You are absolutely correct about the spraying. We are working hard to convince the railroad to allow it - especially for what we are cutting now.

The Valley Railroad is spraying in May all the line the FVRR guys have opened up this year so this kind of clearing will never need to be done again.

EH

I hate to say it but you'll be cutting for ever, to this level no, but mother nature never sleeps. There are certian trees (locus is 1) that seem to thrive on the weed spray. You have to cut ever few years and keep spraying before they quit.( or the spray guy makes a "mistake" and mixes the brew to strong) Then you get the Baren earth that's nice till it rains.
We've ran into another force that keeps you cutting, PEOPLE. As we open up the line people complain about "new" crossings. Never mind they were there for 80 years before they were illegally paved over.
As a result we've went back and cut property line to property line. A added bonus is getting the sun into dry things out. At crossings we've even had to work with neighboring property owners to open up the line of site. This policy also pertains to crossings we put back in when road construction was done to keep from having the grade changed to point of having to raise the track to much. This crossing work being done in locations that probally won't see a train for a year or 2. But we have to open that line of sight open to keep the complaints low.
After 14 years of this we could write a small book about all the problems in this type of revival of a rail line.

This execellent website states that there are two RS-1 locomotives stored on the CMRR

http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/NY-Alcos/

What is the status of the nee-Soo Line unit?

..Catskill Mtn RR 401 .Alco RS1 .03/10/1950 .77070 .Kingston .stored servicable .ex-Green Mountain 401, GM&O 1055, IT 1056/756 ..
..Catskill Mtn RR 2361 .Alco RS1 .11/1950 . Kingston .stored unservicable. .ex Alter Scrap 2361, WC(SOO) 2361

Tom Cornillie

I have been told it has a cracked block; however the parts to repair it are on-hand. The unit may be shipped up to Phoenicia and repaired there, with the intention of using it for regular passenger service.

EH

On Saturday, March 18th, we plan to cut again east of Route 209 near Kingston, continuing east from the first farmer’s crossing, about Milepost 5.3.

To find this location, exit the Thruway in Kingston, and head west on Route 28. About ½ mile later, at the intersection of Route 28 and Route 209, head south. The crossing is about ¼ mile south. We will park on the east side. We plan to start between 9:30 and 10am.

As before, please bring whatever brush cutting tools you feel comfortable working with, clippers, weed eaters, chainsaws, etc. Any new volunteers are welcome.

Below is a satellite image showing the area we are planning to cut – the 1350-foot section between the first farmer’s crossing and the Esopus Bridge.

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?pho ... ountain_RR

EH

Today we cut about 20 rail lengths or 600 feet east from the Farmer's Crossing at MP 5.3. We had a five man crew today, including a new volunteer.

To see how much we have left for our immediate goal, the Esopus Bridge, we walked through the brush and counted 24.5 rail lengths left, or 735 feet, a little more than a day's work.

Next week we will probably be cutting up on the reservoir again - I will post the particulars next Thursday the 25th.

Here is the link to NERAIL for photos I took today showing our progress:

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

EH

Our tentative schedule for this weekend (March 25/26) is as follows:

Saturday, March 25th - meet at Route 209 about 9:30 to 10am to cut the last 735 feet to the Esopus Bridge. After this is cut, the line from Hurley Mountain Road (MP 5.95) to the Esopus Bridge (MP 5) will be completely clear. John LaBarre, myself, and probably Joe Marsh will lead this cutting session.

Sunday, March 26th - meet at Cold Brook Station, about 10am to cut south of MP 20.6 on the Ashokan Reservoir. Ernie Gehrer, George Liucci (both CMRR) and I will lead this session. We hope to cut at least 1000 feet on Sunday, getting us to MP 20.4 or further. As we did previously, we will take a small MOW train over the Boiceville Bridge to get to the cutting area.

As before, any additional volunteers are welcome. Please bring whatever cutting tools you feel comfortable working with, and for the Sunday session, please bring lunch.

I will firm everything up on Thursday the 23rd, mostly watching the weather for the session on the reservoir.

Ernie Hunt

CMRR Brush Cutting – March 25/26th

On Saturday, March 25th, we plan to cut again near Route 209 near Kingston, continuing east from about MP 5.2, with a goal of reaching the Esopus Bridge.

To find this location, exit the Thruway in Kingston, and head west on Route 28. About ½ mile later, at the intersection of Route 28 and Route 209, head south. The crossing is about ¼ mile south. We will park on the east side. We plan to start between 9:30 and 10am.

On Sunday, March 26th, we will meet just west of Cold Brook Station (MP 22.1) about 9:30 am. We will load our equipment onto a small MOW train there and proceed east to where we stopped at the last cutting, MP 20.6. We hope to cut to MP 20.4 or further. This will be a great chance to see the Boiceville bridge that is in need of renovation, and other points on the line near the Ashokan reservoir. Be sure to bring your lunch.

The directions to Cold Brook station are to take Route 28 west from Kingston to Boiceville; at Boiceville take Route 28A west across the Esopus and over the railroad overpass; after the overpass go right (north) on Cold Brook Road about 1/2 mile to the station. Please park west of the station as it is not owned by the CMRR.

As before, please bring whatever brush cutting tools you feel comfortable working with, clippers, weed eaters, chainsaws, etc. Any new volunteers are welcome.

EH

On Saturday, March 25th, we cut 735 feet to the Esopus Bridge, and 60 feet on the other side. Joe Marsh brought his track car to Milepost 5, just on the Kingston side of the bridge. It was a job well done by all.

We had a crew of six, and made great progress from last weekend. The crew consisted on myself, John LaBarre, and Joe Marsh of the UDRRHS, Freddie Rasmussen of the Kingston Trolley Museum, Chris Bigham and George Cook.

The line is now clear all the way from Hurley Mountain Road (MP 5.95) across 209 and the Esopus Bridge to MP 5. On our next Kingston session, we should be able to cut to the Thruway and beyond towards Washington Avenue.

On Sunday, March 26th, we had a 14 person crew working on the reservoir, cutting 2000 feet from MP 20.6 to MP 20.2. We got through a real tough section, and the next part should be much easier. The crew consisted of several UDRRHS and CMRR members, including Earl Pardini, President of the CMRR.

We all had a great time, and the views of the reservoir were terrific.

Our next session will be on Saturday, April 1st. I will announce details later in the week.

Pictures of our work on both days are posted here:

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

EH

The 401, the Catskill Mountain's operable RS-1, was fired up and moved a week ago (Sunday, April 2nd). It moved across O'Neill street and brought the flat and side dump stored between O'Neil and Downs streets back to the Kingston shops to get them fully operable for future track work.

EH

401, Is in running condition, it needs minor mechanical work and a good paint job.

2361, is not in running condtion due to a cracked engine block. a replacement engine block is on hand and will be installed in the future. Aslo 2361 needs heavy body work and some mechanical work besides the block.

What's the history of this locomotive? 2361 is the number of a Soo Line RS-1, and I believe that some of the Soo RS-1's went on to new owners. I this my old friend?

Yup, that's it.

Here's more info:
http://sooline.dieselrosters.com/update.asp?ID=322

Thanx. I also see that fact was mentioned further up the thread, also.

The 401 was fired up and run last April 2nd, to move some cars in Kingston. I just posted a photo of this movement on NERAIL:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?200 ... 316646.jpg

EH