D&O-era Central New York (CNYK) Richfield Branch

If you're looking for info, you should know the company is Delaware Otsego, no "and".

Also, as someone who has researched at libraries all over the state, they'll have very little of what you need. If you live close or can travel, arrange a visit to a historical society. Even then, ask first what they have. Some are genealogically oriented. Most have an email address you can find via Google.

Charles

FYI, there are a couple of chunks of the CNYK still in rail but disconnected:
From Mapledale Road to Sickle Hill Road: http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/182954226
From Sickle Hill Road to NY-8: http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/182954224
And finally the tail track of the wye at Richfield Junction heading south past Babcock Hill Road and ending somewhere north of NY-8 (no rails in sight there): http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/182954221
The tracks are pulled at Sickle Hill Road, but the RRXING sign remains. The tail track I'm calling disconnected because one of the fishplates has been pulled on the west-facing leg, so technically and legally it's not connected to the rest of the NYS&W. It might be connected on the north-facing leg, but I'm pretty sure that they pulled a fishplate there, too. I didn't walk it because the rain on Saturday threatened to get worse.

As to rolling stock.

I have no idea on the freight cars, but as far as I know the FJG switcher #20 was part of a trade in to GE (scrap credit most likely)back when the purchase for the B40-8's was done.

The 101 went to Honesdale for a while and suffered a failed traction motor. It went in trade to Rome Locomotive in lieu of payment for work done on C430 #3000. RLW installed a new traction motor and used it for some years as their hostling engine, and it did okay and was reasonably reliable and trouble free.

After RLW closed in June 1992 it was part of the debt and property settlement and was eventually sold to Cuyahoga Valley Railroad along with ex Adirondack RS-3 #29 (NYSW104). Cuyahoga placed the 101 (renumbered by RLW back to original D&H # 4088) in brief service until a change in management when it and 104 were sadly scrapped. The 101 was the only assigned loco to the CNY operation, the #20 just pinch hitting in '74. After 1982 the Branch was served by whatever fleet power was out of Utica. Well ... sorta. They actually based the NYSW 252 in Richfield Springs and I think either the 102 (or 103?) towards the very end. I do not know what happened to these units as far as final dispositions. The 102 may not have been serviceable as I only recall the 252 actually running.

that must've been the 103

As far as I know the LASB 102 never saw northern division rails (if anyone knows otherwise, please say so), and it had gone to Littel Ferry about 1983 never to run again (although it didn't get scrapped until '88 as part of that same trade in/scrap binge to pay for the B40s).

Steve F45- don't know if any of the all-door cars survive or where, but there are various FJG/CACV etc.4-50 ft boxcars scattered around. CHeck out Gino's web page (mentioned previously) for some info. CNYK had NO freight cars of its own as far as I'm aware.

Cactus Jack- you wouldn't happen to know the # of the B&M GP9 (or was there more than one?) that you mentioned running on the CNYK, would you?

OIBU:

The B&M units were:

1746
201
and possibly 1718 or 1719 or both but would have only gone to East Winfield at most.

Thanks Cactus Jack!

That's the first I've heard of a B&M GP38 on the NYS&W ND or CNYK I think. I know at least one or two ran through on stack trains east of Binghamton to NJ though.

If I might pick your brain one last time- did any D&h or MEC units ever make it onto the CNYK (or any you can remember on the Northern Div. in general?) I would have to check which numbers, but for sure there was an MEC GP38 (253 perhaps?) on the NYS&W north of Binghamton, as well as at least one or two D&h RS11/36s and later C424 74 (ex ST 74). D&H 5017 also made an apperance ca. 1989 on excursions with the 3000 or 3006. AFAIK non of these made it onto the CNYK, but then again all I knew about before was that supposedly a B&M Gp9 did- so since you've confirmed at least a couple B&M GP9s and a GP38, would be interesting to know about any other D&H or GUilford units.

D&H#5015 and Ex-Santa Fe CF-7#2417 were the power for an excursion train sponsored by the U&MV Chapter NRHS on Sep.28 1985,Utica to Binghamton and return.I know its not the CNYK, but just thought I share the info. I really miss riding those excursions on the Utica Branch.

OIBU:

I cannot say for certain on the Guiilford / MEC / D&H power at that time running on the CNY. It is very possible but I just do not know. Yes the C424M's ran on the line and I have a photo of one smoking it up at Woods Corners north of Norwich in Guilford gray as a 70 series number. Also there were MEC GP38's - 200 series? .... I know they were orange. I can also say that they made it as far as Sangerfield or Richfield Jct. I recall Guilford Gray painted GP's switching Victory in Norwich and might have a few stray shots of Guilford gray EMD GP's but no specific numbers pop into my head and I am pretty sure they never went over the CNY.

I also know B&M 1718-1719 ran up to Waterville from Binghamton one night as a doubleheader with Barry Baker and Mike Waterman in October 1987.

D&H 5000's were around for a while in freight service in NYSW days. I recall shooting 5007 with a southbound freight just south of Greene. 5017 and I think 5023 were also on line recreating earlier times when they were on EL freights.

In EL days the D&H 5000's ran on the Richfield Branch and I have a photo of 5017? at the Unadilla Forks Crossing with a derailed snowplow about 1971. D&H power was very common in later 1970-early '72 era and train consists list the D&H engies on The Bull and on the Sherburne local which I can attest to living in Earlville and frequently seeing them. D&H 5005 was on The Bull when it derailed at Hubbardsville on the iced over crossing and made the front page of the Hamilton Mid-York Weekly paper. There were also at least one pair of D&H RS-3's (4000's) on The Bull that made it to Utica. You could always tell the D&H power from EL power by the horns.

I have a photo of the B&M 201 when they arrived at Norwich from Utica with Engineer Foley and Conductor Greenblatt, December 1985 and they claimned to have done the CNY on the way down. Also shot the 1746 switching Aliied Mill at Sangerfield - again after they said they had just come off "the branch".

Thank you again Cactus Jack- great recollections there!

Similar to what I said above about the D&H/Guilford era power on NYS&W and making it onto CNYK, as time goes on I keep finding more examples of D&H power on EL in ways or places I hadn't realized. I always knew that in the Dereco era either road's power could show up on either road, but things like solid RS3 consists going to NJ on the EL, or what you just related here re: the D&H 5000s being more than just a once or twice "fluke" on the Utica/Richfield/etc. branches in EL days, are things I never would have guessed until the last couple years or so as I've seen or heard about many more varied things than just D&H GES or 628s on the EL or EL Sd45s gong to Mechanicville.

I also always enjoy hearing about some of the oddbal "foreign" power that was around on the NYS&W ND back in the 80s- as if all the NYS&W's own Alcos weren't enough to keep things interesting. Too bad most of railroading today isn't quite so unique or varied as those times! I guess it's the universal railfan lament that we were all born just a little too late- I know I would have liked to have been just a few years older and had a bit more opportunity to see and shoot more of what was around back then.

Yeah, I always was wishing I could have caught triple-headed GP-7's over at Richfield Springs, steam engines, F-M Trainmasters on troop trains on Schuyler Street in Utica and the O&W. By the time I was seeing Guilford Geeps in Norwich I was not real attentive. Although I did get jazzed up when I saw a CPR SD40-2 leading a train into Norwich on NYSW and a CPR RS-23 switching IL Richer at Woods Corners. Both got photographed !

Which also reminds me about the D&H detours in January 1966 when the big wreck happened at Bainbridge. At least one train southbound D&H detour had 3 C628's on it. Bill Gale the EL local customer representative grabbed a shot of them as they approached Clayville coming up the hill. Super cool ! Most of those detours had 4 axle 5000's and 4000's. I saw the 3 unit C628 train go through Earlville, but was too young to be out taking pictures.

And that reminds me of another thing, the "Oxford Specials" run from hoboken to Oxford, NY into the mid-1960's. Some of these had E8's and PA's. I'd love to see photos of them, but only have info that they ran. Imagine doubleheaded PA's blasting through Greene and pulling into the Oxford depot !

oibu wrote:Thank you again Cactus Jack- great recollections there!

Similar to what I said above about the D&H/Guilford era power on NYS&W and making it onto CNYK, as time goes on I keep finding more examples of D&H power on EL in ways or places I hadn't realized. I always knew that in the Dereco era either road's power could show up on either road, but things like solid RS3 consists going to NJ on the EL, or what you just related here re: the D&H 5000s being more than just a once or twice "fluke" on the Utica/Richfield/etc. branches in EL days, are things I never would have guessed until the last couple years or so as I've seen or heard about many more varied things than just D&H GES or 628s on the EL or EL Sd45s gong to Mechanicville.

I also always enjoy hearing about some of the oddbal "foreign" power that was around on the NYS&W ND back in the 80s- as if all the NYS&W's own Alcos weren't enough to keep things interesting. Too bad most of railroading today isn't quite so unique or varied as those times! I guess it's the universal railfan lament that we were all born just a little too late- I know I would have liked to have been just a few years older and had a bit more opportunity to see and shoot more of what was around back then.

You have no idea how much I agree with you on that last statement.

We had a good variety of motive power on the Utica Division freights to keep us on our toes right up until the washouts in 2006. I can recall occasional NS units, leased BAR units, ex-PW units, and lots more. Got quite a bit of CP stuff as well, I remember seeing a St. Lawrence And Hudson RR Geep switching Louis Gale's feedmill in Waterville once. As luck would have it I never was never carrying a camera when I saw the best stuff. Saw some quite hideous looking engines too at times, sometimes on-line and sometimes going to and coming from RMDI shops in Utica.

My favorites though were the ex-CB&Q E9's that were on the NYS&W's own roster. Those were some classy looking engines. They were always kept shiny and clean...At least the times I saw them, anyway.

Probably the strangest foreign unit I have ever seen on the NYS&W was a white CPRail SD40-2 on a northbound at North Brookfield once...Had red lettering so it was like inverted colors from the usual CP deal (We got plenty of those too)...I think the reason for this was that this particular unit was ex-Kansas City Southern?

But about the Richfield Branch, I unfortunately have no memory of trains on it however I do remember walking down to the stone loader up by Babcock Hill Rd a few times. Also walked the ROW near Bridgewater a couple times. Sad to say that's about it. I can remember being able to see the stone loader from the Babcock Hill crossing looking North....Not anymore.

I was driving to a quarry on Sale Road east of West Winfield (or maybe west of East Winfield) and what should be sitting there but 101 derailed with a couple of cars. It was still warm but no one was around. A few hours later a crew arrived to put it back on the rails. Was April of either 82 or 83.

Lots of good memories in the 80s...1st night the 3000 and 3002 showed up in Utica, cab ride in 2000 with Durwood Carmen, first stack train down Schuyler Street (lead car covered with cable TV cables that weren't quite high enough), the U&MV excursions, etc...

Nice shots Kuyahoora. I'm guessing the 101 must have been doing max track speed when it left the rails? What was track
speed back then, perhaps 25 or so?

Must have been some good memories from those NYSW first-time things. I suppose the Susie-Q never did a "clearance project"
prior to running those stacks?

Charlie

Kuyahoora Valley wrote:I was driving to a quarry on Sale Road east of West Winfield (or maybe west of East Winfield) and what should be sitting there but 101 derailed with a couple of cars. It was still warm but no one was around. A few hours later a crew arrived to put it back on the rails. Was April of either 82 or 83.

Lots of good memories in the 80s...1st night the 3000 and 3002 showed up in Utica, cab ride in 2000 with Durwood Carmen, first stack train down Schuyler Street (lead car covered with cable TV cables that weren't quite high enough), the U&MV excursions, etc...

I am not an expert but it looks like the cause of that wreck was rotted ties causing the rails to be pushed apart under the weight of the train. Nice photos...Do you happen to have any more? PM me.