Technically, the line is still out of service south of MP43; Milford is MP 35. Volunteers have been keeping the line clear for the past several years in hopes of extending excursion service to Milford. The line was deemed passable in September of 2016 (with FRA approval), so Don (Donko142) took his recently restored GE 45-tonner and a BDRV caboose to the Milford Alive festivities at that time, and every free ticket to ride the caboose hops was gobbled up quickly (over 2 days). Money was raised for the tie replacement project northward from Milford earlier in 2016, with a Buy-A-Tie program through the NYS&W Technical & Historical Society, and with many businesses in Milford also helping out with small contributions. Without the donations, and the superhuman effort of Donko142, no one would be talking about this dormant section of track. Because of these great efforts, this 8-mile stretch of RR is back on the map, and long term plans for service resumption are no longer a pipe dream. Regular passenger excursions are still a few years away, but I do know that there are plans to again bring a train to Milford in September of this year. The rail is good on this section, we just need more wood (ties).
The flashers in Milford are not scheduled to become operational at any time in the near future; remember, operational grade crossing protection requires a monthly inspection by the RR, adding dollars and time into the equation.
There is no freight business south of the quarry at this time; the paper plant at MP41 in the out of service section has not seen service in many, many years.
Milford is indeed the end of the line.
Please see
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Chris
"Old railfans never die, they just lose track......"
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Supporting member: BRRHT, NYS&WT&HS, CRHS