Published: July 14, 2008 03:45 am         

Rail revived in the Catskills

One thing people thought they'd never hear again in the Northern Catskills after the late 1960s and mid-70s was the sound of a locomotive coming through their villages.

Those trains had been part of the former Ulster & Delaware Railroad, which operated between Kingston and Oneonta.

However, it was 25 years ago when the "All aboard" call was made again and the Delaware & Ulster Railroad brought a nostalgic return of tourists riding through the Catskills on a portion of that old route.

The former U&D had its problems during the 20th century. It was rendered insolvent and forcibly merged into the New York Central Railroad in 1932, and then in 1968 into Penn Central. At that point, portions of the line from Kingston and Oneonta were abandoned and discontinued entirely after Conrail took over Penn Central in 1976. Through these final years, rails were removed.

There were people who missed the railroad and who formed the Catskill Rail Committee to resurrect the railroad as a tourist and trade route. They had high hopes of renovating the 100-mile line from Kingston to Oneonta until they learned in May 1980 that it would cost $25 million to do so, and that it didn't include rights-of-way. For this committee, it had to be a "think big, start small" effort.

By January 1982, the CRC, along with the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, had made some progress.

In 1981, they had bought the existing line and rail rights-of-ways between Ulster County and Bloomville with $3 million from the O'Connor Foundation. With part of the funds, the committee hoped to be able to revitalize a five-mile stretch of rails between Arkville and Halcottsville.

By July 1982, the CRC began work on a $600,000 project to restore the track between Arkville and Highmount. Included in that sum was money for purchase of locomotives and a few excursion cars, cross-tie replacements, and building restoration.

The Tuesday, November 16, 1982, edition of The Daily Star had a picture of a locomotive, old Number 79, being lifted off a flatbed truck with a crane at the Arkville depot.

Operations for the excursion line, to be called the Delaware & Ulster Railroad, were set to begin the following June. It was named this, rather than the Ulster & Delaware, because Penn Central's attorneys allegedly said during negotiations for the rights-of-way that the CRC could have the old name for an extra $25,000. The offer was refused.

In years since, things have grown and names have changed. The CRC was formed as a nonprofit organization, organized for charitable and educational purposes. Included in the activities of the corporation is the ongoing rehabilitation of the former Catskill Mountain Branch Railroad Line.

As its principal activity, CRC owns, operates and maintains a 45-mile linear park known as the Catskill Scenic Trail, covering an area between Highmount and Bloomville, or two counties and seven towns. Twenty-six miles are used as a four-season recreational trail that connects with hundreds of miles of trails in other systems. It is used by hikers, bicycle riders, cross-country skiers, equestrians and snowmobile riders.

The Delaware & Ulster Railroad, presently 19 miles long, is owned by the CRC and generally operates round-trip excursions from Arkville to Roxbury.

Dave Riordan, CRC executive director, noted that this railroad has always been a tourist attraction.

"Even back when it opened in the late 1800s," Riordan said, referring to the beginning of the Rondout & Oswego, as it was then called, "precious cargo has been tourists. People wanted to escape the heat, humidity, and pollution from coal in New York City."

Riordan said there is a possibility the line might be extended, considering the escalating cost of fuel to transport cargo. While keeping the line for tourism, an additional use could be for freight.

"All of our efforts are always to make sure that nothing is done to preclude the return of rail service to the Catskills," Riordan said.

This weekend, a July 1913 fire at a Binghamton clothing factory claimed more than 30 lives.

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City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.