New book about Hudson Division coming

A new book about the Hudson Division is coming out...

http://www.depotsquarepublishing.com/dspbooks.asp

I had the opportunity to be involved with some aspects of this book, and I must say if you have an interest in this line from the NYC days to the present, you'll enjoy this book. This installment covers Poughkeepsie to Oscawanna (the Hudson Division proper). I think it's a good looking book, with many attractive photographs from a variety of photographers and a variety of eras.

Check out the web site for more info.

-otto-

Thanks for the heads up, Otto. Saturday's trip reminded me of what a terrific line the Hudson is. I'm looking forward to the book.

I have to chuckle slightly at your naming Poughkeepsie to Oscawanna "the Hudson Division proper." I don't have any reason to disagree with that, but I chuckle because it is the kind of thing that generates a lot of emotional response on these forums. . . .

What's proper:

"Oscawanna" as in Otto's post and other sources or

"Oscawana" as on the cover of the book in question.

Somebody's credibility is at stake here (somebody's lucky this isn't a misspelling of a New Haven line location - the NHRHTA site would go ape)!

metroduff wrote:What's proper:

"Oscawanna" as in Otto's post and other sources or

"Oscawana" as on the cover of the book in question.

Somebody's credibility is at stake here (somebody's lucky this isn't a misspelling of a New Haven line location - the NHRHTA site would go ape)!

I believe the book's title is the correct spelling, that is, with a single 'n'. That's how the newspapers spell it, and maps feature it that way also.

Otto,
Thanks again for your help. This time, thanks for the plug.

Fred,
Thanks for your interest.

Tom,
The book was originally going to cover all of Metro-North, then just the Hudson Line/Div. but we took in so much material (photos, timetables, tickets, other paper, etc.) that it made sense to divide it into 2 books. The generosity of everyone involved was just great--including Otto, who kindly provided his services for a detailed map. The natural cutoff, to us, was to end the first one just above the electric zone and hopefully follow with another covering Croton North to MO.

Metroduff,
The spelling of "Oscawana" was taken from the New York Central timetables, but I have seen the other variation too.


Tom P.

Osca-what'sthedifference! Hehe... Hey what do I know, I'm a Harlem Division guy (but my prior rights extend to the Walkill Valley Branch).

I'm looking at my NYC Hudson Disivion map... I should have clarified when I said that I meant that the Hudson Division territory ended in Oscawana and then the Electric Division picked up the rest of the way to New York.

-otto-

From looking at the publisher's on line ad for this book, it appears to me that it will have a combination of contemporary Metro North, and older era photos. is that right?

Tom,
The book is arranged in a way that resembles an inbound commuters trip, in this case, starting at Poughkeepsie and ending at Oscawana. Each station (or area) starts off with the oldest photos first and continues up until the present day. As far as older photos, just for Poughkeepsie, for example, has the following coverage, and I am leaving out what we have after January 1st 1983, when MN officially started:
1912 (lead-in photo/postcard, showing previous station)
1910
1934
1959
1960
1972
1974
1976 (5)
1978 (2)
1981 (3)
1982 (2)

Equipment you would see in these photos range from steam locomotives at the Poughkeepsie roundhouse to actually operating SPV's. Poughkeepsie was quite interesting to cover, seeing the changes over the years, up to the modern parking facility that is very well integrated with the station. Again, the dates listed above for Poughkeepsie only show activity prior to Metro-North--we have a ton of nice coverage for the Metro-North years for each station.

Tom

Any good books on the Putnam division still in print?

THIS thread is about the new Hudson Division book.

There have been no new books about the Put since Dan Gallo's came out nearly 20 years ago.

-otto-

My copy arrived in the mail today. Many great photos showing areas past and present along the line. Poughkeepsie alone rates 15 pages to show its evolution. Landmarks such as Bannerman's Island are also displayed.

Pick out your favorite station and I am sure you will not be disappointed by the coverage given it.


Already waiting for the one covering Harmon to GCT.

Thanks for the tip Otto. Jerry

Jerry,
Glad you liked it. The next one will cover Croton North to Mott Haven Jct.

Tom P.

As the publisher of this book, thanks for the positive comments on this forum. But first a correction: it is the Hudson Line, not Division. The reason we chose to divide the Hudson Line in two is due to the wealth of excellent contemporary photographs provided by the likes of Gene Dauner, Woody Cohen, Walter Zullig, Tim Wakeman, David Patch, etc. plus a conscious decision to split the segment between the diesel and electric zones. The book provides some of the earliest scenes of the Hudson River Rail Road from the 1850s up through the NYC, PC, and CR to M-N in 2003. That's why the anchor title for the series is Railroads Over Time. We are still looking for additional sources of a similar range of photos for the Croton-North to Mott Haven Junction section so contact me off-line if you have an interest in helping.

"Oscawana" is the correct railroad spelling dating to NYC days although it has been spelled with two "n's" as regards its post office designation and in local jargon. Tom is right: the shared knowledge of 10 collectors as well as M-N employees and management served to make this book what it is. We really appreciate all the contributions and look forward to the next book.
John Hudson
Depot Square Publishing

Does anyone know if that book will be coming to area bookstores like Barnes and Noble? This book would interest me especially since I am a passenger buff. Plus, the Hudson Line is right below the college where I am at, Mercy.