The Catskill Mountain Railway (CMRy) was a narrow gauge (3') railroad, 15.73 miles (25.3 km) long, running from Catskill

Catskill (town), New York

Catskill is a town in the southeast part of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,775 at the 2010 census. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park....

 to Palenville in Greene County

Greene County, New York

Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...

, New York.

Organized as the Catskill Mountain Railroad

Catskill Mountain Railroad

The Catskill Mountain Railroad , is a heritage railroad based in Shokan, New York, United States that began operations in 1983. It leases from Ulster County the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad tracks from Mile Post 2.8 in Kingston to MP 41.4 in Highmount, where it connects with the Delaware...

 (CMRR) in 1880, construction was begun in 1881 and completed in 1882. Unlike most railroads, the CMRR was built primarily for the purpose of transporting passengers and intended to operate seasonally. Most people using the line were summer tourists who travelled by steamboat from points along the Hudson River

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

. Their final destinations were Hotels and boarding houses located high in the Catskill Mountains

Catskill Mountains

The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...

.
While the railroad served its purpose of bringing passengers closer to the mountain top resorts, it still left them with an arduous hour long stage trip up the face of the Catskill escarpment (also known as the Wall of Manitou).

In 1885 a branch was built to Cairo, NY with the intent to carry bluestone, hay and fruit and run year around. That same year, the CMRR was reorganized as the Catskill Mountain Railway.

The principals had interests in shipping on the Hudson and in Hotels in the Catskill Mountiains.

Competition

Competition soon arose, in the form of the Stony Clove & Catskill Mountain and the Kaaterskill railroad companies, both controlled by the Ulster and Delaware Railroad

Ulster and Delaware Railroad

The Ulster and Delaware Railroad Company was a Class I railroad located in New York State, headquartered in Rondout and founded in 1866. It was often advertised as "The Only All-Rail Route To the Catskill Mountains." At its greatest extent, the U&D ran from Kingston Point, on the Hudson River,...

. These narrow gauge railroads brought passengers much closer to their final destinations, saving them the difficult stage trip CMRR patrons had. To counter the competition, the Otis Elevating Railway

Otis Elevating Railway

The Otis Elevating Railway was a cable funicular railroad to the Catskill Mountain House in Palenville, New York. For the first 64 years of its existence, the Catskill Mountain House was accessible only by a long stage coach from Catskill Landing on the Hudson...

 was formed, hiring the company of Elisha Otis

Elisha Otis

Elisha Graves Otis was an American industrialist, founder of the Otis Elevator Company, and inventor of a safety device that prevents elevators from falling if the hoisting cable fails. He worked on this device while living in Yonkers, New York in 1852, and had a finished product in...

's sons to build a cable railroad. This railroad was completed in 1892. 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) in length, it raised passengers 1600 feet (487.7 m) in x minutes saving saving a one hour stage ride. At the summit, 1 miles (1.6 km) of track was laid to connect with the terminus of the Kaaterskill Railroad.

By 1897 connecting service on the Kaaterskill Railroad had become so bad, that a new railroad, the Catskill and Tannersville Railway

Catskill and Tannersville Railway

The Catskill and Tannersville Railway was a historic narrow gauge railroad operating in New York.Also known as "The Huckleberry", the C&T operated tracks that were laid to a three foot gauge...

 was constructed to run from the Otis to Tannersville. This line paralleled the existing Katterskill one as far as Tannersville. Hastily built, this line had curves as sharp as 20 degrees and a maximum speed of 7 miles per hour. Locally, it was affectionately known as the "Huckleberry" for the fruit which grew along its right of way.

During a 1904 reconstruction of the Otis, a switch was installed to connect with the C&T permitting through freight to operate from Catskill to Tannersville. Because of the slanted seats necessary on the Otis, passengers still had to change cars.

A great boon to the CMRR was the development of the shale brick in 1888 by the Elmira Shale Brick Company. By 1898, raw material mined on the Cairo branch for the Catskill Shale brick company comprised, by tonnage, 95% of the freight carried.

The last trains were run in 1918.

Locomotives

Number	Name	Builder	Type	Date	Shop No.	Notes
1	S. Sherwood Day	Dickson Manufacturing Company Dickson Manufacturing Company Dickson Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of boilers and steam engines used in various industries but most known in railway steam locomotives...	4-4-0	1882	335
2	John T. Mann	Dickson Manufacturing Company Dickson Manufacturing Company Dickson Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of boilers and steam engines used in various industries but most known in railway steam locomotives...	4-4-0	1882	336
3	Charles T. Van Santvoord	Dickson Manufacturing Company Dickson Manufacturing Company Dickson Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of boilers and steam engines used in various industries but most known in railway steam locomotives...	4-4-0	1885	522	Retired in 1911.
4	Charles L. Beach	Schenectady Locomotive Works Schenectady Locomotive Works The Schenectady Locomotive Works built railroad locomotives from its founding in 1848 through its merger into American Locomotive Company in 1901.After the 1901 merger, ALCO made the Schenectady plant its headquarters in Schenectady, New York....	4-4-0	1895	4333	Burned in 1908. Boiler used on #2.
2nd #4	Charles L. Beach	ALCO Schenectady American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...	4-4-0	1909	46645	Sold in 1920 to Oak Grove and Georgetown Railroad.
5	Alfred Van Santvoord	ALCO Rogers American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...	4-4-0	1912	51126	Sold in 1920 to Oak Grove and Georgetown Railroad.

Passenger Cars

Number	Builder	Type	Date	Capacity	Notes
1	Jackson & Sharp	baggage car Baggage car A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...	1882	12 tons	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
2	Jackson & Sharp	baggage car Baggage car A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...	1882	12 tons	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
3	Jackson & Sharp	baggage car Baggage car A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...	1882	12 tons	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
4	Jackson & Sharp	baggage car Baggage car A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...	1882	12 tons	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
5	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1882	50 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
6	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1882	44 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
7	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1882	44 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
8	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1882	44 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
9	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1882	52 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
10	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1882	52 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
11	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1882	52 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
12	Jackson & Sharp	excursion car	1882	longitudinal bench seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
13	Jackson & Sharp	excursion car	1882	longitudinal bench seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
14	Jackson & Sharp	excursion car	1882	longitudinal bench seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
15	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1893	46 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .
16	Jackson & Sharp	coach	1893	46 seats	Sold in 1920 to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... .

Freight Cars

Number	Builder	Type	Date	Capacity	Notes
1	Jackson & Sharp	flatcar Flatcar A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...	1882	12 tons	30 feet long.
2	Jackson & Sharp	flatcar Flatcar A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...	1882	12 tons	30 feet long.
3	Jackson & Sharp	flatcar Flatcar A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...	1882	12 tons	30 feet long.
4	Jackson & Sharp	gondola Gondola (rail) In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...	1882	12 tons	30 feet long.
5	Jackson & Sharp	flatcar Flatcar A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...	1882	12 tons	30 feet long.
6	Jackson & Sharp	flatcar Flatcar A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...	1882	12 tons	30 feet long.
7	Jackson & Sharp	gondola Gondola (rail) In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...	1882	12 tons	31 feet long.
8	Jackson & Sharp	gondola Gondola (rail) In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...	1882	12 tons	31 feet long.
9	Jackson & Sharp	flatcar Flatcar A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...	1882	12 tons	31 feet long.
10	Jackson & Sharp	gondola Gondola (rail) In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...	1882	12 tons	31 feet long.
11	Jackson & Sharp	boxcar Boxcar A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...	1882	12 tons	30 feet long.
12	Jackson & Sharp	boxcar Boxcar A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...	1882	12 tons	Converted to 24 feet (7.3 m) caboose by railroad.
13	Jackson & Sharp	boxcar Boxcar A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...	1893	12 tons	24 feet long.
14	Jackson & Sharp	boxcar Boxcar A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...	1893	12 tons	24 feet long.
15	Catskill Mountain Ry.	gondola Gondola (rail) In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...	1906 or 1907	8 tons	22 feet long. Built for interchange with Otis Ry. and Catskill & Tannersville Ry.
16	Catskill Mountain Ry.	gondola Gondola (rail) In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...	1906 or 1907	8 tons	22 feet long. Built for interchange with Otis Ry. and Catskill & Tannersville Ry.
17	Catskill Mountain Ry.	boxcar Boxcar A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...	1908 or 1909	8 tons	22 feet long. Built for interchange with Otis Ry. and Catskill & Tannersville Ry.
18	Catskill Mountain Ry.	boxcar Boxcar A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...	1908 or 1909	8 tons	22 feet long. Built for interchange with Otis Ry. and Catskill & Tannersville Ry.