Day In North America 2015: Ulster & Delaware in the Catskills

Railroads Illustrated "Day In North America" (DINA) was Saturday, May 23, 2015. Photographers are encouraged to spend the day trackside and submit 3 photos to the magazine for publication.

Yonkers Rails decided to take advantage of the unique timing of gorgeous weather on this scheduled DINA which coincided with all 4 operating locations along the former Ulster & Delaware corridor being in operation. In Kingston, the Trolley Museum of New York was operating their Johnstown 358 Trolley. Also in Kingston, the Catskill Mountain Railroad had a special memorial remembrance for US Army Sgt. Shawn Farrell II (KIA 4/28/14) ,and Pfc Doug Cordo. (KIA 8/19/11).

Deep in the Catskill Mountains, it was Opening Day at the Catskill Mountain Railroad Mt. Tremper base, as well as the Delaware & Ulster Railroad. These three operations, made up by the Trolley Museum of New York, Catskill Mountain Railroad, and the Delaware & Ulster Railroad all operate on trackage that was at one time the Ulster & Delaware Railroad, later becoming the Catskill Mountain Branch of the New York Central, and on to Penn Central. The branch lasted only 6 months under early Conrail and the last train to run the entire branch returned to Kingston on Saturday, October 2, 1976.

Ulster County purchased their portion of the line in 1979 from the estate of Penn Central and leased the portion from Kingston to the Delaware County Line to the Catskill Mountain Railroad. Currently Ulster County wants to create a rail trail along the line by ripping up the majority of the railroad, completely going against what the people of Ulster County fought to preserve in 1979.

In Delaware County, the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation had the "foresight to ensure that much of the track and most rights-of-way were left intact as part of a local public ownership arrangement", and is operated as the Delaware & Ulster Railroad.

http://www.railroadsillustrated.com/
http://www.tmny.org/
http://catskillmtrailroad.com/
http://durr.org/
http://sgtfarrellfund.org/