United States.  Discovered by the indigenous people, the falls were called "Ga-ha-oose" or "Ga-ho'n'-yoos" by the Mohawks, which is believed to mean "The Place of the Falling Canoe."  Cohoes historian Arthur Masten wrote in his 1880 history that the phrase might mean "Potholes in the River," referring to the potholes that appear in the riverbed when it is dry.  In the oral tradition of the "Haudenosaunee" (Iroquois), the Cohoes Falls are the site where The Great Peacemaker, performed a feat of supernatural strength, convincing the Mohawk people to become the founders of the Iroquois League of Nations or Confederacy.  Some historians believe the Mohawks launched the Confederacy as early as 1142 CE, though other experts report dates ranging from 1450-1650.

Supporting paragraphs: Albany and Schenectady Railroad Cohoes Falls
Answer: The Great Peacemaker