The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

End of an era...

As I write this on the 3rd of June 2016, The Catskill Mountain Railroad's lease on the Ulster and Delaware Corridor has ended and operations have ceased. The Catskill Mountain Railroad has submitted a RFP, request for proposal to Ulster County to continue operations. Given that there is so much bad blood between the Ulster County Executive and the Ulster County Legislature, I think the chances of the CMRR being awarded the RFP is slim to none. The way things have been written, it would be difficult, if not impossible for any railroad to operate on the line, giving The Ulster County executive, Mike Hein exactly what he wants, to turn the entire corridor into a bike and hiking path. Not that Ulster County needs another one.

On 5/29/2016 I headed up to Kingston and beyond to catch the Catskill Mountain Railroad one last time. Today, as I post this, the last trains have left Kingston and Cold Brook and the CMRR is winding down its operations. It now has sixty days to get its equipment off the right of way. This will be an expensive propostion as it all has to be trucked out. Here are my last photos of the CMRR and then a little CSX action afterword.

CMRR 400 waits for a call to duty that will never come at Kingston, NY 5/29/2016.



The only tracks that are safe in Phoenicia is this garden railroad owned by the Empire State Railway museum. The real track in the foreground will be ripped up for a hiking trail



CMRR 407 looks great in its last to next day of service as it pulls the first train of the day into Phoenicia 5/29/2016



Here is a view of CMRR 407 from the other side of the tracks at Phoenicia, NY 5/29/2015



CMRR 407 shoves east at Mt Tremper, NY 5/29/2016. One person observed a mere eight people on a parallel hiking trail that paid nothing versus 75 plus paying passengers on the CMRR. And Ulster County officials think yet another trail is a good idea????



CMRR 42 pulls the Kingston City Limited east back to Kingston Plaza in Kingston, NY 5/29/2016



CMRR 401 gets dragged back to Kingston Plaza in Kingston, NY 5/29/2016



CMRR 401 pulls the Kingston City Limited at Washington Ave in Kingston, NY 5/29/2015



CMRR 42 is pulled west at Washington Ave in Kingston, NY 5/29/2016



The CMRR advertisement for the last trains in the Catskills at Kingston, NY 5/29/2016



CMRR 401 waits for traffic to stop at RT 209 in Kingston, NY 5/29/2016



Volunteers have stopped traffic on RT 209 so the CMRR 401 can proceed west 5/29/2016. Its volunteers like these that have kept the CMRR running since 1982. Thank you all for your devotion to try and keep trains running in the Catskills.



CMRR 42 passes the modern crossing gates at RT 209 in Kingston, NY The CMRR paid for these with their OWN funds and volunteers installed them to make crossing RT 209 safe.



CMRR 42 drifts into the weeds towards Hurley Mountain Road and the end of active track. Its sad that Ulster County fought the CMRR at every turn, even refusing to allow them to spray the weeds to keep them away from the track making clearing the weeds a difficult and unending task for CMRR volunteers who would cut everything back with lawnmowers and whatever else they could use.



Having covered just about every spot that could be used for photography on the CMRR, It was time to head over to CSX for a bit....

CSX 474 is on Q-434 at Mount Marion, NY 5/29/2016



CSX 3420 is on Q-439 at Mount Marion, NY 5/29/2016



CSX 4070 is on C-712 at Mount Marion, NY 5/29/2016



CSX C-712 shoves into a customer siding at Catskill, NY 5/29/2016



CSX 4070 shoves cars into a customer siding at Catskill, NY 5/29/2016



CSX 4070 shoves cars into a customer siding at Catskill, NY 5/29/2016



After this I had to head home as my car was giving me trouble. It was a harrowing 100 plus miles home :-P