WhiteRiverProductions


Sacramento Division


Southern Pacific


we turned off the Thruway in Kingston and onto Route 28, I spied two streaks of overgrown rusty rails. The tracks ducked in and out of sight as we climbed higher into the mountains. We passed a forlorn crane and flatcar at Ashokan. At Phoenicia we breezed by an attractive-looking centercab, a wood caboose, and two open-air ride flats lettered CATSKILL MOUNTAIN. We didn’t have time to stop, but I later learned these tracks were once part of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad, known locally as the old “Up & Down” due to its many steep grades. The Ulster & Delaware was acquired by


New York Central in 1932, and it became the Catskill Mountain Branch running from the NYC’s West Shore at Kingston about 100 miles to a connection with the Delaware & Hudson at Oneonta. Conrail ran the last freight trains in 1976, and the line was placed out of service. The tracks in Delaware County were acquired by the non-profit Catskill Revitalization Corporation and would become the Delaware & Ulster Rail Ride in 1983. Ulster County purchased the tracks within its borders in 1979, and the Catskill Mountain Railroad was formed in 1983 to operate the line under lease. Like its namesake, the CMRR has had its


The time from the late-1950s


until the mid-1990s were years of transition and decline of the SP’s influence in the west;


however, the photographs and extended captions presented


here emphasize the railroad in its former, healthy condition. With 223 photographs by


45 photographers, Southern Pacific: Sacramento Division presents a thorough look at


SP’s mainline and branchline operations from Dunsmuir to


Fresno, and from Sacramento to Ogden. The presentation illustrates the dramatic geographic and geologic


conditions through which the Southern Pacific’s various Sacramento Division lines were built, from pastoral


farming land, to deserts, to rugged mountains.


$69.95


S/H per book: $5 US, $9 Canada, all others, call or email for rates. Order item SPSD


877-787-2467 TOLL-FREE 660-695-4433 NON-US


WhiteRiverProductions.com 64 FEBRUARY 2016 • RAILFAN.COM


share of ups and downs. Freight service was operated for some time, but when the line’s only customer shut down, Conrail removed the switch connecting the CMRR interchange in 1996. It would take years for grants to be awarded, and several more to be released. Volunteer resources were scarce. A service expansion in 2004 was offset by devastating floods in 2005. An influx of new volunteers resulted in reopening the Kingston segment in 2008, only to be set back by the county’s plans to scrap the entire railroad in favor of a recreational trail. Washouts from Hurricane Irene devastated the railroad again in 2011, but CMRR continued to operate in a limited capacity. (FEMA funds awarded to Ulster County to repair the railroad have yet to be released.) In 2013, the county began its formal eviction of the railroad. Who would think something as benign as


a tourist railroad could cause such a ruckus? At issue are certain terms of the lease which Ulster County claims the railroad is not living up to. A judge recently ruled in favor of the railroad on some issues and sided with the county on others. Since both sides are seeking damages the matter may still go to trial, but


7Ideas Productions A&R Productions


since the lease ends in April, it may become a moot point. The county executive who has been leading


the efforts to remove the railroad recently won re-election by a narrow margin. This was followed up by a new “compromise” plan that would allow the railroad to run from Kingston to the edge of the Ashokan Reservoir, and from Phoenicia to the washed-out bridge at Boiceville. The tracks in between that skirt the edge of the scenic reservoir would be removed. This segment is controlled by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the agency that manages the city water supply, and the city wants the railroad easement removed. I was reintroduced to the CMRR in 2004


on a bus tour of the surviving portions of the U&D. I’ve been involved as a volunteer off and on for the last several years, doing everything from track repair to designing new brochures. Though I no longer live in the area, it’s fun to still be involved. In just the last few years, the railroad has experienced unprecedented growth in revenue thanks to special themed events like Day Out with Thomas and The Polar Express. Tracks that were hidden in the weeds just a few years ago now see regular service, thanks to CMRR volunteers. With no schedule announced for 2016 and


the legal situation unresolved, I decided I better get down there sooner rather than later. December 27, 2015, dawned gray and dreary as I picked up my friend Rob Ranger to make the four-hour trip down to the Hudson Valley. As we rolled up to the boarding area in Kingston, familiar faces greeted me. Everyone was excited at the runaway success Polar Express had brought, evidenced by the five sold-out coaches behind Alco RS-1 No. 401. The volunteers put a brave face on, but their true feelings were hard to mask. Today was the last day. Not just for Polar Express, but quite possibly all regular CMRR operation. It was like attending a wake for an old friend. Around 1:00 p.m., we photographed the “inspection run” consisting of a light engine movement to the current end of track. We doubled back to Kingston to shoot the 2:00 p.m. Polar Express. It was exciting to see such a long train behind lightning-striped No. 401. With sunlight quickly fading, we broke off our chase and said our goodbyes to the CMRR crew. It was great to see the sold-out trains roll through Kingston. Sadly, they might be the last. —OTTO M. VONDRAK


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