Randy and I got up after 6:30 AM and I worked on the story until we left the Red Carpet Inn and drove to Milford. We stopped to get McDonalds to go and then drove to the Milford Train Station.
The Train
The station in Milford
Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad 3051.
The train in front of the Milford Station. Our train consisted of Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad 3051, Coaches 101 and 103, Lounge Concession 233m Coach 503, Open Car D&H 13843 and D&H Caboose 35723. I then decided to look around.
A spreader behind the engine shop.
Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad 3052.
Delaware & Hudson Wrecker.
The track to Cooperstown Junction.
Yard scene.
Box Car.
An old Passenger Car.
Delaware & Hudson Caboose 35798.
Erie Caboose C316.
An old caboose.
Track equipment in front of the engine house.
A Brief HistoryIn 1869 the Cooperstown & Susquehanna Railroad was built as a six foot gauge line to connect Cooperstown with the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad, a predecessor to the Delaware & Hudson Railway. In 1876 the line was rebuilt to a standard gauge line. In 1888 the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad was organized to build from Cooperstown Junction eastward across the Catskill Mountains in competition with the then building Delaware and Ulster Railroad. The first action was leasing the Cooperstown & Susquehanna Railroad. The railroad wanted to build north towards Fort Plains but was stopped when some land owners wouldn't sell. In 1903 the Delaware and Hudson Railroad acquired the railroad for $112,500 and renamed it the Cooperstown Branch. In 1930 the trackage south of Cooperstown Junction was abandoned. In 1937 passenger serviced ended on the branch. In 1970 freight traffic was gone and the D&H applied to abandon the rest of the line. In April 1971 the D&H sold the branch to the Delaware Ostego Corporation which operated both freight and passenger trains from Cooperstown Junction to Cooperstown under the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad name {CACV}. Excursion with steam ended in 1975 and diesel passenger trips lasted until the mid 1980's. The CACV final freight run operated in December 1987. In July 1997 the line change ownership one last time when the Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society NRHS purchased the railroad. Excursion passenger trains began again on July 6, 1999 operating between Milford and Cooperstown.
Our Train Trip
The train left Milford right on schedule.
A pond to the west of the tracks.
Rolling north into the countryside.
A farm with a Flea Market.
A view heading north.
R on this side of the post.
W on this side of the post.
Views from both sides of our train.
A pond on the east side of the train.
We will be following the Susquehanna River north to Cooperstown.
We unloaded for the first photo runby of the day with this view.
Photo Runby 1.
The back up move.
D&H Milepost C6. We all reboarded and the train headed to our next photo location at the Baseball Dream Park
The Baseball Dream Park Station where we all unloaded.
The back up move. I relocated under the bridge for the Photo Runby.
The Photo Runby at the Baseball Dream Park
Back up to pick us up. We all reboarded.
View of the Baseball Dream Park
Team housing at the Baseball Dream Park
