Delaware and Northern Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Delaware and Northern Railroad was a small railroad in Delaware County
that was founded in 1905, and was planned to go from East Branch, where it would make a connection with the New York, Ontario and Western Railway
, to Arkville, where it would connect with the Ulster and Delaware. This line followed close to the banks of the East Branch of the Delaware River, and had plans of expansion, but never made it far, only getting to Arkville. The line was scrapped in 1942, when the Pepacton Reservoir
took over its right-of-way, and forced the D&N to go out of business.
, whose name was R.B. Williams, got the idea for another railroad near the end of the 19th century. This railroad would start at the busy town of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
, reach the beginning of the East Branch of the Delaware River near the town of Hancock, New York, where it would make a junction with Williams' O&W railway and the Erie Railroad
, and keep going along the rest of the river to Arkville, New York, where it would make a connection with the already existing Ulster and Delaware Railroad
. It would then go northeast to Delanson, New York, where it would make a sharp north turn to the thriving town of Schenectady, New York
, where there also lie the Schenectady Locomotive Works
. There was also to be a branch that was to go from an area between the towns of Union Grove, New York, and Shavertown, New York, where a branch would go to Andes, New York
, and make a sharp northeast turn for the town of Bovina, New York
. It would be called the "Delaware and Eastern Railroad", as construction would begin at the Delaware River
and go east (northeast, actually) to the town of Schenectady.
There was a problem, though; there was another railroad that was about to be charted, called the Middleburgh and Schoharie. It would go from Middleburgh, New York, to Grand Gorge, New York, where it would meet the Ulster and Delaware Railroad
, and continue on to Scranton, Pennsylvania
. That would mean that it would serve practically the same purpose as the Delaware and Eastern. So the future crew of the D&E and the future crew of the M&S had a meeting in Albany, New York
, to see which railroad would be chartered. It was eventually decided that the D&E would be chartered. So another person, J.J. Searing, became president of the D&E, and had taken on the task of charting. Construction began at East Branch, New York in 1906, with two subsidiaries helping with the construction; the Hancock and East Branch and the Schenectady and Margaretville, which were soon incorporated into the D&E. Service started later that year. The D&E's first locomotive, an ex-Delaware, Lackawanna and Western locomotive that arrived at Downsville, New York, the D&E's headquarters. The branch to Andes, which was planned to reach Bovina, was constructed the same year, and was called the Andes Branch. Service didn't begin on the branch until 1907, however, and when it first opened, the station at the end of the branch, the Andes Station, was just being completed.
While things might have seemed good on the surface, there were bad things in the progress of the railroad being finished. There were rises in drops in the progress of extending the railroad, and a telegraph was sent in 1907 saying that they weren't continuing the extension. This was because the workers believed that they were getting insufficient pay. With extension ground to a halt, the railroad was stuck being a 37.52-mile-long railroad from East Branch to Arkville, New York, where it met the Ulster & Delaware. There wasn't enough money being made from the passenger service in the small Delaware County
towns, and the railroad was headed straight for bankruptcy. A wreck also took place in 1908. It took place in Arena, New York, where a train had collapsed on the weak rails and sent it into the river below. This cut into service on the line by holding up trains trying to go by. The railroad went bankrupt in 1911, when it had five locomotives, and it was re-organized later that year as the Delaware and Northern Railroad.
was the site of great activity when the construction of the Schenectady
and Margaretville
Railroad was attempted. Special sidings were built for contractors and a large volume of equipment and supplies were delivered to commence construction. Hundreds of Italian laborers recruited from New York City
were set to work grading the new line. Unfortunately, the money soon ran out, the workers were not paid and the whole project collapsed. Many of the laborers walked back to New York City following the tracks on which they had arrived. Evidence of the grading can still be seen today along the valley from Grand Gorge Railroad Station
down to Prattsville
.
, along with the headquarters being moved from Downsville to Margaretville, with an entire yard built there. Margaretville was now the busiest part of the line, with 20 workers and two motor cars for maintenance on the line, and when it was time for the town fair, ten people were given jobs at the shops.
Since 1907, the City of New York was looking for a good place to put a reservoir. There was the Ashokan Reservoir
in what used to be the Ashokan Valley, which the U&D helped build. The D&N officials got together to discuss an idea of an extension from Andes to Bovina, and another from Grand Gorge to Prattsville, where the line could get the supplies for a reservoir that was planned to be near the line. However, the town of Bovina didn't like the idea, and it was dropped. The railroad now had an income loss of $50,898, and because there was a good chance of a $29,392 debt, prices were increased from 3.6 cents a mile to 5 cents a mile. An offer came to the D&N from the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in 1921 to buy the line, but they refused. With the new receivers being Andrew Moreland and Jim Welch, they made wage cuts, as to keep some money to pay off the debts they owed.
A big relief came in 1926, when the railroad purchased a maroon Brill motor car which they named the "Red Heifer". It made two round trips a day, and saved the line $30,000 a year. But this still didn't save it from bankruptcy. The growing popularity of the automobile was killing the line. The Title Guarantee & Trust Company filed a petition to abandon the line in 1926, as the line was now doing very poorly. Concrete was destroying the bluestone industry. The hillsides were nearly stripped of timber. The chemical plants were closing down, for they needed wood to run the plant. There wasn't even enough traffic to raise money to pay for one round trip a day. But then Sam Rosoff, from present-day Belarus
, became the new president in 1928. But this didn't mean a lot to some people, considering there were rumors that he intended a $9,000,000,000 squeeze, and that he brought the line just to transport materials for the construction of the Pepacton Reservoir
.
After all the commotion, when the D&N workers were finally about to extend the line, the Interstate Commerce Commission
wasn't allowing any extensions. There would be too much competition from other railroads. There were very few places that the railroad could get to Pennsylvania
without crossing or touching another railroad. The new president sold the railroad to the State of New York in 1939 for $200,000, and was sinking $60,000 into the line every year until he sold it. The railroad was abandoned in 1942, with all the 40,000 tons of rolling stock and locomotives sold for scrap at a price of $50,000 a piece. The entire railroad was soon scrapped, with the Pepacton taking over most of its right-of-way.
Delaware County, New York
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
that was founded in 1905, and was planned to go from East Branch, where it would make a connection with the New York, Ontario and Western Railway
New York, Ontario and Western Railway
The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidated by a US bankruptcy judge. The O&W holds the distinction of being the first major U.S...
, to Arkville, where it would connect with the Ulster and Delaware. This line followed close to the banks of the East Branch of the Delaware River, and had plans of expansion, but never made it far, only getting to Arkville. The line was scrapped in 1942, when the Pepacton Reservoir
Pepacton Reservoir
The Pepacton Reservoir, also known as the Downsville Reservoir or the Downsville Dam, is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York that was formed by impounding over ¼ of the East Branch of the Delaware River...
took over its right-of-way, and forced the D&N to go out of business.
Delaware and Eastern Railroad
The president of the New York, Ontario and Western RailwayNew York, Ontario and Western Railway
The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidated by a US bankruptcy judge. The O&W holds the distinction of being the first major U.S...
, whose name was R.B. Williams, got the idea for another railroad near the end of the 19th century. This railroad would start at the busy town of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
, reach the beginning of the East Branch of the Delaware River near the town of Hancock, New York, where it would make a junction with Williams' O&W railway and the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
, and keep going along the rest of the river to Arkville, New York, where it would make a connection with the already existing 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,...
. It would then go northeast to Delanson, New York, where it would make a sharp north turn to the thriving town of Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
, where there also lie the 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....
. There was also to be a branch that was to go from an area between the towns of Union Grove, New York, and Shavertown, New York, where a branch would go to Andes, New York
Andes (hamlet), New York
Andes is a hamlet in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 289 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a village.Andes is located on Route 28 and is the only significant community in the Town of Andes.- History :...
, and make a sharp northeast turn for the town of Bovina, New York
Bovina, New York
Bovina is a town in Delaware County, New York, USA. The population was 664 at the 2000 census. The town name is derived from the traditional bovine dairy economy. Bovina is an interior town in the eastern part of the county.- History :...
. It would be called the "Delaware and Eastern Railroad", as construction would begin at the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
and go east (northeast, actually) to the town of Schenectady.
There was a problem, though; there was another railroad that was about to be charted, called the Middleburgh and Schoharie. It would go from Middleburgh, New York, to Grand Gorge, New York, where it would meet 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,...
, and continue on to Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
. That would mean that it would serve practically the same purpose as the Delaware and Eastern. So the future crew of the D&E and the future crew of the M&S had a meeting in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, to see which railroad would be chartered. It was eventually decided that the D&E would be chartered. So another person, J.J. Searing, became president of the D&E, and had taken on the task of charting. Construction began at East Branch, New York in 1906, with two subsidiaries helping with the construction; the Hancock and East Branch and the Schenectady and Margaretville, which were soon incorporated into the D&E. Service started later that year. The D&E's first locomotive, an ex-Delaware, Lackawanna and Western locomotive that arrived at Downsville, New York, the D&E's headquarters. The branch to Andes, which was planned to reach Bovina, was constructed the same year, and was called the Andes Branch. Service didn't begin on the branch until 1907, however, and when it first opened, the station at the end of the branch, the Andes Station, was just being completed.
While things might have seemed good on the surface, there were bad things in the progress of the railroad being finished. There were rises in drops in the progress of extending the railroad, and a telegraph was sent in 1907 saying that they weren't continuing the extension. This was because the workers believed that they were getting insufficient pay. With extension ground to a halt, the railroad was stuck being a 37.52-mile-long railroad from East Branch to Arkville, New York, where it met the Ulster & Delaware. There wasn't enough money being made from the passenger service in the small Delaware County
Delaware County
Delaware County is the name of six counties in the United States of America:* Delaware County, Indiana* Delaware County, Iowa* Delaware County, New York* Delaware County, Ohio* Delaware County, Oklahoma* Delaware County, Pennsylvania...
towns, and the railroad was headed straight for bankruptcy. A wreck also took place in 1908. It took place in Arena, New York, where a train had collapsed on the weak rails and sent it into the river below. This cut into service on the line by holding up trains trying to go by. The railroad went bankrupt in 1911, when it had five locomotives, and it was re-organized later that year as the Delaware and Northern Railroad.
Schenectady and Margaretville
For a time Grand GorgeGrand Gorge, New York
Grand Gorge is a hamlet in Roxbury, Delaware County, New York, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 12434...
was the site of great activity when the construction of the Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
and Margaretville
Margaretville, New York
Margaretville is a village in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 643 at the 2000 census.The Village of Margaretville is in the Town of Middletown. The village is on the border of the Catskill Park...
Railroad was attempted. Special sidings were built for contractors and a large volume of equipment and supplies were delivered to commence construction. Hundreds of Italian laborers recruited from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
were set to work grading the new line. Unfortunately, the money soon ran out, the workers were not paid and the whole project collapsed. Many of the laborers walked back to New York City following the tracks on which they had arrived. Evidence of the grading can still be seen today along the valley from Grand Gorge Railroad Station
Grand Gorge Railroad Station
Grand Gorge Station, MP 65.5 on the Ulster and Delaware Railroad , originally known as Moresville, is a train station that had more freight service than passenger service. Its main business was the freight coming from the local farms and dairy products from the Decker-Slawson Creamery, which later...
down to Prattsville
Prattsville, New York
Prattsville is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The Town of Prattsville is in the northwest part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 700.- History :...
.
Delaware and Northern Railroad
This new railroad had William H. Seif as the new president, and still had the plans of the old railroad, hoping to extend to Wilkes-Barre and Schenectady. Many changes were made; three of the D&E's old locomotives were scrapped (D&N #1-3), and the remaining two (D&E #2 & 4), were re-assigned as D&N locomotives #4 & 6, along with new ones purchased from the Chicago and Eastern Illinois RailroadChicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago to southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville. Founded in 1877, it grew aggressively and stayed relatively strong throughout the Great Depression and two World Wars before being purchased by the Missouri Pacific...
, along with the headquarters being moved from Downsville to Margaretville, with an entire yard built there. Margaretville was now the busiest part of the line, with 20 workers and two motor cars for maintenance on the line, and when it was time for the town fair, ten people were given jobs at the shops.
Since 1907, the City of New York was looking for a good place to put a reservoir. There was the Ashokan Reservoir
Ashokan Reservoir
The Ashokan Reservoir is a reservoir in Ulster County, New York, USA. The reservoir is in the eastern end of the Catskill Park, and is one of several reservoirs created to provide the City of New York with water. However, it is one of only two reservoirs in the Catskill Watershed. It is also New...
in what used to be the Ashokan Valley, which the U&D helped build. The D&N officials got together to discuss an idea of an extension from Andes to Bovina, and another from Grand Gorge to Prattsville, where the line could get the supplies for a reservoir that was planned to be near the line. However, the town of Bovina didn't like the idea, and it was dropped. The railroad now had an income loss of $50,898, and because there was a good chance of a $29,392 debt, prices were increased from 3.6 cents a mile to 5 cents a mile. An offer came to the D&N from the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in 1921 to buy the line, but they refused. With the new receivers being Andrew Moreland and Jim Welch, they made wage cuts, as to keep some money to pay off the debts they owed.
A big relief came in 1926, when the railroad purchased a maroon Brill motor car which they named the "Red Heifer". It made two round trips a day, and saved the line $30,000 a year. But this still didn't save it from bankruptcy. The growing popularity of the automobile was killing the line. The Title Guarantee & Trust Company filed a petition to abandon the line in 1926, as the line was now doing very poorly. Concrete was destroying the bluestone industry. The hillsides were nearly stripped of timber. The chemical plants were closing down, for they needed wood to run the plant. There wasn't even enough traffic to raise money to pay for one round trip a day. But then Sam Rosoff, from present-day Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, became the new president in 1928. But this didn't mean a lot to some people, considering there were rumors that he intended a $9,000,000,000 squeeze, and that he brought the line just to transport materials for the construction of the Pepacton Reservoir
Pepacton Reservoir
The Pepacton Reservoir, also known as the Downsville Reservoir or the Downsville Dam, is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York that was formed by impounding over ¼ of the East Branch of the Delaware River...
.
After all the commotion, when the D&N workers were finally about to extend the line, the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
wasn't allowing any extensions. There would be too much competition from other railroads. There were very few places that the railroad could get to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
without crossing or touching another railroad. The new president sold the railroad to the State of New York in 1939 for $200,000, and was sinking $60,000 into the line every year until he sold it. The railroad was abandoned in 1942, with all the 40,000 tons of rolling stock and locomotives sold for scrap at a price of $50,000 a piece. The entire railroad was soon scrapped, with the Pepacton taking over most of its right-of-way.
Main Line Stations
- East Branch Railroad Station
- Harvard Railroad Station
- Long Flat Railroad Station
- Shinhopple Railroad Station
- Gregorytown Railroad Station
- Corbett Railroad Station
- Colchester Railroad Station
- Downsville Railroad Station
- Scoville Railroad Station
- Pepacton Railroad Station
- Shavertown Railroad Station
- Andes Junction Railroad Station
- Union Grove Railroad Station
- Arena Railroad Station
- Dunraven Railroad Station
- Keeney's Railroad Station
- Margaretville Railroad StationMargaretville Railroad StationMargaretville Railroad Station at Margaretville, New York, MP 35.9, was located on the southern side of the Delaware River at the foot of Mt. Pakatakan, with the village on the northern side. The headquarters for the Delaware and Northern Railroad was located on the second floor of the Galli-Curci...
- Arkville Railroad StationArkville Railroad StationThe Arkville Station, MP 48.1 on the Ulster and Delaware Railroad , and MP 37.52 on the Delaware and Northern Railroad , was another busy station, as this served as a junction between the two railroads...
Branch Stations
- Pleasant Valley Railroad Station
- Wolf Hollow Railroad Station
- Kaufman's Railroad Station
- Andes Railroad StationAndes Railroad StationAndes Station, branch MP 8.45, was the busiest railroad station on the Delaware and Northern's Andes Branch, serving the bustling Village of Andes, and was also at the branch's northern terminus...