NYGL Jim Wilson's New Venture - Callicoon

Reconstruction work is moving right along on the Olympia Hotel in Callicoon. This was on 3/30/09.

John

Wow, great photo- thanks for sharing. Looks like he's serious about this hotel thing. Hopefully we can all find a creative way to support this endeavor in the future.

I can understand a strictly dinner train not making it as perhaps the novelty wears off after a certain amount of initial success. It seems to be the way most dinner trains go. But what about a regular service train, privately owned and operated that went through Callicoon? For example a run from Buffalo - Elmira - Binghamton - Callicoon - Port Jervis - Penn Station? Granted Amtrak runs similar service to the north, but those from the New York - Pennsylvania border area know there is a huge lack in public transportation. A second reason other than need for it's potential success would be simple customer service. We all know that good customer service is almost non-existant, even with Amtrak. The new service could provide a great dining atmosphere along with needed transportation through the southern tier. Just the day trippers to and from the city would provide with a vast amount of income. As mentioned earlier the biggest trick would be appeasing the Class I's in what they'd want to use their track, but perhaps local and state government would go to bat for this much needed service. Any thoughts?

fisherbj wrote:I can understand a strictly dinner train not making it as perhaps the novelty wears off after a certain amount of initial success. It seems to be the way most dinner trains go. But what about a regular service train, privately owned and operated that went through Callicoon? For example a run from Buffalo - Elmira - Binghamton - Callicoon - Port Jervis - Penn Station?... Any thoughts?

My thoughts are that you already have a thread about your passenger train idea:

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 28&t=50833

... and that this thread is for discussion of Jimmy Wilson's Calicoon hotel project.

-otto-

Were JW to consider a 'train to dinner' at the Callicoon Hotel, where, or is, there a place west of PJ to turn a train or at least the power? I know, double end would work, but is there anywhere that you could actually turn power if you wished to?

CarterB wrote:Were JW to consider a 'train to dinner' at the Callicoon Hotel, where, or is, there a place west of PJ to turn a train or at least the power? I know, double end would work, but is there anywhere that you could actually turn power if you wished to?

I think the answer is no - that is why he now owns an FA which can be used as a cab as it was in its LIRR days.

The concept of running weekend only trains from Port Jervis to Callicoon could actually work. Connect to the NJT trains and let people either do a day trip or a weekend. While Callicoon has certainly seen better days it wouldn't take much to have a few activities come alive in town and give people a reason to spend a few hours there. I assume they could also get off at Lackawaxen for the same reasons.

It will take all of JW's political skill to get enough politicians behind him so as to be able to run on this line and meet the NS/NYS&W requirements. Difficult? Yes, but not impossible.

I've been by the Olympia Hotel twice in the last 3 weeks and from the outside it looks like all work has stopped. No signs of any workers or vehicles on the premises and no apparent progress.

John

grumpyoldman wrote:I've been by the Olympia Hotel twice in the last 3 weeks and from the outside it looks like all work has stopped. No signs of any workers or vehicles on the premises and no apparent progress.

John

Typical shortline follie, start something then never finish it or take decades to.....look at the Glen Ridge station in NJ(once used by the NYGL IIRC), fallen into serious disrepair and then the M&E and their unfinished projects in Central NJ.

I somehow cannot see the parent company of the Tier allowing passenger trains either concidering costs of insurance and the strong use of authority(like has been done in the past).

Typical shortline follie, start something then never finish it or take decades to.....look at the Glen Ridge station in NJ(once used by the NYGL IIRC), fallen into serious disrepair and then the M&E and their unfinished projects in Central NJ.

Umm, do you see much construction going on ANYWHERE these days? It's actually pretty amazing that any work even started on this in today's economy. Pretty much nobody can get a loan for cosntruction right now.

I went for a ride to Binghamton the other day, I was surprised to see nothing happening at the proposed hotel in Callicoon that Jimmy Wilson was going to fix up. Also nothing in PJ has been moved since the E8 arrived last summer. Any news on either front?

Thanks for combining the 2 threads...so yea the photo from april above is how it looks now. Whats up with this project?

Was through Callicoon Sunday. Doesnt look like the Olympia Hotel is going to make it.

Still pretty much just the Tyvek all around it......or whats left of the Tyvek? Perhaps someone can snag a shot of it?

Charlie

I didnt know the hotel was a issue so I didnt take a picture of just the hotel. I hide under the station for a couple of hours while some nasty rain blew through the area.

But you did take a picture of the hotel. Its in the upper left of your photo and it looks about the same as it did in the the picture in the first post in this thread.

John