Several weeks ago an article appeared in the “100 Years Ago” section of the Walton Reporter (Walton, NY) regarding Delaware & Hudson plans in the Schoharie Valley and Delaware East Branch. This article (that would have appeared in the newspaper in 1906) discussed the surveying of a line for the D&H from Schenectady to Grand Gorge. The plan was for this line to go onto Arkville and on down the East Branch of the Delaware River. The main purpose was to bring coal from PA to Schenectady. The D&H was in the process of expanding capacity and this plan was an offshoot of that. The idea had been looked at for over a decade but surveying was now actually taking place. The article goes on to say that 12 years previous to this a D&H rep was touring the East Branch and Schoharie Valley with an eye toward this proposed expansion and not wanting to leave the valleys open to competing lines. Did the Delaware and Eastern plans in that area kick off the D&H to, at least, start to look a little more seriously at this region?
This same article also talked about the Schenectady & Southwest Railroad surveying for a line in the same region but they were starting their surveying in Arkville and going northeast toward North Blenheim. Did this railroad ever have any operations?
Does anyone know if any gradework was started on either of these projects and if so is any still visible?
I think I’ve read that the Delaware and Eastern/Northern Railroad also had ideas about continuing past Arkville northeast into this area, also. Did this work compete or work off of any of these earlier plans?
Southwest of Stamford, NY, at the intersection of Peters Rd and State Route 10 there is gradework for, what was then, the proposed continuation of the Ulster and Delaware from Stamford through Harpersfield and on to Davenport. At the time the line had ended in Stamford. I believe the towns of Harpersfield and Davenport got some funding to start planning for the extension of the railroad through their communities as a way for it to get to Oneonta. Gradework for this extension was in progress when the Hobart Branch was built which ended their effort. The visible grade is in a field on the uphill side of Rt. 10 just east of Peters Rd. Does anyone know if any other gradework was done or is still visible for this intended line?
A couple of efforts were made to run a railroad up the Little Delaware out of Delhi and to Margaretville. I believe one was in the 1870s and one in the 1890s. Some of the gradework on the south side of the Little Delaware River, near the community of Lake Delaware, is (or was - as of 15 years ago) visible from State Rt 28. What were these railroads? Did they have anything to do with the NYO&W in Delhi? The topography gets a little tougher east of Lake Delaware. Is there any evidence of gradework beyond Lake Delaware or the plans to get through the hills to Margaretville?
The easiest topography to work with coming out of Delhi would seem to be up the West Branch of the Delaware River to Bloomville. I recently saw a map for the NYC (I think – maybe a predecessor) drawn in 1893 in a book titled Railroad Atlas of North America . This map also included the Ulster & Delaware. At that time the U&D ended in Bloomville but this map showed it continuing on to Delhi and not Oneonta. Were there any plans or efforts to connect the U&D and the NYO&W along the West Branch? It would almost seem natural given how much railroad building was going on at that time and that less than 10 miles would have separated the two lines in this valley. Maybe too little potential business though.
This same article also talked about the Schenectady & Southwest Railroad surveying for a line in the same region but they were starting their surveying in Arkville and going northeast toward North Blenheim. Did this railroad ever have any operations?
Does anyone know if any gradework was started on either of these projects and if so is any still visible?
I think I’ve read that the Delaware and Eastern/Northern Railroad also had ideas about continuing past Arkville northeast into this area, also. Did this work compete or work off of any of these earlier plans?
Southwest of Stamford, NY, at the intersection of Peters Rd and State Route 10 there is gradework for, what was then, the proposed continuation of the Ulster and Delaware from Stamford through Harpersfield and on to Davenport. At the time the line had ended in Stamford. I believe the towns of Harpersfield and Davenport got some funding to start planning for the extension of the railroad through their communities as a way for it to get to Oneonta. Gradework for this extension was in progress when the Hobart Branch was built which ended their effort. The visible grade is in a field on the uphill side of Rt. 10 just east of Peters Rd. Does anyone know if any other gradework was done or is still visible for this intended line?
A couple of efforts were made to run a railroad up the Little Delaware out of Delhi and to Margaretville. I believe one was in the 1870s and one in the 1890s. Some of the gradework on the south side of the Little Delaware River, near the community of Lake Delaware, is (or was - as of 15 years ago) visible from State Rt 28. What were these railroads? Did they have anything to do with the NYO&W in Delhi? The topography gets a little tougher east of Lake Delaware. Is there any evidence of gradework beyond Lake Delaware or the plans to get through the hills to Margaretville?
The easiest topography to work with coming out of Delhi would seem to be up the West Branch of the Delaware River to Bloomville. I recently saw a map for the NYC (I think – maybe a predecessor) drawn in 1893 in a book titled Railroad Atlas of North America . This map also included the Ulster & Delaware. At that time the U&D ended in Bloomville but this map showed it continuing on to Delhi and not Oneonta. Were there any plans or efforts to connect the U&D and the NYO&W along the West Branch? It would almost seem natural given how much railroad building was going on at that time and that less than 10 miles would have separated the two lines in this valley. Maybe too little potential business though.