Ulster and Delaware Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Ulster and Delaware Railroad Company (U&D) 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
, through the heart of the Catskill Mountains
to its western terminus at Oneonta
, passing through four counties (Ulster
, Delaware
, Schoharie
and Otsego
), with branches to Kaaterskill and Hunter
in Greene County
. The U&D connected with five other railroads: the West Shore Railroad
, Wallkill Valley Railroad and New York, Ontario & Western
in Kingston
; the Delaware and Northern
in Arkville
; the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley in West Davenport and the Delaware & Hudson Railroad in Oneonta
.
Although a small railroad, it was big in stature, as it went through many favored tourist
hot-spots. Many elegant hotels kept business going, some of which were sponsored or built by the railroad. Besides the passenger business, there were also plenty of farms and creameries
(most of them in Delaware County) as well as businesses shipping coal, stone, ice and various wood products.
One of the few downfalls were the many grades: some as steep as 4% (from Hunter to Kaaterskill Junction), with a long 3.2% grade westward on the main line up Pine Hill's Horseshoe Curve to Highmount. A train took almost four hours to get from Kingston Point to Oneonta, running at an average speed of only 30–40 mph (48.3–64.4 km/h), although some sections permitted running at 60 miles per hour (96.6 km/h) or more. When roads improved and automobiles became more widely available, the advantages of train travel were nil.
. An important point on this network was Rondout
. Located at the confluence of the Rondout Creek
and the Hudson River
, in 1828 it became the eastern terminus of the Delaware and Hudson Canal
. Here cargo and passengers were transferred from canal boats to the larger vessels navigating the Hudson.
By the end of the Civil War
, it was clear that railroads were pre-empting waterways as the preferred method of transportation. Thomas Cornell
, founder of the Cornell Steamboat Company and a resident of Rondout
was among those who took notice. Although Cornell made plenty of money from shipping, he envisioned a railroad that would bring supplies from ports in central or western New York to his port in Rondout. So Cornell chartered the Rondout and Oswego on April 3, 1866, with himself as the first president.
With the work of surveying and acquiring rights of way completed, construction started in 1868. Cornell decided to construct this new railroad of 62- and 70-pound rail. It would go from Rondout to the busy city of Oneonta
, and then on to Oswego
on the shore of Lake Ontario
. The R&O at 12 miles (19.3 km) long reached the summer vacation hot-spot of Olive Branch, near the Town of Shokan
on September 30, 1869. By the next year, the first train was run and the railroad was finally operational.
The railroad was extended to Phoenicia
later in 1870 where the railroad built a stucco
station across the Esopus Creek
from the village. The same year, ownership of the railroad was handed over to John C. Brodhead and the line reached the small town of Big Indian. By 1871 construction reached Dean's Corners (now Arkville
) (where it would eventually join the Delaware and Northern). However, the R&O folded upon completing construction to Roxbury
, and the task of constructing the remainder of the route was left to its newly organized successor, the New York, Kingston & Syracuse (NYK&S).
It was a very successful railroad, with plenty of passenger
s coming up from surrounding towns and bigger cities. Steamboat passengers could dock at Rondout and transfer to the railroad. Later, passengers could also transfer at Kingston
, first via the Wallkill Valley Railroad (1872), then via the West Shore Railroad
(1881), and much later via the New York, Ontario and Western Railway
(1902). From the boats, it was a short walk to the R&O station to transfer to the train. Freight was also very well-handled. A lot of the freight income was made off coal shipped along the D&H Canal from the Moosic Mountains near Carbondale, Pennsylvania
to the port at Rondout. There were also plenty of vegetables, fruit, and milk from the farms in the Catskills.
While steadily grading to Moresville (present-day Grand Gorge), the high number of curves and grades created a big problem, as more digging, ties and rails meant higher costs to complete the rest of the railroad. The railroad couldn't make enough money to pay off the debt and continue building the railroad, so, in 1872, Cornell appointed John A. Greene to be president pro tempore for a period of 10 years. Greene was expected to have the railroad finished to the town of Oneonta by 1874, pay all of the debts, and withstand future debts of up to $700,000. However, the railroad was slowly losing money and eventually had to cut service before going bankrupt in 1872. Later that year, it was re-organized as the New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad to continue with the project.
, where it would make a connection with the recently constructed Syracuse and Chenango Valley Railroad. Construction of the railroad had immediately begun, and the railroad was extending very fast. Within the year of 1872, it had already reached the townships of Roxbury, Gilboa and Stamford, with the first train arriving in the village of Stamford
late that year.
This increased service provided the first real rail route into the Catskills, benefiting both passenger and freight customers. The railroad was further benefited by the many connections to other railroads, enabling passengers from as far away as New York City to visit the Catskills (via the newly constructed Wallkill Valley Railroad and its connection to the Erie Railroad
). Another boon to business was a ferry that ran across the Hudson to Rondout from Rhinebeck with a Rhinebeck and Connecticut Railroad
and New York Central and Hudson River Railroad station (the current Amtrak
station) connecting the cities of Hartford, Connecticut
, Providence, Rhode Island
and Boston, Massachusetts to the region.
The town (and later city) of Kingston, New York
(centrally located on the Hudson River) was extremely profitable to the railroad, due to the large number of industries, including cement, concrete, bricks and bluestone. Additionally, Kingston was also a popular passenger stop, as people would rely on the railroad to take them around the Catskills to jobs at mills and small factories.
Although this prosperity seemed good on the surface, there was bad news as well. The NYK&S still wasn’t profitable enough to steer clear of bankruptcy. So in 1873, the NYK&S designated the Farmers Loan and Trust Company as trustee for the first-mortgage bondholders of the railroad. While this helped for a short time, it was only another two years until even the trustee finally couldn't handle the railroad’s problems.
So the railroad eventually went bankrupt in 1875 and was sold under foreclosure to the bank. It was re-organized as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad later that year.
Cornell got the idea for another railroad that would start at the U&D junction in Phoenicia and go up along the Stony Clove Valley to the bustling village of Hunter, New York
. He decided to call it the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad. Unlike the U & D, it would utilize a narrow gauge which ostensibly would be cheaper to build and operate. Construction started on the railroad in 1881, with Cornell's son-in-law, Samuel Decker Coykendall, supervising construction. Originally planned as a summer-only operation serving the Ulster County communities of Phoenicia and Chichester, and the Greene County
villages of Lanesville, Edgewood, and Hunter, the service was expanded to year-round operation. In addition to the major stations, there was a flagstop at Stony Clove Notch
and also a station between the Notch and Hunter called Kaaterskill Junction Station (originally Tannersville Junction Station), at the junction of the Kaaterskill Railway.
The difference in gauge between the U&D and SC&CM caused difficulties in transferring rolling stock from the mainline. So, in 1882, the two companies installed a Ramsey Car Transfer Apparatus
in the yard at Phoenicia. This device allowed the standard-gauge equipment to be run on the narrow-gauge line. With the apparatus, the transfer only took about eight minutes, saving the railroads lots of time and money.
Industries on this line included the William O. Schwartzwalder Furniture Factory, in the company-owned town of Chichester
. Other big companies included the Fenwick Lumber Company in Edgewood and the Horatio Lockwood & Company Furniture Factory in Hunter. The railroad was taken over by the U&D in 1892, and these industries now had a new railroad to transport their products.
This was another three-foot gauge railroad that went from the SC&CM's Kaaterskill Junction Station, crossed the immense Light Dam Bridge (named after the electric company using the dam), and went to the bustling town of Tannersville, where over half of the freight on the Kaaterskill Railroad was handled. After this, it crossed a six-span bridge, the biggest on the line, before reaching Haines Falls. There, it reached a pathway up to the elegant Laurel House, where there was another station, and a view of Kaaterskill Falls
. Finally, it reached Kaaterskill, where the competing Catskill & Tannersville paralleled the line. The C&T also served as a 0.93 miles (1.5 km) extension to the Otis Summit Station. This station was at the western end of the Otis Elevating Railway
, which went up the Catskill Escarpment to the famous Catskill Mountain House
.
The KRR was taken over by the U&D in 1892. A year later, in 1893, the Catskill and Tannersville Railway
obtained trackage rights to the KRR. It also leased the entire line, including the rest of its own right-of-way
(ROW), to the Catskill Mountain House
. The C&T used the KRR's locomotives and equipment, allowing passengers a direct ride to the Mountain House.
in 1870, along with chartering the Kaaterskill Railroad in 1884. He was also the president of the Wallkill Valley Railroad. Because he was preoccupied with these other railroads, he ordered other railroads to be chartered to go to Oneonta. His first attempt was the Hobart Branch Railroad, which would start at Stamford and then go to Oneonta. However, it only made it to Hobart in 1884 before it was incorporated into the U&D later that year. His next attempt was the Delaware and Otsego Railroad, which was also incorporated into the U&D by 1887. Since neither of these attempts worked, Cornell refocused his attention on the Ulster and Delaware. He continued with its construction until his death in 1890.
The next year (1891), Edwin Young took the presidency. He kept the railroad from being sold to a bigger railroad until he died in 1893. After Young, the railroad would go through presidents Horace Gedney Young and Robert C. Pruyn, each having a one-year term, until it got a new president in 1895: Cornell's son-in-law, Samuel Decker Coykendall. In 1895, the eastern terminus was extended from Rondout to Kingston Point, where steamboats could dock and directly transfer passengers: another town eventually incorporated into Kingston. However, it took five more years before the railroad finally got to Oneonta, in 1900.
The U&D took over the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad and the Kaaterskill Railroad in 1892, and ran them as the Narrow Gauge Division. However, between 1898 and 1899, the Narrow Gauge Division was converted to standard gauge
and fully incorporated into the U&D in 1903. After the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad and the Kaaterskill Railway became part of the Ulster & Delaware, they quickly became the busiest parts of the line. The Stony Clove and Kaaterskill Branch was the combination of the portion of the SC&CM up to Kaaterskill Junction Station, and the Kaaterskill Railroad. This branch was 19 miles (30.6 km) long, and had ten stations. The Hunter Branch, the shortest branch on the line at only 2.66 miles (4.3 km), was the part of the SC&CM that went from Kaaterskill Junction Station to Hunter
. It only had two stations, but was quite steep, with the entire branch having a 4.4% incline.
In 1908, the City of New York purchased 12 miles (19.3 km) of the Esopus Valley, a valley that had been gouged-out by Esopus Creek
. The area of land that New York City purchased only stretched from Boiceville, New York
to West Hurley, New York
. This would be used to create the Ashokan Reservoir
: a reservoir that would be used to supply New York City with drinking water. However, the mainline of the U&D ran right through the middle of the valley, with six stations. Ironically, the U&D carried supplies from different points to Brown's Station, which would be used to help make the Olivebridge Dam at Olivebridge, New York
. When the project was finished, and the reservoir was about to be flooded, the railroad received $1,500,000 and relocated 12.45 miles (20 km) of track, while replacing the previously-existing 64- and 70-pound (35- and 38.5.-kg) rails with 90-pound (49.5 kg) rails from Kingston to Grand Gorge.
A year after the Olivebridge Dam was completed in 1912, railroad president Samuel Coykendall died and the railroad was handed-down to Samuel's son, Thomas C. Coykendall. The new president, however, retired from office the same year, and ownership of the railroad was given to one of his relatives, Edward Coykendall, who would eventually sell the railroad to the New York Central on February 1, 1932. The stations at Kelly's Corners and West Davenport were abandoned by the railroad in 1923, as they never generated much business, and the Kingston Point Station was abandoned by the New York Central in 1932. Cars and trucks starting growing in popularity over the next decade, sapping the railroad of more revenue. Finally, the Great Depression
struck in 1929, and many people didn't have enough money to buy a train ticket or to pay to keep their products in one of the freight houses. As a result, the railroad lost a considerable amount of money, finally going bankrupt in 1932.
, and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. They were already leased by the NYC, but not fully absorbed into the system because the Interstate Commerce Commission
prohibited it. Eventually, the ICC hinted that, if the NYC bought and ran the U&D, they might let it buy the other railroads. The NYC scoffed at the idea, as the U&D wasn't important enough for it, but wanted to buy the other railroads. Thus, it finally purchased the U&D in late 1931 for a price of $2,500,000, and incorporated it into the NYC on February 1, 1932.
The New York Central renamed the U&D the Catskill Mountain Branch; the Stony Clove and Kaaterskill Branch was shortened to the Kaaterskill Branch; and the Hunter Branch kept its name. The roundhouse at Rondout was destroyed, with a sewer plant taking its place; the station, however, was still in use. They also slowed-down trains to 35 miles per hour (56.3 km/h) on the main line, and to 25 miles per hour (40.2 km/h) on the branches. The stations at Chichester, Lanesville and Edgewood were shut down; the Stony Clove Notch flagstop was entirely destroyed, and the siding taken out; and the stations at Kaaterskill Junction, Haines Falls, Kaaterskill and the Laurel House became summer-only stations. While the main line still had year-round stations, only the stations of Tannersville and Hunter on the branches were. This excluded the West Davenport Station, which had already been closed down in 1923 and eventually burned down ten years later, in 1933. The station at Kelly's Corners was also abandoned in the 1920s, and was eventually demolished upon the widening of State Route 30 in the early 1960s.
As for locomotives, Ulster and Delaware #2, 8, 12-14, 16-18, 20, 24 and 29 were deemed worthless, and were scrapped by the New York Central during the takeover in 1932. The other U&D locomotives had been either scrapped or sold off in the earlier years. However, they kept locomotives #19, 21-23, 25-28 and 30-41, and renumbered them #800-818 in 1936, as the turntables in front of the stations were too small for the regular NYC locomotives and the ex-U&D engines were the only ones with mountain-gear brakes that were specially-designed for the steep grades in the Catskill Mountains. These locomotives were assigned as "class Fx" and "class Fx light". Locomotive #31, however, was deemed unreliable by the Central, which sent it to West Albany in 1933 to be scrapped, becoming the first of the heavier U&D locomotives to go. It also introduced two new locomotives to the branch: NYC Moguls
#1013 and 1076. They were the only NYC engines run on the CMB and the smaller branches until diesels took over.
The NYC's "Fx light" class locomotives (#800-807, ex-U&D #19, 21-23 & 25-28), were assigned to work on the Wallkill Valley Branch of the New York Central, which used to be the Wallkill Valley Railroad, as well as working on the CMB. These engines were light, yet powerful, which was what the branch needed; the high and frail Rosendale Bridge in Rosendale, New York
had always been plagued with weight restrictions, as the material used to build it in the 1870s, and then to rebuild it in 1895, was not strong enough to hold a modern locomotive. The locomotives the NYC had been using on the WVB were "Class C" 4-4-0
s, and were not as powerful as the U&D's 4-6-0
s. They tried using the Fx-light locomotives on the Wallkill Valley Branch, with great success. Two Fx-lights could easily haul a 40-car train on the branch safely across the bridge. They were a lifesaver, and were extensively used until the Central tried out light diesel locomotive
s on it, and replaced the Fx-light locomotives as the main source of power on the WVB.
Between the complaints from passengers of the seemingly-endless trip from Phoenicia to Kaaterskill or Hunter (as the speed limit on the branches was 25 miles per hour (40.2 km/h)), and the cost of the operation, the railroad applied for and got permission from the ICC to abandon the Kaaterskill and Hunter branches in 1939. The New York Central finally scrapped the branches in 1940. The branches were but a memory, the bridges were gone and the stations now nothing but abandoned rubbish. Only two of them survive to this day: the Hunter Station
, now a house, and the Haines Falls Station
, now a museum.
, Ohio
to be scrapped, in 1949. After that, the branch lines were diesel-only, not seeing another steam engine until a 3 miles (4.8 km) tourist line from Oneonta to a bridge near West Davenport opened in the 1960s.
The line was entirely dieselized by 1949, and passenger service ended on March 31, 1954, relegating the CMB to freight service-only. The Arkville station was nearly destroyed by a runaway milk truck in the 1960s, and the NYC tore the remains of the station down. Kingston Union Station was abandoned after the end of West Shore passenger service to Kingston, in 1958. The NYC then got permission from the ICC to abandon the portion from Bloomville to Oneonta in 1965, and scrapped the abandoned portion in 1967.
The Penn Central regularly ran trains, but with diminishing frequency as more and more customers switched to truck delivery. Eventually, there was only one train a week each way. Generally, trains ran to Stamford or Hobart and ended their trip as the crew had run against the "hours of service" law. On the following day, another crew would pick up the train and return to Kingston. Due to the poor condition of the tracks there were frequent derailments on the branch, forcing the train to operate at low speed. It would sometimes take up to three days for a single train to travel over the line. Penn Central had declared bankruptcy in 1970, and was seeking federal assistance in the form of loans to pay for much needed repairs and upgrades system-wide. At bare minimum, Penn Central would replace ties on the branch to keep the rails in gauge, but it was not enough to increase speeds. After many problems with running the branch and diminishing traffic, the railroad filed a petition with the ICC to abandon the branch.
Meanwhile, the federal government created Conrail to take overt the operations of six bankrupt northeastern railroads, including Penn Central. The ICC allowed a discontinue service on the former Penn Central branch in September, 1976. The branch was not to be included in Conrail due to its low levels of traffic, but a six-month subsidy was put in place by the State of New York to continue operation while the customers along the line made other arrangements for shipping. The last freight train ran west from Kingston to Stamford on September 28, 1976, and returned to Kingston with all 32 freight cars remaining on the branch on October 2, 1976.
The Catskill Mountain Branch remained out of service, but not abandoned. Conservationists, spearheaded by transportation lawyer and New York native Donald L. Pevsner, campaigned to preserve the railroad and enlisted the help of Pevsner's friend, well-known columnist and author William F. Buckley, Jr.
. He famously toured the line in 1977 and helped draw publicity to the tug-of-war between the communities and the Penn Central over price. Residents along the line succeeded in convincing their local governments to raise enough money to buy the railroad from the Penn Central bankruptcy estate. In 1979, Ulster County bought the 38.6-mile segment from Kingston (MP 2.8) to the county line near Highmount (MP 41.4). In turn, the county leased this line to the new Catskill Mountain Railroad in 1983. Seven Towns in Delaware County (via the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation, of Delhi, New York) purchased the right of way from the county line to the end of track in Bloomville (MP 86) in 1980. This section would become the Delaware and Ulster Railroad
. The mainline connection at Kingston was severed in 1996 when Conrail removed the switch to the former Catskill Mountain Branch, isolating both the CMRR and DURR operations from the national network.
The branch from Kingston down to Rondout was operated by Conrail after 1976 to serve the remaining customers. Conrail operated this small portion until 1979, when it decided it was no longer profitable and filed for abandonment. The Trolley Museum of New York arrived in 1983 and currently operates the last mile and a half to the former terminus at Kingston Point. The connection to the River Division (former West Shore) was severed in the 1980s, isolating the line to Rondout.
to operate the approximately 5 miles (8 km) of track between what is now the CSX River Division and Hudson Cement in East Kingston. However, Hudson Cement closed in 1980 and the Kingston Terminal Railroad was dissolved, having never operated a single train.
The next segment of the line, from MP 2.8 in Kingston to MP 41.4 at the Delaware County line, is owned by Ulster County, which bought it from the Penn Central in 1979. The Catskill Mountain Railroad
leases this portion of the line from Ulster County, and operates a tourist train from Phoenicia, MP 27.5, to Cold Brook Station, MP 22.1. The tracks between Kingston and Cold Brook have been cleared for track car use, and are being upgraded for full train service from Kingston west towards Phoenicia, and are currently usable by trains east of MP 5.0 (Bridge C9), and from MP 21.3 (Bridge C30) to 27.9. The Catskill Mountain Railroad
commenced operations in Kingston in December 2008. Two bridges in need of repair separate the two ends of the railroad, one at MP 5 (Bridge C9) and the other at MP 21.3 (Bridge C30). On August 28, 2011, Bridge C30 was washed away due to catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Irene, severing the Phoenicia operation from the Kingston operation for the time being.
The portion of the line between Phoenicia, MP 27.9, and Highmount, MP 41.4, also leased by the Catskill Mountain Railroad
, is isolated by six large washouts west of Phoenicia, and has not seen a train since regular service ended in September, 1976. However, a 2+1/2 mi section of the line, between Giggle Hollow (MP 38.9) and Highmount, home to the scenic "double horseshoe curve", was cleared for track car use in 2006 by a joint team of members from the Trolley Museum of New York, Catskill Mountain Railroad
and Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
. Another section from just east of Big Indian (MP 35.83) to Shandaken (MP 33.51) was cleared in 2009. More of this section will be cleared for track car use as time permits.
The abandoned right-of-way from the Hunter and Kaaterskill branches in Ulster County can still be walked, despite all but one of the bridges being removed (there is only one surviving bridge on the branches, near the Ulster County-Greene County border line, which is privately owned). There is also a washout along the old right-of-way in Chichester that has exposed the soft, delicate clay underneath, and is very difficult to walk on.
(DURR), based in Arkville, MP 48.1, currently runs tourist trains from Highmount to Roxbury, MP 59.1. Currently the DURR's operations are limited to the portion between Arkville and Roxbury, as the line to Highmount is out of service due to a weak bridge abutment east of Arkville.
The pride of the DURR is the "Rip Van Winkle Flyer": a five-car Budd streamlined train used for charters.
The regular train is powered by former D&H 5017, an Alco RS-36, and consists of two flatcars and three former PRR MP-54 coaches (441, 444, and 447) lettered for the New York Central.
Other engines at the DURR consist of Alco S-4s 1012 and 5106 and GE 44-tonner No. 76. Currently under restoration is the "Red Heifer" a Model 250 Brill Gas-Electric, formerly NYC M-405.
In Roxbury, the Roxbury Station is being restored by the Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
. The museum is open, showcasing many artifacts and displays from the railroads mentioned above.
The Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
owns former NYO&W
"Bobber" Caboose
#8206, built at the NYO&W Middletown Shops in 1906, and former BEDT
14, an H. K. Porter, Inc
Locomotive Works 0-6-0
T steam locomotive, built in August 1920 at their facility in Pittsburgh, PA. Both are presently being restored by the Society.
The Delaware County ROW from Highmount to Bloomville is owned by the Catskill Revitalization Corporation.
The track ends at Hubbell Corners, MP 60.2, where the ROW becomes a rail trail
that extends to Bloomville, MP 86.2, called the Catskill Scenic Trail
.
As for the stations in Delaware County, the Halcottville Station, MP 53.0, was cut in half, with the passenger side moved a few hundred feet, where it serves as a shed on private property, and the freight side moved to Arkville, where it is now a tool shed for the Delaware and Ulster Railroad
. Both the Arkville and Fleischmanns stations are gone, but the freight houses have survived. The DURR uses the Arkville freight house as its passenger station. The Kelly's Corners station was acquired by NYSDOT in 1964 and bulldozed during the reconstruction of State Route 30. The station at Stamford has been restored, is owned by the CRC, owners of DURR, and used for offices. The stations at South Kortright, MP 81.5, East Meredith, MP 97.9, and Davenport Center, MP 103.2, are currently private dwellings, with the railbed in front of them also being privately owned.
Interstate 88
was planned in the 1970s to go from Schenectady, New York
to Binghamton, New York
, although the original plans suggested that it go to New England
and near the Atlantic Coast
. The portion that was constructed covers a portion of the U&D's right-of-way in the township of Oneonta, where it connects with New York State Route 28
.
. The Town of Gilboa Historical Society has proposed that the South Gilboa station should have a full cosmetic restoration. However, this is only a proposal, and it is unclear whether or not it will take place.
overlaps the former alignment at Stony Clove Notch
. However, a 2 miles (3.2 km) section of the line from Bloomer Road to Clum Hill Road in Tannersville has been converted into a rail trail
, known locally as the "Huckleberry Trail". There are also a few bridge piers, such as one on the southern side of the Esopus Creek
in Phoenicia, one in Chichester (both in Ulster County), and two in Edgewood.
There are only two surviving stations on what used to be the branches. The Hunter Station, branch MP 2.5, is now a private dwelling. The Haines Falls Station, branch MP 18.5, is currently the headquarters of the Mountain Top Historical Society.
For more information about the disposition of the rest of the stations on the line, see the List of Ulster and Delaware Railroad Stations.
in 1881 and 1883. Between August 1899 & June 1900, they were sold to F. M. Hicks & Co.
of Chicago, Illinois. In May 1901, Hicks resold four of the coaches to the White Pass and Yukon Route
(WP&YR ##218, 220, 222, and 224). Under White Pass ownership, these cars have been rebuilt several times. Before Rebuilding. They remain in operation. After all of the rebuildings under White Pass ownership, about all that remains of the original cars are the architecture and the superstructure frames.
Class I railroad
A Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...
located in New York State, headquartered in Rondout
Rondout, New York
Rondout was a village located on the north side of Rondout Creek near its mouth on the Hudson River in Ulster County and includes the Rondout-West Strand Historic District....
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
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...
, through the heart of 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...
to its western terminus at Oneonta
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, had a population of 13,901. Its nickname is "City of the Hills." While the word "oneonta" is of undetermined origin, it is popularly believed to mean "place of open rocks" in the Iroquois language...
, passing through four counties (Ulster
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
, Delaware
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...
, Schoharie
Schoharie County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
and Otsego
Otsego County, New York
Otsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...
), with branches to Kaaterskill and Hunter
Hunter (village), New York
Hunter is a village in Greene County, New York, USA. The population was 502 at the 2010 census.The Village of Hunter is in the northwest part of the Town of Hunter on Route 23A.- History :...
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...
. The U&D connected with five other railroads: the West Shore Railroad
West Shore Railroad
The West Shore Railroad was the final name of a railroad from Weehawken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City, north along the west shore of the river to Albany, New York and then west to Buffalo...
, Wallkill Valley Railroad and New York, Ontario & Western
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...
in Kingston
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
; the Delaware and Northern
Delaware and Northern Railroad
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...
in Arkville
Arkville, New York
Arkville is a hamlet of the Town of Middletown, New York, United States. It is located along state highway NY 28 a mile north of the village of Margaretville in the western Catskill Mountains. It has the ZIP Code 12406....
; the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley in West Davenport and the Delaware & Hudson Railroad in Oneonta
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, had a population of 13,901. Its nickname is "City of the Hills." While the word "oneonta" is of undetermined origin, it is popularly believed to mean "place of open rocks" in the Iroquois language...
.
Although a small railroad, it was big in stature, as it went through many favored tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
hot-spots. Many elegant hotels kept business going, some of which were sponsored or built by the railroad. Besides the passenger business, there were also plenty of farms and creameries
Creamery
In a dairy, the creamery is the location of cream processing. Cream is separated from whole milk; pasteurization is done to the skimmed milk and cream separately. Whole milk for sale has had some cream returned to the skimmed milk....
(most of them in Delaware County) as well as businesses shipping coal, stone, ice and various wood products.
One of the few downfalls were the many grades: some as steep as 4% (from Hunter to Kaaterskill Junction), with a long 3.2% grade westward on the main line up Pine Hill's Horseshoe Curve to Highmount. A train took almost four hours to get from Kingston Point to Oneonta, running at an average speed of only 30–40 mph (48.3–64.4 km/h), although some sections permitted running at 60 miles per hour (96.6 km/h) or more. When roads improved and automobiles became more widely available, the advantages of train travel were nil.
Rondout and Oswego Railroad
In the early 19th century waterways formed the principal transportation network in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. An important point on this network was Rondout
Rondout, New York
Rondout was a village located on the north side of Rondout Creek near its mouth on the Hudson River in Ulster County and includes the Rondout-West Strand Historic District....
. Located at the confluence of the Rondout Creek
Rondout Creek
Rondout Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River in Ulster and Sullivan counties, New York, USA. It rises on Rocky Mountain in the eastern Catskills, flows south into Rondout Reservoir, part of New York City's water supply network, then into the valley between the Catskills and the Shawangunk...
and 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...
, in 1828 it became the eastern terminus of the Delaware and Hudson Canal
Delaware and Hudson Canal
The Delaware and Hudson Canal was the first venture of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, which later developed the Delaware and Hudson Railway...
. Here cargo and passengers were transferred from canal boats to the larger vessels navigating the Hudson.
By the end of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, it was clear that railroads were pre-empting waterways as the preferred method of transportation. Thomas Cornell
Thomas Cornell
Thomas C. Cornell , an American politician and businessman. During the American Civil War, he was commissioned as a major in the New York Militia...
, founder of the Cornell Steamboat Company and a resident of Rondout
Rondout, New York
Rondout was a village located on the north side of Rondout Creek near its mouth on the Hudson River in Ulster County and includes the Rondout-West Strand Historic District....
was among those who took notice. Although Cornell made plenty of money from shipping, he envisioned a railroad that would bring supplies from ports in central or western New York to his port in Rondout. So Cornell chartered the Rondout and Oswego on April 3, 1866, with himself as the first president.
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, had a population of 13,901. Its nickname is "City of the Hills." While the word "oneonta" is of undetermined origin, it is popularly believed to mean "place of open rocks" in the Iroquois language...
, and then on to Oswego
Oswego, New York
Oswego is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18,142 at the 2010 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in north-central New York and promotes itself as "The Port City of Central New York"...
on the shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. The R&O at 12 miles (19.3 km) long reached the summer vacation hot-spot of Olive Branch, near the Town of Shokan
Shokan, New York
Shokan is a hamlet located in the Town of Olive in Ulster County, within the Catskill Park. The population was 1,252 at the 2000 census.-History:...
on September 30, 1869. By the next year, the first train was run and the railroad was finally operational.
The railroad was extended to Phoenicia
Phoenicia, New York
Phoenicia is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 381 at the 2000 census.Phoenicia is located in the northeast part of Town of Shandaken, on Route 28. It is the largest community in the town...
later in 1870 where the railroad built a stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
station across the Esopus Creek
Esopus Creek
Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River that drains the east-central Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. From its source at Winnisook Lake on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the Catskills' highest peak, it flows across Ulster County to the Hudson at Saugerties. Many tributaries...
from the village. The same year, ownership of the railroad was handed over to John C. Brodhead and the line reached the small town of Big Indian. By 1871 construction reached Dean's Corners (now Arkville
Arkville, New York
Arkville is a hamlet of the Town of Middletown, New York, United States. It is located along state highway NY 28 a mile north of the village of Margaretville in the western Catskill Mountains. It has the ZIP Code 12406....
) (where it would eventually join the Delaware and Northern). However, the R&O folded upon completing construction to Roxbury
Roxbury, New York
Roxbury is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 2,509 at the 2000 census.The Town of Roxbury is at the eastern end of the county.- History :...
, and the task of constructing the remainder of the route was left to its newly organized successor, the New York, Kingston & Syracuse (NYK&S).
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
s coming up from surrounding towns and bigger cities. Steamboat passengers could dock at Rondout and transfer to the railroad. Later, passengers could also transfer at Kingston
Kingston Railroad Station (New York)
There were four stations built to serve the city of Kingston, New York. The first station was known as "Higginsville Station" built by the Rondout & Oswego . The second station was served by three different railroads, all of which eventually became part of the New York Central...
, first via the Wallkill Valley Railroad (1872), then via the West Shore Railroad
West Shore Railroad
The West Shore Railroad was the final name of a railroad from Weehawken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City, north along the west shore of the river to Albany, New York and then west to Buffalo...
(1881), and much later via 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...
(1902). From the boats, it was a short walk to the R&O station to transfer to the train. Freight was also very well-handled. A lot of the freight income was made off coal shipped along the D&H Canal from the Moosic Mountains near Carbondale, Pennsylvania
Carbondale, Pennsylvania
Carbondale is a city in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carbondale is located approximately 15 miles due northeast of the city of Scranton in Northeastern Pennsylvania...
to the port at Rondout. There were also plenty of vegetables, fruit, and milk from the farms in the Catskills.
While steadily grading to Moresville (present-day Grand Gorge), the high number of curves and grades created a big problem, as more digging, ties and rails meant higher costs to complete the rest of the railroad. The railroad couldn't make enough money to pay off the debt and continue building the railroad, so, in 1872, Cornell appointed John A. Greene to be president pro tempore for a period of 10 years. Greene was expected to have the railroad finished to the town of Oneonta by 1874, pay all of the debts, and withstand future debts of up to $700,000. However, the railroad was slowly losing money and eventually had to cut service before going bankrupt in 1872. Later that year, it was re-organized as the New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad to continue with the project.
New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad
After the Rondout and Oswego went bankrupt in 1872, it was quickly re-organized as the New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad (NYK&S), under the leadership of George Sharpe. The plan of going to Oswego was now gone, and the new plan was to go to Oneonta and make a sharp turn north to Earlville, New YorkEarlville, New York
Earlville is a village in New York, United States. The population was 791 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jonas Earl, a canal commissioner....
, where it would make a connection with the recently constructed Syracuse and Chenango Valley Railroad. Construction of the railroad had immediately begun, and the railroad was extending very fast. Within the year of 1872, it had already reached the townships of Roxbury, Gilboa and Stamford, with the first train arriving in the village of Stamford
Stamford, New York
Stamford may refer to two municipalities in Delaware County, New York in the United States:*Stamford , New York*Stamford , New York, located entirely within the town...
late that year.
This increased service provided the first real rail route into the Catskills, benefiting both passenger and freight customers. The railroad was further benefited by the many connections to other railroads, enabling passengers from as far away as New York City to visit the Catskills (via the newly constructed Wallkill Valley Railroad and its connection to 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...
). Another boon to business was a ferry that ran across the Hudson to Rondout from Rhinebeck with a Rhinebeck and Connecticut Railroad
Rhinebeck and Connecticut Railroad
The Rhinebeck and Connecticut Railroad was chartered on June 29, 1870 for the purpose of building a railroad from Rhinecliff on the Hudson River east to the Connecticut state line...
and New York Central and Hudson River Railroad station (the current Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
station) connecting the cities of Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and Boston, Massachusetts to the region.
The town (and later city) of Kingston, New York
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
(centrally located on the Hudson River) was extremely profitable to the railroad, due to the large number of industries, including cement, concrete, bricks and bluestone. Additionally, Kingston was also a popular passenger stop, as people would rely on the railroad to take them around the Catskills to jobs at mills and small factories.
Although this prosperity seemed good on the surface, there was bad news as well. The NYK&S still wasn’t profitable enough to steer clear of bankruptcy. So in 1873, the NYK&S designated the Farmers Loan and Trust Company as trustee for the first-mortgage bondholders of the railroad. While this helped for a short time, it was only another two years until even the trustee finally couldn't handle the railroad’s problems.
So the railroad eventually went bankrupt in 1875 and was sold under foreclosure to the bank. It was re-organized as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad later that year.
Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad
Hunter (town), New York
Hunter is a town in Greene County, New York. The population was 2,732 at the 2010 census.The Town of Hunter contain two villages one named Hunter and the other called Tannersville. The town is on the County's south border.- History :...
. He decided to call it the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad. Unlike the U & D, it would utilize a narrow gauge which ostensibly would be cheaper to build and operate. Construction started on the railroad in 1881, with Cornell's son-in-law, Samuel Decker Coykendall, supervising construction. Originally planned as a summer-only operation serving the Ulster County communities of Phoenicia and Chichester, and the 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...
villages of Lanesville, Edgewood, and Hunter, the service was expanded to year-round operation. In addition to the major stations, there was a flagstop at Stony Clove Notch
Stony Clove Notch
Stony Clove Notch is a narrow pass, roughly 2,220 feet in elevation located in the Town of Hunter in Greene County, New York, deep in the Catskill Mountains. It is traversed by New York State Route 214, although in the past the Ulster and Delaware Railroad went through it as well.The notch divides...
and also a station between the Notch and Hunter called Kaaterskill Junction Station (originally Tannersville Junction Station), at the junction of the Kaaterskill Railway.
The difference in gauge between the U&D and SC&CM caused difficulties in transferring rolling stock from the mainline. So, in 1882, the two companies installed a Ramsey Car Transfer Apparatus
Ramsey Car Transfer Apparatus
In railroad industry, the Ramsey Car Transfer Apparatus was a proposed device to replace bogies on railroad cars to permit transfer of a train between railroad lines with different gauge....
in the yard at Phoenicia. This device allowed the standard-gauge equipment to be run on the narrow-gauge line. With the apparatus, the transfer only took about eight minutes, saving the railroads lots of time and money.
Industries on this line included the William O. Schwartzwalder Furniture Factory, in the company-owned town of Chichester
Chichester, New York
The hamlet of Chichester, New York, formerly referred to as Chichesterville, is one of the northernmost communities in the town of Shandaken, New York, being right next to the borderline between Ulster County and Greene County....
. Other big companies included the Fenwick Lumber Company in Edgewood and the Horatio Lockwood & Company Furniture Factory in Hunter. The railroad was taken over by the U&D in 1892, and these industries now had a new railroad to transport their products.
Stony Clove & Catskill Mountain R.R. Narrow Gauge Locomotives
| SC&CM Number | Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works Number | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st #1 (1882–1886) 2nd #2 (1886–1894) |
Stony Clove Stony Clove Creek Stony Clove Creek is a creek in the Catskill Mountains in New York. It is a tributary of Esopus Creek, which in turn is a tributary of the Hudson River. It joins the Esopus in the village of Phoenicia, and has two smaller tributaries up north of Phoenicia.... |
Dickson Manufacturing Co. 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... |
2-6-0 | July 1882 | 358 | Purchased new. Redesignated U.&D. R.R. # 2 in 1894. Sold to Chateaugay R.R. in August 1899 (Chateaugay R.R. 2nd #8). Scrapped in December 1903. |
| 2nd #1 | Hunter | Dickson Manufacturing Co. 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... |
2-6-0 | May 1886 | 530 | Purchased new. Redesignated U.&D. R.R. # 4 in 1894. Sold to Chateaugay R.R. in August 1899 (Chateaugay R.R. 2nd #2). Scrapped in December 1903. |
| 1st #2 | Gretchen | Dickson Manufacturing Co. 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... |
2-6-0 | Dec. 1878 | 226 | Ex-Plattsburgh & Dannemora #2, Louis D. Pilsbury (1878–1879). Ex-Chateaugay R.R. 1st #2, Louis D. Pilsbury (1879–1881). Purchased in April 1881. Sold in November 1885 to Dexter Hunter, Sr., who was president of the Western Ry. of Florida. Leased to the Western Ry. from 1885 to 1892 (#2, Dexter Hunter, Jr.). Western Ry. went bankrupt and was reorganized as the South-Western R.R. in 1892. Loco leased to S-W. R.R. from 1892 to 1894. |
Kaaterskill Railroad
Kaaterskill Falls
Kaaterskill Falls is a two-drop waterfall located near in the eastern Catskill Mountains of New York, on the north side of Kaaterskill Clove, between the hamlets of Haines Falls and Palenville in Greene County's Town of Hunter...
. Finally, it reached Kaaterskill, where the competing Catskill & Tannersville paralleled the line. The C&T also served as a 0.93 miles (1.5 km) extension to the Otis Summit Station. This station was at the western end of 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...
, which went up the Catskill Escarpment to the famous Catskill Mountain House
Catskill Mountain House
The Catskill Mountain House was a famous hotel near Palenville, New York in the Catskill Mountains overlooking the Hudson River Valley, built in 1824. In its prime, from the 1850s to the turn of the century, it was visited by three U.S. presidents The Catskill Mountain House was a famous hotel...
.
The KRR was taken over by the U&D in 1892. A year later, in 1893, 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...
obtained trackage rights to the KRR. It also leased the entire line, including the rest of its own right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
(ROW), to the Catskill Mountain House
Catskill Mountain House
The Catskill Mountain House was a famous hotel near Palenville, New York in the Catskill Mountains overlooking the Hudson River Valley, built in 1824. In its prime, from the 1850s to the turn of the century, it was visited by three U.S. presidents The Catskill Mountain House was a famous hotel...
. The C&T used the KRR's locomotives and equipment, allowing passengers a direct ride to the Mountain House.
Kaaterskill R.R. Narrow Gauge Locomotives
| KRR Number | Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works Number | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rip Van Winkle Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving published in 1819, as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist. Written while Irving was living in Birmingham, England, it was part of a collection entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon... |
Dickson Manufacturing Co. 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... |
2-6-0 | May 1883 | 423 | Purchased new. Redesignated U.&D. R.R. # 1 in 1894. Sold to Empire Steel & Iron Co. in August 1899. Resold to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. in April 1905. Resold to Crystal River Lumber Co., Florida in May 1905. |
| #2 | Derrick Van Brummel | Brooks Locomotive Works Brooks Locomotive Works The Brooks Locomotive Works manufactured steam railroad locomotives and freight cars from 1869 through its merger into the American Locomotive Company until 1934.-History:... |
2-6-0 | June 1883 | 936 | Purchased new. Redesignated U.&D. R.R. # 5 in 1894. Sold to F. M. Hicks & Co. Hicks Locomotive and Car Works The Hicks Locomotive and Car Works was one of many small railway equipment construction companies operating in the United States at the dawn of the 20th century. It stayed in business for only 21 years.- History :... between August 1899 & June 1900. |
| #3 | Thomas Cornell Thomas Cornell Thomas C. Cornell , an American politician and businessman. During the American Civil War, he was commissioned as a major in the New York Militia... |
Dickson Manufacturing Co. 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... |
2-6-0 | Feb. 1883 | 411 | Originally Chateaugay Ore & Iron Co. #8 (Dannemora Dannemora (village), New York Dannemora is a village located primarily in the Town of Dannemora in Clinton County, New York. The population was 3,936 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from Dannemora, Sweden, an iron-making town where early settlers came from .... ). Purchased by the Kaaterskill R.R. from New York Equipment Co. in July 1893. Redesignated U.&D. R.R. # 3 in 1894. Sold to F. M. Hicks & Co. Hicks Locomotive and Car Works The Hicks Locomotive and Car Works was one of many small railway equipment construction companies operating in the United States at the dawn of the 20th century. It stayed in business for only 21 years.- History :... in August 1899. Resold later in August 1899 to the Otis Engineering & Construction Co. for use on the Catskill & Tannersville Ry. 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... (1st #2). C.&T. Ry. 1st #2 became stationary boiler at Otis Summit, New York between July 1, 1901 and June 30, 1902. |
Ulster and Delaware Railroad
The Ulster and Delaware wasn't at the peak of Cornell's interests. He had completed the Rhinebeck and Connecticut RailroadRhinebeck and Connecticut Railroad
The Rhinebeck and Connecticut Railroad was chartered on June 29, 1870 for the purpose of building a railroad from Rhinecliff on the Hudson River east to the Connecticut state line...
in 1870, along with chartering the Kaaterskill Railroad in 1884. He was also the president of the Wallkill Valley Railroad. Because he was preoccupied with these other railroads, he ordered other railroads to be chartered to go to Oneonta. His first attempt was the Hobart Branch Railroad, which would start at Stamford and then go to Oneonta. However, it only made it to Hobart in 1884 before it was incorporated into the U&D later that year. His next attempt was the Delaware and Otsego Railroad, which was also incorporated into the U&D by 1887. Since neither of these attempts worked, Cornell refocused his attention on the Ulster and Delaware. He continued with its construction until his death in 1890.
The next year (1891), Edwin Young took the presidency. He kept the railroad from being sold to a bigger railroad until he died in 1893. After Young, the railroad would go through presidents Horace Gedney Young and Robert C. Pruyn, each having a one-year term, until it got a new president in 1895: Cornell's son-in-law, Samuel Decker Coykendall. In 1895, the eastern terminus was extended from Rondout to Kingston Point, where steamboats could dock and directly transfer passengers: another town eventually incorporated into Kingston. However, it took five more years before the railroad finally got to Oneonta, in 1900.
The U&D took over the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad and the Kaaterskill Railroad in 1892, and ran them as the Narrow Gauge Division. However, between 1898 and 1899, the Narrow Gauge Division was converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
and fully incorporated into the U&D in 1903. After the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad and the Kaaterskill Railway became part of the Ulster & Delaware, they quickly became the busiest parts of the line. The Stony Clove and Kaaterskill Branch was the combination of the portion of the SC&CM up to Kaaterskill Junction Station, and the Kaaterskill Railroad. This branch was 19 miles (30.6 km) long, and had ten stations. The Hunter Branch, the shortest branch on the line at only 2.66 miles (4.3 km), was the part of the SC&CM that went from Kaaterskill Junction Station to Hunter
Hunter (town), New York
Hunter is a town in Greene County, New York. The population was 2,732 at the 2010 census.The Town of Hunter contain two villages one named Hunter and the other called Tannersville. The town is on the County's south border.- History :...
. It only had two stations, but was quite steep, with the entire branch having a 4.4% incline.
Esopus Creek
Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River that drains the east-central Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. From its source at Winnisook Lake on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the Catskills' highest peak, it flows across Ulster County to the Hudson at Saugerties. Many tributaries...
. The area of land that New York City purchased only stretched from Boiceville, New York
Boiceville, New York
Boiceville is a community in Ulster County, New York, USA. Boiceville is located at the intersection with New York State Route 28 and New York State Route 28A, within Catskill State Park. The community is located at .-Education:...
to West Hurley, New York
West Hurley, New York
West Hurley is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 2,105 at the 2000 census.West Hurley is located in the Town of Hurley and is inside the Catskill Park. The community is northwest of Kingston, New York on Route 28.It was one of many villages that were flooded...
. This would be used to create 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...
: a reservoir that would be used to supply New York City with drinking water. However, the mainline of the U&D ran right through the middle of the valley, with six stations. Ironically, the U&D carried supplies from different points to Brown's Station, which would be used to help make the Olivebridge Dam at Olivebridge, New York
Olivebridge, New York
Olivebridge is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States, within Catskill Park and the Catskill Mountains.The community's name is sometimes written Olive Bridge, but the United States Board on Geographic Names gives the name as Olivebridge...
. When the project was finished, and the reservoir was about to be flooded, the railroad received $1,500,000 and relocated 12.45 miles (20 km) of track, while replacing the previously-existing 64- and 70-pound (35- and 38.5.-kg) rails with 90-pound (49.5 kg) rails from Kingston to Grand Gorge.
A year after the Olivebridge Dam was completed in 1912, railroad president Samuel Coykendall died and the railroad was handed-down to Samuel's son, Thomas C. Coykendall. The new president, however, retired from office the same year, and ownership of the railroad was given to one of his relatives, Edward Coykendall, who would eventually sell the railroad to the New York Central on February 1, 1932. The stations at Kelly's Corners and West Davenport were abandoned by the railroad in 1923, as they never generated much business, and the Kingston Point Station was abandoned by the New York Central in 1932. Cars and trucks starting growing in popularity over the next decade, sapping the railroad of more revenue. Finally, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
struck in 1929, and many people didn't have enough money to buy a train ticket or to pay to keep their products in one of the freight houses. As a result, the railroad lost a considerable amount of money, finally going bankrupt in 1932.
Steam era
The NYC wanted to incorporate three midwestern railroads into its system; the Michigan Central, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis RailwayCleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States....
, and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. They were already leased by the NYC, but not fully absorbed into the system because 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...
prohibited it. Eventually, the ICC hinted that, if the NYC bought and ran the U&D, they might let it buy the other railroads. The NYC scoffed at the idea, as the U&D wasn't important enough for it, but wanted to buy the other railroads. Thus, it finally purchased the U&D in late 1931 for a price of $2,500,000, and incorporated it into the NYC on February 1, 1932.
The New York Central renamed the U&D the Catskill Mountain Branch; the Stony Clove and Kaaterskill Branch was shortened to the Kaaterskill Branch; and the Hunter Branch kept its name. The roundhouse at Rondout was destroyed, with a sewer plant taking its place; the station, however, was still in use. They also slowed-down trains to 35 miles per hour (56.3 km/h) on the main line, and to 25 miles per hour (40.2 km/h) on the branches. The stations at Chichester, Lanesville and Edgewood were shut down; the Stony Clove Notch flagstop was entirely destroyed, and the siding taken out; and the stations at Kaaterskill Junction, Haines Falls, Kaaterskill and the Laurel House became summer-only stations. While the main line still had year-round stations, only the stations of Tannersville and Hunter on the branches were. This excluded the West Davenport Station, which had already been closed down in 1923 and eventually burned down ten years later, in 1933. The station at Kelly's Corners was also abandoned in the 1920s, and was eventually demolished upon the widening of State Route 30 in the early 1960s.
As for locomotives, Ulster and Delaware #2, 8, 12-14, 16-18, 20, 24 and 29 were deemed worthless, and were scrapped by the New York Central during the takeover in 1932. The other U&D locomotives had been either scrapped or sold off in the earlier years. However, they kept locomotives #19, 21-23, 25-28 and 30-41, and renumbered them #800-818 in 1936, as the turntables in front of the stations were too small for the regular NYC locomotives and the ex-U&D engines were the only ones with mountain-gear brakes that were specially-designed for the steep grades in the Catskill Mountains. These locomotives were assigned as "class Fx" and "class Fx light". Locomotive #31, however, was deemed unreliable by the Central, which sent it to West Albany in 1933 to be scrapped, becoming the first of the heavier U&D locomotives to go. It also introduced two new locomotives to the branch: NYC Moguls
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
#1013 and 1076. They were the only NYC engines run on the CMB and the smaller branches until diesels took over.
Rosendale, New York
Rosendale is a town in the center of Ulster County, New York, United States. It once contained a village of the same name, which was dissolved through a vote. The population was 6,075 at the 2010 census.- History :...
had always been plagued with weight restrictions, as the material used to build it in the 1870s, and then to rebuild it in 1895, was not strong enough to hold a modern locomotive. The locomotives the NYC had been using on the WVB were "Class C" 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
s, and were not as powerful as the U&D's 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
s. They tried using the Fx-light locomotives on the Wallkill Valley Branch, with great success. Two Fx-lights could easily haul a 40-car train on the branch safely across the bridge. They were a lifesaver, and were extensively used until the Central tried out light diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s on it, and replaced the Fx-light locomotives as the main source of power on the WVB.
Between the complaints from passengers of the seemingly-endless trip from Phoenicia to Kaaterskill or Hunter (as the speed limit on the branches was 25 miles per hour (40.2 km/h)), and the cost of the operation, the railroad applied for and got permission from the ICC to abandon the Kaaterskill and Hunter branches in 1939. The New York Central finally scrapped the branches in 1940. The branches were but a memory, the bridges were gone and the stations now nothing but abandoned rubbish. Only two of them survive to this day: the Hunter Station
Hunter Railroad Station
The railroad station at Hunter, New York, branch MP 2.5, was a former station on the Hunter Branch of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad and was the busiest station on the branch lines of the U&D. Within several yards of the station were the Standard Oil Co...
, now a house, and the Haines Falls Station
Haines Falls Railroad Station
There were two stations that served the once-busy town of Haines Falls, New York. One was owned by the Ulster and Delaware Railroad, and the other was owned by the Catskill and Tannersville Railway.-Kaaterskill Railroad:...
, now a museum.
Diesel era
Steam locomotives were used exclusively on the CMB and the WVB since 1932, and were used for 17 years after that. However, the Central tried diesel locomotives on the Wallkill Valley and the Catskill Mountain Branches in 1948, and found that they performed better due to not having to make water stops. NYC #809 was scrapped in 1945, locomotives #800 & 807 were scrapped in 1946, locomotives #802, 804 & 811 were sent to West Albany in 1948, leaving only locomotives #801, 803, 805-806, 808, 810 & 812-818, which were then renamed NYC #1218, 1220-1223 & 1225-1231, with #801 keeping its number. The engines that had been scrapped in 1948 were supposed to be renamed as NYC #1217, 1219 & 1224, but weren't reassigned before being scrapped. The last steam engine to run over the CMB was NYC #1226 (ex-NYC #813, and ex-U&D #36). Soon after, all of the remaining U&D steam locomotives were sent to AshtabulaAshtabula, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,962 people, 8,435 households, and 5,423 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,775.9 people per square mile . There were 9,151 housing units at an average density of 1,211.8 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
to be scrapped, in 1949. After that, the branch lines were diesel-only, not seeing another steam engine until a 3 miles (4.8 km) tourist line from Oneonta to a bridge near West Davenport opened in the 1960s.
The line was entirely dieselized by 1949, and passenger service ended on March 31, 1954, relegating the CMB to freight service-only. The Arkville station was nearly destroyed by a runaway milk truck in the 1960s, and the NYC tore the remains of the station down. Kingston Union Station was abandoned after the end of West Shore passenger service to Kingston, in 1958. The NYC then got permission from the ICC to abandon the portion from Bloomville to Oneonta in 1965, and scrapped the abandoned portion in 1967.
Penn Central and Conrail Years
The NYC merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968 forming the Penn Central Transportation Company. The branch's western terminus was now at Bloomville, and the route from Kingston to Rondout was in great disrepair, with only three customers keeping the line open.The Penn Central regularly ran trains, but with diminishing frequency as more and more customers switched to truck delivery. Eventually, there was only one train a week each way. Generally, trains ran to Stamford or Hobart and ended their trip as the crew had run against the "hours of service" law. On the following day, another crew would pick up the train and return to Kingston. Due to the poor condition of the tracks there were frequent derailments on the branch, forcing the train to operate at low speed. It would sometimes take up to three days for a single train to travel over the line. Penn Central had declared bankruptcy in 1970, and was seeking federal assistance in the form of loans to pay for much needed repairs and upgrades system-wide. At bare minimum, Penn Central would replace ties on the branch to keep the rails in gauge, but it was not enough to increase speeds. After many problems with running the branch and diminishing traffic, the railroad filed a petition with the ICC to abandon the branch.
Meanwhile, the federal government created Conrail to take overt the operations of six bankrupt northeastern railroads, including Penn Central. The ICC allowed a discontinue service on the former Penn Central branch in September, 1976. The branch was not to be included in Conrail due to its low levels of traffic, but a six-month subsidy was put in place by the State of New York to continue operation while the customers along the line made other arrangements for shipping. The last freight train ran west from Kingston to Stamford on September 28, 1976, and returned to Kingston with all 32 freight cars remaining on the branch on October 2, 1976.
The Catskill Mountain Branch remained out of service, but not abandoned. Conservationists, spearheaded by transportation lawyer and New York native Donald L. Pevsner, campaigned to preserve the railroad and enlisted the help of Pevsner's friend, well-known columnist and author William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
. He famously toured the line in 1977 and helped draw publicity to the tug-of-war between the communities and the Penn Central over price. Residents along the line succeeded in convincing their local governments to raise enough money to buy the railroad from the Penn Central bankruptcy estate. In 1979, Ulster County bought the 38.6-mile segment from Kingston (MP 2.8) to the county line near Highmount (MP 41.4). In turn, the county leased this line to the new Catskill Mountain Railroad in 1983. Seven Towns in Delaware County (via the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation, of Delhi, New York) purchased the right of way from the county line to the end of track in Bloomville (MP 86) in 1980. This section would become the Delaware and Ulster Railroad
Delaware and Ulster Railroad
The Delaware and Ulster Railroad is a heritage railroad based in Arkville, New York.-History:The last regularly scheduled passenger train over the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad tracks was operated between Kingston and Oneonta by the New York Central on March 31, 1954. The tracks were then...
. The mainline connection at Kingston was severed in 1996 when Conrail removed the switch to the former Catskill Mountain Branch, isolating both the CMRR and DURR operations from the national network.
The branch from Kingston down to Rondout was operated by Conrail after 1976 to serve the remaining customers. Conrail operated this small portion until 1979, when it decided it was no longer profitable and filed for abandonment. The Trolley Museum of New York arrived in 1983 and currently operates the last mile and a half to the former terminus at Kingston Point. The connection to the River Division (former West Shore) was severed in the 1980s, isolating the line to Rondout.
Kingston Terminal Railroad
In 1980, the Kingston Terminal Railroad was organized by the Delaware Otsego CorporationDelaware Otsego Corporation
The Delaware Otsego Corporation is an American railway holding company which owns the subsidiary New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway as well as other, smaller branch line railroads, collectively known as the DO System...
to operate the approximately 5 miles (8 km) of track between what is now the CSX River Division and Hudson Cement in East Kingston. However, Hudson Cement closed in 1980 and the Kingston Terminal Railroad was dissolved, having never operated a single train.
Ulster County
Starting at Kingston Point, Milepost 0, the Trolley Museum of New York operates the remaining trackage in Kingston east of the CSX River Line, up to about Milepost 2.4. The line in this section is owned by the City of Kingston and leased to the Trolley Museum. The Trolley Museum is focused on the preservation of the use of trolleys and restoration of the old U&D Rondout Yard. It built a new engine house and shop in 1987, and the idea of rebuilding the utility building and the station has been suggested. The Museum currently operates from MP 0, Kingston Point, to MP 1, Rondout Yard, with a branch along the Strand. The track from MP 2.4 to 2.8 has been removed and the right-of-way sold to private parties.The next segment of the line, from MP 2.8 in Kingston to MP 41.4 at the Delaware County line, is owned by Ulster County, which bought it from the Penn Central in 1979. 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...
leases this portion of the line from Ulster County, and operates a tourist train from Phoenicia, MP 27.5, to Cold Brook Station, MP 22.1. The tracks between Kingston and Cold Brook have been cleared for track car use, and are being upgraded for full train service from Kingston west towards Phoenicia, and are currently usable by trains east of MP 5.0 (Bridge C9), and from MP 21.3 (Bridge C30) to 27.9. 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...
commenced operations in Kingston in December 2008. Two bridges in need of repair separate the two ends of the railroad, one at MP 5 (Bridge C9) and the other at MP 21.3 (Bridge C30). On August 28, 2011, Bridge C30 was washed away due to catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Irene, severing the Phoenicia operation from the Kingston operation for the time being.
The portion of the line between Phoenicia, MP 27.9, and Highmount, MP 41.4, also leased by 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...
, is isolated by six large washouts west of Phoenicia, and has not seen a train since regular service ended in September, 1976. However, a 2+1/2 mi section of the line, between Giggle Hollow (MP 38.9) and Highmount, home to the scenic "double horseshoe curve", was cleared for track car use in 2006 by a joint team of members from the Trolley Museum of New York, 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...
and Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
The Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society is a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society . It focuses on the history of the railroads and related social, economic, and cultural institutions of the Catskill and Hudson Valley regions...
. Another section from just east of Big Indian (MP 35.83) to Shandaken (MP 33.51) was cleared in 2009. More of this section will be cleared for track car use as time permits.
The abandoned right-of-way from the Hunter and Kaaterskill branches in Ulster County can still be walked, despite all but one of the bridges being removed (there is only one surviving bridge on the branches, near the Ulster County-Greene County border line, which is privately owned). There is also a washout along the old right-of-way in Chichester that has exposed the soft, delicate clay underneath, and is very difficult to walk on.
Delaware County
The Delaware and Ulster RailroadDelaware and Ulster Railroad
The Delaware and Ulster Railroad is a heritage railroad based in Arkville, New York.-History:The last regularly scheduled passenger train over the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad tracks was operated between Kingston and Oneonta by the New York Central on March 31, 1954. The tracks were then...
(DURR), based in Arkville, MP 48.1, currently runs tourist trains from Highmount to Roxbury, MP 59.1. Currently the DURR's operations are limited to the portion between Arkville and Roxbury, as the line to Highmount is out of service due to a weak bridge abutment east of Arkville.
The pride of the DURR is the "Rip Van Winkle Flyer": a five-car Budd streamlined train used for charters.
The regular train is powered by former D&H 5017, an Alco RS-36, and consists of two flatcars and three former PRR MP-54 coaches (441, 444, and 447) lettered for the New York Central.
Other engines at the DURR consist of Alco S-4s 1012 and 5106 and GE 44-tonner No. 76. Currently under restoration is the "Red Heifer" a Model 250 Brill Gas-Electric, formerly NYC M-405.
In Roxbury, the Roxbury Station is being restored by the Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
The Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society is a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society . It focuses on the history of the railroads and related social, economic, and cultural institutions of the Catskill and Hudson Valley regions...
. The museum is open, showcasing many artifacts and displays from the railroads mentioned above.
The Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
The Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society is a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society . It focuses on the history of the railroads and related social, economic, and cultural institutions of the Catskill and Hudson Valley regions...
owns former NYO&W
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...
"Bobber" Caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
#8206, built at the NYO&W Middletown Shops in 1906, and former BEDT
Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal
The Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal was a Rail-Marine Terminal with its main facilities and administrative offices located on 86–88 Kent Avenue in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York.-Background:...
14, an H. K. Porter, Inc
H. K. Porter, Inc
H. K. Porter, Inc. manufactured light-duty railroad locomotives in the USA, starting in 1866. The company became the largest producer of industrial locomotives, and built almost eight thousand of them...
Locomotive Works 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
T steam locomotive, built in August 1920 at their facility in Pittsburgh, PA. Both are presently being restored by the Society.
The Delaware County ROW from Highmount to Bloomville is owned by the Catskill Revitalization Corporation.
The track ends at Hubbell Corners, MP 60.2, where the ROW becomes a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
that extends to Bloomville, MP 86.2, called the Catskill Scenic Trail
Catskill Scenic Trail
The Catskill Scenic Trail is a multi-use rail trail along the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad right-of-way in rural Delaware County, New York. It runs approximately from Grand Gorge, New York to Bloomville, New York. The western portion of the trail runs along the West Branch of the Delaware...
.
As for the stations in Delaware County, the Halcottville Station, MP 53.0, was cut in half, with the passenger side moved a few hundred feet, where it serves as a shed on private property, and the freight side moved to Arkville, where it is now a tool shed for the Delaware and Ulster Railroad
Delaware and Ulster Railroad
The Delaware and Ulster Railroad is a heritage railroad based in Arkville, New York.-History:The last regularly scheduled passenger train over the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad tracks was operated between Kingston and Oneonta by the New York Central on March 31, 1954. The tracks were then...
. Both the Arkville and Fleischmanns stations are gone, but the freight houses have survived. The DURR uses the Arkville freight house as its passenger station. The Kelly's Corners station was acquired by NYSDOT in 1964 and bulldozed during the reconstruction of State Route 30. The station at Stamford has been restored, is owned by the CRC, owners of DURR, and used for offices. The stations at South Kortright, MP 81.5, East Meredith, MP 97.9, and Davenport Center, MP 103.2, are currently private dwellings, with the railbed in front of them also being privately owned.
Interstate 88
Interstate 88 (east)
Interstate 88 is an intrastate Interstate Highway entirely within the U.S. state of New York. Its western end is at Interstate 81 in Binghamton and its eastern end is at Interstate 90 in Schenectady. It serves as an important connector route from Albany to Binghamton, Elmira , and...
was planned in the 1970s to go from 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...
to Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, although the original plans suggested that it go to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and near the Atlantic Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. The portion that was constructed covers a portion of the U&D's right-of-way in the township of Oneonta, where it connects with New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28 is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major routes, including Interstate 88 , U.S. Route 20 , and the...
.
Schoharie County
The South Gilboa Station, MP 70.6, is the only station on the remainder of the U&D, and it is in poor condition. It is still in its original spot, between the Delaware County stations of Grand Gorge and Stamford. The old right-of-way in front of it is part of the Catskill Scenic Trail. It is also one of two other U&D railroad stations that is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The Town of Gilboa Historical Society has proposed that the South Gilboa station should have a full cosmetic restoration. However, this is only a proposal, and it is unclear whether or not it will take place.
Otsego County
The final station at Oneonta, MP 106.9, was part of a tourist line called the "Delaware and Otsego Railroad" that was created shortly after that portion was abandoned, in the late 1960s. It ran trains from Oneonta station to a bridge that crossed Charlotte Creek a little way from the old site of the West Davenport Station. It is currently a pub/restaurant called "The Depot". The line from Bloomville, MP 86.2, to Oneonta, MP 106.9, which was abandoned in 1965, with rails being removed in 1967, is currently in the hands of private owners.Greene County
The Greene County portion of the branches, which were torn up in 1940, along with the smaller portion of the branches in Ulster County, remain as overgrown paths and bridge abutments, with an occasional road covering the ROW. New York State Route 214New York State Route 214
New York State Route 214 is a short but scenic state highway in the heart of the Catskill Park. It runs north–south from near the hamlet of Phoenicia up near an old railroad route into the narrow pass known as Stony Clove Notch, then down into the upper Schoharie Creek valley to end...
overlaps the former alignment at Stony Clove Notch
Stony Clove Notch
Stony Clove Notch is a narrow pass, roughly 2,220 feet in elevation located in the Town of Hunter in Greene County, New York, deep in the Catskill Mountains. It is traversed by New York State Route 214, although in the past the Ulster and Delaware Railroad went through it as well.The notch divides...
. However, a 2 miles (3.2 km) section of the line from Bloomer Road to Clum Hill Road in Tannersville has been converted into a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
, known locally as the "Huckleberry Trail". There are also a few bridge piers, such as one on the southern side of the Esopus Creek
Esopus Creek
Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River that drains the east-central Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. From its source at Winnisook Lake on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the Catskills' highest peak, it flows across Ulster County to the Hudson at Saugerties. Many tributaries...
in Phoenicia, one in Chichester (both in Ulster County), and two in Edgewood.
There are only two surviving stations on what used to be the branches. The Hunter Station, branch MP 2.5, is now a private dwelling. The Haines Falls Station, branch MP 18.5, is currently the headquarters of the Mountain Top Historical Society.
For more information about the disposition of the rest of the stations on the line, see the List of Ulster and Delaware Railroad Stations.
Narrow Gauge Coaches
The coaches that ran on the Narrow Gauge Division had been built by Jackson & Sharp Co.Jackson and Sharp Company
Jackson and Sharp Company was an American railroad car manufacturer and shipbuilder in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was founded in 1863 by Job H. Jackson , a tinsmith and retail merchant, and Jacob F. Sharp Jackson and Sharp Company was an American railroad car manufacturer...
in 1881 and 1883. Between August 1899 & June 1900, they were sold to F. M. Hicks & Co.
Hicks Locomotive and Car Works
The Hicks Locomotive and Car Works was one of many small railway equipment construction companies operating in the United States at the dawn of the 20th century. It stayed in business for only 21 years.- History :...
of Chicago, Illinois. In May 1901, Hicks resold four of the coaches to the White Pass and Yukon Route
White Pass and Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route is a Canadian and U.S. Class II narrow gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other railroad. Equipment, freight and passengers are ferried by ship through the...
(WP&YR ##218, 220, 222, and 224). Under White Pass ownership, these cars have been rebuilt several times. Before Rebuilding. They remain in operation. After all of the rebuildings under White Pass ownership, about all that remains of the original cars are the architecture and the superstructure frames.
See also
- List of defunct New York railroads
- List of New York Central Railroad precursors