NYC Catskill line south end questions

Just wondered if anyone has tried to operate this line as a tourist route in the last 20-30 years between Kingston and Phoenicia (the eastern/southern end of the line)? I vaguely remember some mentions of this part of the line, but I can't remember where or what specifically was said.

Appears the most recent move was sometime between 1987 and 1992 or so, I'm guessing Conrail pulled the switch shortly after.

The former Ulster & Delaware line between Kingston and Phonecia is under the perview of the Catskill Mountain Railroad. The right of way is intact the whole way, but ownership was sliced and diced between the towns along the way. Between a shortage of funding and the red tape of either leasing or buying back the ROW not much has happened. CMRR at least recently extended the line a couple miles east from Mt. Tremper thanks to a TEA-21 grant to replace a grade crossing over Route 28.

The Trolley Museum of New York operates the segment from Rondout to Kingston Point, and has been at that location since 1983. No trolley wire yet, though. I think someone told me they own the rights to the trackage up the hill towards the city.

DURR has been the victim of numerous washouts, and last I heard, no longer operates from Arkville to Highmount. The section from Arkville to Roxbury seems to be the focus.

CMRR's web site has not been updated to reflect the extended ride, but I was told by CMRR volunteers that washouts from this past winter's floods has been repaired, and the railroad plans to offer rides to Cold Brook this year. The extension falls just short of the washed-out Boiceville trestle- which will require another multi-million-dollar grant to replace.

http://www.catskillmtrailroad.com/

http://www.durr.org/2003/core.html

http://www.tmny.org/

-otto-

So where's "Highmount"? Doesn't show in my employee timetable? How many miles from Arkville?

Highmount is the location of Grand Hotel Station, MP 41.4. It is also the point at which the U&D crosses the Delaware / Ulster County line.

The Grand Hotel itself straddled the county line. At one time, Delaware County permitted bars to be open later than did Ulster County, but Delaware was dry on Sundays and Ulster wasn't. The Grand Hotel bar was mounted on wheels so they could move it back and forth between counties depending on the time and the day. I don't recall if the U&D RR owned the hotel directly, but it was certainly owned one way or the other by the Coykendall family.

The Catskill Mountain Branch was never owned by Conrail. It remained in the Penn Central Estate. It was operated for six months in 1976 by Conrail under contract to the NY State Department of Transportation as a light density line, and that was the last freight operation on the branch.

Don't forget the original Delaware Otsego line ran on the very west end in Oneonta in the mid-60's. The ROW is intact and hikable below Oneonta, through Stamford I think all the way to current DURR ops it's been made into a trail. Seems like from years ago when I drove along the two lines, it's pretty heavily overgrown where out of service.

Track just out of Kingston supports this, it is not passable. The growth is light, though.

Anyone know if DURR or CMT still has RS1's or a steam engine hidden somewhere around Kingston, or have they sold this stuff off since the mid-80s?

CMRR maintains a storage yard in Kingston that has two RS-1's (one ex GMRC (operable), one ex-SOO (serviceable)). The steam engine, I think it's being worked on in Kingston? Not sure. Concentration is on new trackage just opened from Mount Pleasant to Cold Brook. No update on steam since 2002.

http://www.esrm.com/esrm/engine23/engine_23.htm

-otto-

Was in Kingston Sat. and stopped at Phoenecia on the way back home. Bot the CMRR and Empire State Museum got hit bad by the flooding with tracks ripped out and cars turned over. Everything appears upright at the moment, but the water damage to the track and roadbed in the station-yard-museum area is tremendous. They are working on it, but it will take a lot of man hours and money. They hope to be operating in a few weeks, but need fiscal and physical help.