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I don't want to address the trolley museum as I do not know their situation. The Catskill Mountain Railroad is a different matter. The have been in violation of the lease they signed with the county from day 1. First, the CMR is a for-profit corporation while the lease was written for the railroad to be a non-profit. This has prevented them from a lot of funding that otherwise would have been available (think Adirondack Scenic). They are required to make one additional mile of trackage per year operable, currently they are 12 miles behind (they only run 7 now). If that isn't enough, the CMR actually lobbied its political allies to prevent 3 miles of track in Kingston from being reopened to serve two potential freight customers. In the process an opportunity for having a rail connection with the outside world restored was lost.

Like many places, Ulster County, NY was tied up in crony politics. The CMR was tied into the party that ran the county for decades. Now that party has been pushed out by the voters and the cozy relationship is gone. I don't think the for-profit corporation and its relationship in the past with the county will hold up well in the light of day.

I also would hate to see this line lost. While a complete restoration would cost huge money, there is perhaps some potential that may justify it (tourism, skiers, etc). I think the best way to protect the railroad is for it to be turned over to a non-profit entity that could then attempt to fundraise/grant write, etc. and come up with a realistic plan for the future. The current arrangement will only encourage the trail people, even if the current effort to remove the railroad fails.

All that's happening now is Ulster County has commissioned a study of creating a trail /on/along/somewhere near/ the former Ulster and Delaware railroad corridor from the Hudson River to the county line. Despite the tone of the article, I don't believe the intent is to try to push CMRR and TMNY away, since the county also realizes the tourism potential the railroads bring. Anyway, TMNY is a non-profit and has a 99-year lease for its r-o-w within the City of Kingston.