Here is a picture of Viscose No. 6 on its noon run in Kingston this past Sunday (see last post on pg 6 for newspaper article):

Paris -

Thanks for posting the neat photo of Viscose #6. Which begs the question; just how many people can actually ride in an 0-4-0T's cab? I count 3 on the fireman's side and three (maybe 4) on the engineers side. Were there more? Was the CMR getting premium fares for these cab rides? Hope so. And sure wish I had been there to squeeze on!


Les

Last year at the Allentown and Auburn, there was enough room for four total people from what I could see. I'm pretty sure you're seeing two on each side in the cab, and then more in the open air car directly behind them. ;)

Jim -

You are probably right!

I once came across a saddletanker at a Material Service quarry in Hodgkins, Illinois which had a humongous wooden cab. I took a photo of the engine, but have lost it through the years. That locomotive could have had a lot of riders in it. Would have been a nice locomotive to save.


Les

with all this train fun going on, and somebody out there wants to go ripping up rails, I go just...wow...wow..somebody is nuts.

On the Viscose 6, 4 people is comfortable. Though, we have had several more in the cab. It is tough to fire when you get too many in the cab. One of the nice things about the arrangement of the coal bunkers is that there is a great view into the cab from the car behind. It is as close to a cab ride as you can get!

BSOR Patarak -

Have had the opportunity to ride behind Little River Railroad 0-4-0T number 1, and can concur that, from the vestibule of the passenger car coupled behind, it's as close as you can get to being right in the cab itself!

Les

Wednesday, April 27th

Earl Pardini, Tom Whyte, Vince Guido and Dave Hilliard started final cleanout work at Cornell Street yard. Walt Otto worked on CMRR 400.


Thursday, April 28th

Earl Pardini, Tom Whyte, Jeff Otto, Jim Bruck, Vince Guido and John Marino and continued final cleanout work at Cornell Street yard. Walt Otto and Joe Wolff worked on CMRR 400.


Friday, April 29th

Earl Pardini, Tom Whyte, Peter Fluchere, Jeff Otto, Alex Sorenson, Vince Guido, Matt Gillis and continued final cleanout work at Cornell Street yard. Walt Otto and Ed Winstanley continued work on CMRR 400.


Saturday, April 30th

Earl Pardini, Tom Whyte, Jeff Otto, Peter Fluchere, Jim Bruck, Vince Guido, Ken Darmstadt, Pat Smalley, Ernie Klopping, John Marino and Jeff Otto and continued final cleanout work at Cornell Street yard. Walt Otto completed work on CMRR 400.

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=230003

In Phoenicia, Art Vogel, Dave Heick and the ESRM crew continued work on the 2nd track for the ESRM carbarn there.

Ryan Lennox and Hunter Downie did ROW cleanup.



Sunday, May 1st

Final work was done to clear out Cornell Street yard.

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=230055

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=230056


Here is a video of the last train out of the yard:

https://youtu.be/zNDJ7WsQghw


Many thanks to all the crew who worked all week to make this happen. This was the most critical obligation we had to meet in the settlement agreement with the County.


Ernie Hunt
Volunteer Coordinator
CMRR

Saturday 5/7 and Sunday 5/8


The CMRR had an enormously successful weekend last weekend hosting Viscose No. 6 in Kingston. 1548 passengers were carried over the weekend.

Many thanks to all who helped out including:

Engineer, Earl Pardini. Conductor, Dave Hilliard. Brakeman: John Marino. Flaggers were Joe Wolf, Ernie Klopping, Russ Hallock, Karl Wick and Harrison Balduf. Car attendants were Ed Winstanley , Pat Smalley, Linda Marino and Jan Harrison. Ticket agents were George Bain, Gary Lowe and Peter Fluchere. Also assisting were Tom Whyte, Joe Michaels, Hunter Downie, Al Schoessow, Tom Whyte, Jordan Torregrosa, Jim Bruck, Vince Guido, Matt Gillis, Tyler Carelli and many others.

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=230225


Many thanks to all for making this special event happen. See this article in the Daily Freeman:

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/lifestyle/2 ... n-kingston




Ernie Hunt
Volunteer Coordinator

Is this Rail Line finished what does the future holder the CMR?

Mr. Starr

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-new ... qus_thread

Ulster County lawmakers approve trail design for Ashokan Reservoir

KINGSTON, N.Y. >> Ulster County lawmakers Tuesday authorized a $395,000 contract for design of an 11.5-mile recreational trail along the Ashokan Reservoir, advancing the county’s plan for a segmented tourist train and recreational trail along the former Ulster & Delaware train corridor.

The approval came after legislators listened for nearly two hours to the opinions of rail supporters and trail enthusiasts.

Prior to the Legislature’s evening meeting, more than three dozen people, mostly members of the pro-train group Save The Rails, picketed outside the County Office Building, where the Legislature meets.

Inside, lawmakers were greeted by an overflow crowd that packed the legislative chamber and spilled out into the hallway.

The roughly 50 speakers were almost evenly split among rail supporters and trail enthusiasts. Trail supporters expressed support for a compromise plan the Legislature adopted as county policy in December.

Many rail supporters seemed unaware that the county’s plan would allow for the continued operation of tourist trains on two segments of the track.

Others said the plan — under which trains would operate east and west of the Ashokan Reservoir and create a recreational trail along through the reservoir property — was little more than a “land grab” by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which owns the reservoir and the land around it. The county owns the Ulster & Delaware rail right of way.

“Once the rails are ripped up, the Department of Environmental Protection can do whatever it wants,” said Ryan Lennox, the founder of Save The Rails.

Kevin Smith, cochair of The Friends of the Catskill Mountain Rail Trail, said the agreement between the city and the county includes a “perpetual right of way though the reservoir.”

The Department of Environmental Protection in 2012 announced support for the creation of a recreational trail along the Ashokan Reservoir, but said it would not permit both the railroad — which has the right to run through the property — and a trail, which can only occur with the city agency’s approval.

The city awarded the county a $2.5 million grant toward the creation of a trail through the reservoir; the $395,000 approved for the engineering and design of the trail comes from that grant.

Tuesday, May 10th

Jeff Otto and Walt Otto picked up discared ties from the Glenford Dike to the Dog Crossing.

Dave Heick picked up discarded ties and put them into the dumpster at Longyear's.


Thursday, May 12th

Jeff Otto and Russ Hallock picked up discarded ties from the Dog Crossing to Westbrook Lane.

Dave Heick picked up discarded ties and put them into the dumpster at Longyear's.


Saturday, May 14th

On Saturday the CMRR ran 2 trains - Rock N Rails with Owl and Wolf as the band on board.

Al Schoessow was engineer, Conductor was John Prestopino and Walt Otto was brakeman. Flaggers were Tom Whyte and John Marino. Car attendants were Pat Smalley and Ernie Klopping. George Bain handled the sound set-up. Bruce DeVorkin was ticket agent agent. Jeff Otto assisted all around.

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=230460

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=230461

Also on Saturday, many CMRR volunteers attended George Peck's funeral service. Joe Michaels and I spoke on behalf of the CMRR. George will be greatly missed by all.


Sunday, May 15th

Dave Heick filled a dumpster with discarded ties on Sunday near Andrews lane.


Monday, May 16th

Vince Guido loaded discarded ties into the dumpster at the dog crossing.


Tuesday, May 17th

Tom Whyte and Vince Guido loaded discarded ties at Shokan.



Ernie Hunt
Volunteer Coordinator
CMRR

Thursday, May 19th

Earl Pardini, Jeff Otto, Tom Whyte and John Marino did trackwork.


Friday, May 20th

Jeff Otto did miscellaneous trackwork and cleanup.


Saturday, May 21st

On Saturday the CMRR ran 4 trains - a charter and Rock N Rails with a band on board.

John Marino was engineer, conductor was Dave Hilliard and Al Schoessow was brakeman. Trainman was John Prestopino. Flaggers were Ernie Klopping, Mark Glaser, Tom Whyte, Karl Wick, Jeff Otto and Martin Elbrecht . Car attendant was Pat Smalley. George Bain handled the sound set-up. Russ Hallock was ticket agent. Jim Bruck assisted all around.


Ernie Hunt
Volunteer Coordinator
CMRR

It amazes me that the management of Ulster County and the hostile rail trail group there would scrap the railroad with warnings like this around (Source: Riding the Rails to the Catskills, a Facebook page):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RailstotheCatsksills/

From poster Bob McCue:



A bit of background--this railroad, the former Ulster & Delaware, and later the Ulster & Delaware Division of the NYC, runs right next to the Ashokan Reservoir, which is part of the drinking water supply for New York City.

This reservoir is now about 100 years old; its construction resulted in the "drowning" of several small towns and villages, and part of the original right-of-way of the U&D. As part of the remediation of the construction of the reservoir, the railroad was realigned at the expense of New York City; part of this realignment runs very close to the reservoir with some very scenic views. It's also on an easement currently owned, like the reservoir, by the New York [City] Department of Environmental Protection, or NYDEP. (Note that this is a city agency; its state counterpart, which is involved with the Adirondack Scenic controversy, is the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, or NYDEC.)

This reservoir and others are jealously guarded by the NYDEP for reasons that should be pretty obvious (at least in the eyes of the NYDEP), particularly after the attacks in September of 2001. As noted, there is a road that is at least temporarily out of service due to NYDEP concerns, and some people have been arrested and fined for walking near the reservoir.

This brings up an important consideration in the "compromise" of a segmented railroad and trail.

The NYDEP cannot kick out the railroad as such; the easement was apparently granted in perpetuity to the U&D and successors. However, part of the compromise gives the NYDEP the right to close the trail at any time with a relatively minimal notice if the NYDEP believes there is a terrorist threat of some sort.

There are people who think the NYDEP may want the railroad gone for "security reasons," but they don't have the legal right force its abandonment. Take out the railroad, though, and that restriction disappears.

There are people in Ulster County who do not trust the NYDEP to be fair to them. They expect, based on past experiences, that the NYDEP will pursue its own interests with little, if any, regard to the people and interests of Ulster County.

In view of road closures and fines for people being too close to the reservoir, it makes sense to keep the railroad, if for nothing else as insurance to maintain control over access to the right-of-way.

Again, I find it quite amazing that the trail people and particularly the political leadership of Ulster County does not realize this, in particular with some of the things like the fines having taken place.

I would consider those events to be warnings of what is not just possible, but what may well be probable, on the part of the NYDEP.

J3a-614:

Thanks for that, I never clued in to what the reservoir was for until after reading your post!

That said, I am curious if there is ANY kind of recreational activity going on with that reservoir, i.e. boating, fishing, etc. or is the entire area off limits to the general public?

And if that is the case, why on earth would there be a trail permitted right along the reservoir?

At least in the hypothetical case of trains running along the line, you would think that people would stay on the train, and not actually get off along the reservoir; OR if some kind of facilities were to be built on the line at the reservoir, at least riders, to an extent, would be supervised by the railroad, in contrast to the completely unfettered and unmonitored access to the reservoir site by trail.

So maybe in the end, keeping the railway line is the best compromise between Ulster Country and the NYDEP!* The citizens of Ulster County get to appreciate and see the reservoir by train, while the NYDEP doesn't have to get too paranoid about the reservoir being vulnerable from trail access?

*forget about the compromise between the railway and trail advocates. This seems to be a bigger issue than that.