A
narrow (three feet) gauge line opened in 1883, between Catskill Landing
and Palenville. The length of the road was fifteen and three-quarter miles.
From Catskill Village to near South Cairo, a distance of about eight miles,
the road occupies the bed of the old Canajoharie and Catskill Railroad,
which was abandoned about 1842, after being operated one or two years.
From South Cairo, the road leaves the old roadbed and bears directly south
to the village of Palenville, which lies at the foot of the mountains
and about 2,000 feet below their summit.
At the
village of Catskill, the line crosses the creek on an iron trapezoidal
truss bridge, of four 100-foot spans, each resting upon first-class
masonry abutments and/or piers. The east end of the bridge is approached
by a very sharp curve, whose radius is 214 feet. A guard rail securely
fastened to the inside rail of the curve extends well onto the bridge.
All trains approach cautiously. The ties on the bridge are spaced two
feet from centers. There are no additional guard rails.
About
one-half mile west, Catskill Creek is crossed a second time with the
same style truss bridge using two 100-foot spans on a tangent line.
The approach at the east end is six bays of timber trestle, resting
upon piles. Sound hemlock timber of twelve by twelve inch sections is
used for this trestle. The west approach is an earth embankment. This
bridge has the same style of flooring as the first structure.
Still
further west about two miles and south from the village of Leeds, Catlike
Creek is crossed the third time, by two spans in all respects the same
as the previous two bridges. Both of these last two bridges rest on
excellent masonry in complete order. The east end of the bridge is approached
with a curve of 203 feet radius. An inside guard rail similar to that
at Catskill bridge is used to approach the bridge. The ties on the bridge
are spaced as before and there are no guard rails on the bridge trusses
themselves.
At south
Cairo over Valaties Creek, there is a plate girder deck of forty-foot
span, on masonry abutments. The ties are widely spaced. There are no
guard rails.
East
of Mountain House Station there is a pile bridge over Kiskatom Creek
of twenty-five spans. Trestle bents are thirteen feet between the centers.
Caps and stringers are twelve by twelve inch cross section. Corbels
on top of caps are all well braced and in good order. The floor system
is the same as other structures.
Immediately
at the west end of the platform at Catskill Landing there is a pile
bridge of sufficient width to hold three tracks. The side track in which
a turntable is located, is constructed on piles. the length of bridge
is about 400 feet, all constructed of hemlock timber in caps and strings
and spruce piles. It is new and in good order. The same deficiency of
the floor timber exists.
There
are six small open culverts and cattle-guards that have the rail directly
on stringers. These, along with the other structures, should be provided
with a closed system of ties and guard rails.
The line
of the road is curved a full fifty percent, and many of the curves in
the ravine of Catskill Creek as as sharp as a radius of 214 feet, frequently
reversing, and yet the old roadbed is strictly followed. It will be
remembered that the Canajoharie and Catskill Railroad was the usual
wagon track gauge. It was laid with strap rail on longitudinal timbers.
The grade up Catskill Creek averages sixty feet per mile, with a maximum
of ninety feet for one and one-half miles. This is reached at the east
of Mountain House Station.
The general
width of roadway is sixty-six feet; much of the trees and shrubbery
is allowed to remain within the fences. The road is fenced with four-strand
barbed wire. All highway crossing signs are in space. These signs, however,
are quite small, and stand at the side--not over--the highways. This
plan of locating a sign at the side of the road crossings appears to
be quite generally adopted by the railroads of the State and almost
universally when new signs are placed.
The roadway
is of ample width except on a few embankments of the newly-graded portion
of the line, where the banks have settled and track has been lifted
without widening the shoulders.
Ballast
is mostly gravel, unevenly distributed. Some parts of the line had sufficient
ballast while other portions have a meagre supply. Drainage is not sufficiently
developed. As a consequence, the superstructure is not as perfect at
all points, and yet there is no disregard for safety for the line and
surface of superstructure is sufficiently ample. Chestnut and oak ties
are six by six inch cross section and six feet in length. The rails
are forty pound steel which is in good order. There are fish-plate fastenings,
split switches, and rail crossing plates.
At the
Point, or steamboat landing on the Hudson River, there is a good, well-arranged
station, convenient for the transfer of passengers, baggage, and freight
between the river and road. There are two large waiting rooms, one on
each side of the station tracks and a covered shed through which to
transfer passengers and baggage.
At the
South Cairo and Mountain House Station are neatly covered platforms
and a small waiting room at the end of both buildings. At Palenville
there is a good station with one waiting room , and good platforms.
There is also a turntable at the landing and at Palenville, but the
company has no engine house. The equipment consists of two locomotives
in good order, ten regular passenger and open excursion cars, four baggage,
and twelve box and platform cars.
The passenger
cars are very neat inside. A feature in the arrangement of seats deserves
a mention. At each end of the closed passenger cars the seats for ten
feet from the doors are placed lengthwise, with the remainder in the
usual manner. For narrow-gauge cars this arrangement gives more space
at the doors for the passing of passengers, and they are filled or emptied
more readily. The outside of the passenger cars are quite dull, with
the varnish and paint very worn and rapidly deteriorating. Vacuum brakes
and Janney couplers are used.
The road
was not operated for the past winter, business not being sufficient
to remain open. There are three low over-head bridges. All boxcars have
vacuum breaks. Train men have no occasion to ride on the decks of cars.
from The Rip Van Winkle Flyer, Winter, 1997,
No. 29
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