Last Saturday morning, April 15th, three of us from the Ulster & Delaware RR Historical Society, John Labarre, Joe Marsh and I, joined Freddie Rasumussen, Evan Jennings, Travis Rapp, Bill Brandt and Dick Edling from the Trolley Museum to clear brush from the runaround track near Kingston Point, about MP 0.2 to 0.5. We got over half the 1800 foot siding cleared, and Joe Marsh ran his rail car to Kingston Point, MP 0, and up the incline to Murray Avenue, about MP 1.6. We had a great time, and enjoyed helping out on another section of the former U&D. Freddie and Travis have been very helpful clearing parts of the Catskill Mountain RR portion (MP 2.8 to 41.4) of the former Ulster & Delaware line.

We noticed while we were working that the spur from the runaround up to the old cement plant had been cleared. Apparently the city is planning to convert this part of the line to a rail trail. The Trolley museum is asking for the rails to be left in place (still with a trail) so they can run trolleys over the line occasionally.

Here is a link to where I posted some photos on NERAIL:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/show/?byrail ... f_New_York

Ernie Hunt

Just wondering how the local media is handling this? You've been improving public property at your own time and expense. Have they picked up on this? We'd like to see some news items.

Thanks Ernie for setting up TMNY pix on the NERAIL website.

As for media, at least in the vicinity of the TMNY, the thing getting the attention at the moment is the doings of Bob Iannucci. He's done a marvelous job of clearing out the waterfront on the properties he's bought. I'll try to take some pictures where he's cleared things out and post them on Nerail. Also, Central Hudson did a cleanup of their property along the tracks, cleared out trees, resurfaced their yard with stone, etc.

By the way, the City of Kingston has rescheduled their piece of the Great River Cleanup. It was going to be this weekend (4/22-23) but due to the weather forcast it is rescheduled for 4/29-30. The city will position dump trucks to receive trash picked up by volunteers throughout the waterfront area. One truck will be by the ball field in Kingston Point Park. Another by the North Street crossing (by Millens).

This article appeared in the Kingston Daily Freeman on 10/24/06. The funding for the design of the restoration of the Hudson River Dayline Pier at Kingston Point could be a real help to the Trolley Museum in Kingston. The new money for the promenade could also be helpful. I believe some of these funds will go directly to the museum, probably for their trackage on the promenade.

EH


Counties win state aid for waterfront, park projects

The state Environmental Protection Fund has awarded grants of $2.23 million for Dutchess County, $1.12 million for Columbia County, $660,685 for Ulster County, and $200,000 for Greene County to assist with environmental protection projects.

The awards were announced by Gov. George Pataki's office.

The funding includes $350,000 for the city of Kingston to complete a 700-foot promenade along the Rondout Creek; make improvements to the existing promenade, including new pavers and lighting; create design plans to reconstruct the Hudson River Dayline pier at Kingston Point; and continue to improve the city's wastewater treatment plant and adjacent New York Trolley Museum.

"This is yet another step toward realizing the revitalization dream of the waterfront and advancing the revitalization plan," city Director of Economic Development Stephen Finkle said. "We're very grateful to our partners at the New York state Department of State as well as the governor for making this possible."

Another $110,685 will be used by Kingston to make repairs at the Rondout Lighthouse, including repairing the concrete porch and caisson, repointing exterior bricks and restoring windows, doors, roof, railings, floor beams and plaster walls.

"The lighthouse is historic and is need of this funding," Finkle said. "It's very valuable assistance."

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/index. ... 4969&rfi=8