The Mysterious Railroads of the Catskills

In mid September, we took a trip to the Catskills with several railroad goals in mind, while also hoping for a relaxing few days in the mountains. Our first stop was the city of Kingston; a former port town on the Hudson, which was once home to the junction between the New York Central Water Level Route and the Ulster and Delaware Railroad into the mountain region. Today the Water Level Route is known as the CSX River Line, and the Ulster and Delaware connection is no more, having last seen revenue freight under Conrail in the 1970s. The U&D around Kingston has survived, in part, however, with the Catskill Mountain Railroad operating a tourist train from the western edge of the city, and a segment of the original harbor-area trackage now hosting the Trolley Museum of New York.

*The Catskill Mountain Railroad’s RS-1 departs Kingston with the “Ice Cream Train”*

Our first stop was the Catskill Mountain Railroad. Taking tourists on a leisurely out-and-back ride into the foothills of the Catskills, the line once had much grander aspirations, with plans to connect tourists arriving in Kingston with the communities and activities deep within the mountains. This plan was cut short in the last few years by an extremely anti-rail regional government, which moved to dismantle the bulk of the route, despite it being in mid-restoration, in order to facilitate the creation of a bike trail. This action also saw the loss of operating rights on the western segment of their previously managed trackage, but we’ll get to that later… Despite these setbacks, the railroad continues to soldier on with the trackage they still have access to, albeit looking a little worse-for-wear.

*Heading back down the mountain towards Kingston, with the RS-1 shoving the consist*

The railroad today operates with a single ALCO RS-1, which is one of the main reasons we wanted to catch it in action. Arriving just prior to the 1PM Ice Cream Train departure, we set up near their inauspicious departure point on the edge of a strip mall. The railroad originally ran closer to downtown Kingston, but around the same time their more westerly track was removed for the bike trail, the railroad was also evicted from their short segment within the city, involving some very nasty actions undertaken by the city government, which ranged from parking a highway maintenance truck on the main track to block the railroad from operating, and the city threatening to scrap the railroad’s entire roster if it wasn’t removed at their own expense from their restoration yard. This all in the name of creating another bike trail. We chased the 1PM departure as far as is possible by road, enjoying the unmistakable ALCO sounds and smells, catching it at several major crossings, and traveling through their iconic tree tunnel. See the video of this chase here.

*A selection of equipment on display at the Trolley Museum of New York*

After wrapping up the chase, we headed into Kingston to check out the trolley museum. Based in the original Ulster and Delaware yard, the museum hosts an eclectic collection of NYC Subway equipment, buses, maintenance-of-way vehicles, and both American and European streetcars. The operational trackage takes riders either west from the museum along a segment of street running, originally built to serve industries along the water, and east to a man-made peninsula taking the tracks out into the Hudson River. This dramatic and picturesque segment was constructed to give steam-era passengers a direct connection to river ferries which couldn’t navigate the more shallow waters in the harbor. While electrification is in the long term plans for the museum, the line is currently operated using a retrofitted streetcar from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which features an under-floor diesel engine. After touring the museum and compiling footage of the streetcar in action, we headed into the mountains.

*The diesel-powered former Johnstown streetcar, which received its diesel motor while operating at the Stone Mountain Railroad in Georgia*

We began our second day deep in the Catskills. Our goal for this day was a little different - we had tickets booked for a Rail Explorers rail bike experience. Operating out of the restored depot in the quiet town of Phoenicia, Rail Explorers operates over the segment of the Ulster and Delaware formerly run by the Catskill Mountain Railroad, which was disconnected from the current operation by the rail trail, and subsequent flood damage. While trains are currently unable to operate over this portion of the U&D due to the deteriorated condition of the track, and the revocation of the Catskill Mountain Railroad’s right to operate over the line, Rail Explorers has undertaken some preventative maintenance, and their use of the segment at least ensures it’s survival for now. It also provides the Empire State Railway Museum, based at the Phoenicia depot, with much needed revenue through attracting visitors, and site-rental fees for their offices. Once back from our trip over the line, we checked out the museum. It was closed, but thanks to some very friendly volunteers on site, we were able to get a tour of both the station, and their shop, where LS&I No. 23, a 2-8-0 steam locomotive, is currently being restored.

*Heading west on the original Ulster and Delaware mainline on a pedal-powered Rail Explorers rail bike*

*Some of the equipment maintained by the Empire State Railway museum in Phoenicia, NY*

On our third day, we made time to stop at the Delaware and Ulster Railroad, which operates seasonal excursions over the westernmost remaining segment of the Ulster and Delaware. This segment had remained connected to the Catskill Mountain Railroad (although the intermediate portion was not maintained) until Hurricane Irene washed out several locations along the Esopus Creek, land-locking it. Closed during the lockdown of March 2020, we had hoped to find the railroad back in operation, however upon investigation online, we found that their website had not been updated for 2021, and the last update on their Facebook page praised the completion of track work in April, which would supposedly allow them to restart operation. Evidently however, this had never happened, and even the volunteers at the Empire State Railway Museum had no idea what the current status of the D&U was. This being the case, we had no expectations of catching any trains operating, but we wanted to see their yard, as their collection of equipment was known to be both impressive and eclectic. Their yard was quiet, as anticipated, so we walked around to check out the various locomotives, cabooses, and passenger cars, including their beautifully painted ALCO RS-11. While we were there, we witnessed several workers disappearing into the shop building, indicating that there is still some sort of activity happening. Hopefully trains will restart in the future.

*The beautifully painted RS-11 at the Delaware and Ulster Railroad*

*A selection of the equipment on display in the Delaware and Ulster yard*

Our final goal while in the region was to capture some of the mainline action amid the impressive scenery of the Hudson Valley. After having to make an unanticipated trip home, we headed back to the Hudson a couple of days later, following the CSX River Line north from Iona Island to Newburgh, before crossing the river to follow the Metro North Hudson Line south. After the discovering the desolation and troubles of the various remaining portions of the Ulster and Delaware, it was good to experience some mainline action on two lines which were very much active!

The Mysterious Railroads of the Catskills

Chasing Freight Across the Desert

Railfanning in Downeast Maine