|
| The history of the Ulster & Delaware
Railroad, and that of its predecessors the Rondout
& Oswego Railroad and the New York, Kingston,
& Syracuse Railroad, as well as the history of the
Catskill Mountain Branch (of the New
York Central, later Penn-Central, and Conrail), has been very well
chronicled in several publications over the years. Therefore a fully
written history will not be provided here, however a comprehensive
timeline is made available below.
|
 |
| Year |
Events |
|
1
8
6
6 |
April 3 - The Rondout & Oswego Railroad is
chartered to construct a standard gauge railroad between Rondout on
the Hudson River and Oswego on Lake Ontario. The original officers
of the new railroad are Thomas B. Cornell, President; John C.
Brodhead, Vice President and Construction Superintendent; Henry A.
Samson; Edgar B. Newkirk; H. Schoonmaker; James G. Lindsley; L.N.
Heermance; Isaac W. Longyear; Orson M. Allaben; E.J. Burhans; F.R.
Gilbert; and R.T. Hume. (Best 19)
May 24 - At a meeting of
the Board of Directors, the line surveyed by way of Roxbury and
Stamford, and known as the "Northern Route" is adopted by the
R&O. (Source: Annual Report, 9/12/1871)
November 15 - A contract
is entered into with the Collins Brothers for the graduation and
masonry work on the first 26 miles of roadbed, or eastern division,
extending from Rondout to Phoenicia. (Source: Annual Report,
9/12/1871)
|
|
1
8
6
7 |
December - Work is
commenced by breaking ground in the town of Kingston. (Source:
Annual Report, 9/12/1871)
|
|
1
8
6
8 |
Spring - Grading of the
Rondout & Oswego Railroad begins at Ronout. (Best
21)
|
|
1
8
6
9 |
Spring - A contract is
entered into with John Satterlee for the gradutation and masonry
work from Phoenicia to Harpersfield. (Source: Annual Report,
9/12/1871)
June - A secondhand inside-connected locomotive named
Pennsylvania and eight platform cars were
landed at Rondout, together with 1,000 tons of iron rail from
England. (Best 22)
August - The Pennsylvania steams through the heart of
Kingston for the first time, the first train movement within the
city. (Best 22)
September 30 - Track
laying crews reach Milepost 20 near Shokan. (Best
22)
November - A new locomotive, the Wm. C. More, is
received from the Dickson Manufacturing Company. (Best
22)
|
|
1
8
7
0 |
Early - Thomas Cornell,
and the R&O, come under fire from the townships west of
Shandaken. Said townships had bonded themselves for large sums of
money to have the railroad go through their towns by 1871. (Best
24)
March - Track laying
crews reach five miles west of Boiceville. (Best 22)
May - Twenty miles of
track have been ballasted. (Best 22)
May 25 - The first regularly scheduled passenger train is run.
Hauled by the Pennsylvania, the train consists of a
baggage car and a passenger coach. It leaves Rondout at 6:40 A.M.
and goes as far as Mt. Pleasant, twenty-four miles distant,
returning in the late afternoon.(Best 22)
June - A third locomotive, Thomas Cornell, is
acquired (Best 22)
June 20 - The Collins
contract having been completed and the track laid to Phoenicia,
three miles further, two daily trains commenced running to that
point. The track conditions, so poor at this point, relegate train
speeds to 12 M.P.H. (Source: Annual Report, 9/12/1871)
July - Thomas Cornell
organizes the Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroad, to run between
Rhinecliff (across the Hudson River from Rondout) and Boston
Corners. (Best 24)
September 1 - Freight
service begins to Shandaken (Best 22)
September 20 - The
railroad is reported to be in operating condition as far as
Shandaken, 32 miles from Rondout. Six miles have been graded up to
the summit at Pine Hill and then downgrade three miles towards
Dean's Corners (Arkville). Thomas Cornell resigns his post as
President of the R&O. John C. Brodhead is elected to the
post. (Best 24-25)
|
|
1
8
7
1 |
March 6 - A construction train, being hauled by the
Pennsylvania, derails a mile west of
Kingston. The engine derails and is ditched. A car loaded with heavy
logs overturns and kills brakeman Michael Gannon and seriously
injures the engine crew. The cause of the wreck is found to be due
to worn flanges on the locomotive's driving wheels and other
wear-and-tear on the locomotive which was never repaired. (Best
25)
Unknown - A law enacted
by the State of New York requires all railroads, at minimum, to
utilize 70-pound rails on mountain grades with sharp curves. All
work on the horseshoe curve at Pine Hill is halted while 70-pound
rails are ordered. (Best 25)
June - New 70-pound
rails arrive. Work resumes. (Best 25)
September 11 - The line
is put into service as far as Dean's Corners (now known as
Arkville). (Best 25)
December 15 - The line
is opened for traffic as far as Halcottville, milepost 53. (Best
28)
|
|
1
8
7
2 |
February - The railroad
is leased to John A. Greene & Co., contractors, for two years,
to operate the line, continue construction, and pay interest on the
bonds. (Best 28)
Spring - Grading crews
reach Moresville (now known as Grand Gorge). (Best 28)
April 10 - Railroad
president John C. Brodhead resigns, he is replaced by General George
H. Sharpe. (Best 28)
May 9 - The Rondout & Oswego Railroad is reorganized as the
New York, Kingston, & Syracuse Railroad (Best 28)
|
|
1
8
7
3 |
|
|
1
8
7
4 |
|
|
1
8
7
5 |
|
|
1
8
7
6 |
|
|
1
8
7
7 |
|
|
1
8
7
8 |
|
|
1
8
7
9 |
|
|
1
8
8
0 |
|
|
1
8
8
1 |
January 18 - The Stony Clove & Catskill Mountain
Railroad is organized by the shareholders of the Ulster
& Delaware Railroad. The new railroad is to be constructed
between a connection with the U&D at Phoenicia to Hunter in
Greene County, some 15 miles. To save on construction costs the
railroad is to be built to the three-foot gauge. (Ham & Bucenec,
2002, 12)
April - Over 400 men are
employed in clearing, grading, and laying the route for the
SC&CM. (Ham & Bucenec, 2002, 12)
August - Tracklayers
working on the SC&CM reach Edgewood, 8-1/2 miles from Phoenicia.
(Ham & Bucenec, 2002, 12)
|
|
1
8
8
2 |
Unknown - A Ramsey's Patent Car
Transfer Apparatus
is installed at Phoenicia, to facilitate the transfer of standard
gauge cars to the rails of the narrow gauge Stony Clove &
Catskill Mountain Railroad. (Source: Bucenec)
|
|
1
8
8
3 |
|
|
1
8
8
4 |
|
|
1
8
8
5 |
|
|
1
8
8
6 |
|
|
1
8
8
7 |
|
|
1
8
8
8 |
|
|
1
8
8
9 |
|
|
1
8
9
0 |
|
|
1
8
9
1 |
|
|
1
8
9
2 |
|
|
1
8
9
3 |
|
|
1
8
9
4 |
|
|
1
8
9
5 |
|
|
1
8
9
6 |
|
|
1
8
9
7 |
|
|
1
8
9
8 |
|
|
1
8
9
9 |
|
|
1
9
0
0 |
|
|
1
9
0
1 |
|
|
1
9
0
2 |
|
|
1
9
0
3 |
|
|
1
9
0
4 |
|
|
1
9
0
5 |
|
|
1
9
0
6 |
|
|
1
9
0
7 |
|
|
1
9
0
8 |
|
|
1
9
0
9 |
|
|
1
9
1
0 |
|
|
1
9
1
1 |
|
|
1
9
1
2 |
|
|
1
9
1
3 |
|
|
1
9
1
4 |
|
|
1
9
1
5 |
|
|
1
9
1
6 |
|
|
1
9
1
7 |
|
|
1
9
1
8 |
|
|
1
9
1
9 |
|
|
1
9
2
0 |
|
|
1
9
2
1 |
|
|
1
9
2
2 |
|
|
1
9
2
3 |
|
|
1
9
2
4 |
|
|
1
9
2
5 |
|
|
1
9
2
6 |
|
|
1
9
2
7 |
|
|
1
9
2
8 |
|
|
1
9
2
9 |
|
|
1
9
3
0 |
|
|
1
9
3
1 |
|
|
1
9
3
2 |
|
|
1
9
3
3 |
|
|
1
9
3
4 |
|
|
1
9
3
5 |
|
|
1
9
3
6 |
|
|
1
9
3
7 |
|
|
1
9
3
8 |
|
|
1
9
3
9 |
|
|
1
9
4
0 |
|
|
1
9
4
1 |
|
|
1
9
4
2 |
|
|
1
9
4
3 |
|
|
1
9
4
4 |
|
|
1
9
4
5 |
|
|
1
9
4
6 |
|
|
1
9
4
7 |
|
|
1
9
4
8 |
|
|
1
9
4
9 |
|
|
1
9
5
0 |
|
|
1
9
5
1 |
|
|
1
9
5
2 |
|
|
1
9
5
3 |
|
|
1
9
5
4 |
|
|
1
9
5
5 |
|
|
1
9
5
6 |
|
|
1
9
5
7 |
|
|
1
9
5
8 |
|
|
1
9
5
9 |
|
|
1
9
6
0 |
|
|
1
9
6
1 |
|
|
1
9
6
2 |
|
|
1
9
6
3 |
|
|
1
9
6
4 |
|
|
1
9
6
5 |
|
|
1
9
6
6 |
|
|
1
9
6
7 |
|
|
1
9
6
8 |
|
|
1
9
6
9 |
|
|
1
9
7
0 |
|
|
1
9
7
1 |
|
|
1
9
7
2 |
|
|
1
9
7
3 |
|
|
1
9
7
4 |
|
|
1
9
7
5 |
|
|
1
9
7
6 |
| |
