Ulster and Delaware Railroad

Ulster and Delaware Railroad
Company type	Railroad
Industry	Transportation
Founded	1875
Founder	Thomas Cornell (predecessor company)
Defunct	1932
Fate	Taken over by New York Central Railroad
Headquarters	Kingston, New York, United States
Area served	Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie, and Otsego counties, New York
Key people	Thomas Cornell (founder of predecessor), George Sharpe (NYK&S president)
Products	Passenger and freight rail service
Parent	New York Central Railroad (from 1932)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Ulster and Delaware Railroad, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 24 July 2025

The Ulster and Delaware Railroad (U&D) operated throughout New York State, promoted as "The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains." At its height, the railroad extended from Kingston Point on the Hudson River across the Catskill Mountains to Oneonta, New York, passing through Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie, and Otsego counties.

Rondout and Oswego Railroad

During the early 1800s, Rondout held strategic importance as a transportation center located where Rondout Creek meets the Hudson River. Since 1828, it served as the eastern terminus of the Delaware and Hudson Canal. Following the Civil War, as railroads began to supplant canals, local businessman Thomas Cornell, who founded the Cornell Steamboat Company and resided in Rondout, spearheaded efforts to establish a rail connection linking central and western New York communities with his port.

On April 3, 1866, Cornell secured a charter for the Rondout and Oswego Railroad (R&O) and took on the role of its inaugural president. Construction commenced in 1868 utilizing 62- and 70-pound rails. The railroad’s objective was to connect Rondout with Oneonta on the upper Susquehanna River and eventually extend to Oswego on Lake Ontario. By September 1869, the line had reached Olive Branch near Shokan; by 1870 it stretched to Phoenicia where a stucco station was erected across Esopus Creek, then further advanced to Big Indian. That same year, ownership shifted to John C. Brodhead. By 1871, construction extended to Dean's Corners (present-day Arkville), providing a link with the Delaware and Northern Railroad. The R&O ceased operations after reaching Roxbury; its successor, the New York, Kingston & Syracuse Railroad (NYK&S), took over completion duties.

The R&O proved commercially viable, drawing passengers from surrounding towns and cities. Travelers arriving by steamboat at Rondout could conveniently transfer to trains; subsequent connections included Kingston via the Wallkill Valley Railroad (1872), West Shore Railroad (1883), and New York, Ontario and Western Railway (1902). Freight traffic generated significant income, especially coal shipments originating from Pennsylvania’s Moosic Mountains transported via the D&H Canal to Rondout’s port, along with agricultural goods produced by farms in the Catskills.

Nevertheless, constructing through difficult terrain characterized by numerous curves and steep grades caused expenses to exceed initial estimates. Financial difficulties compelled Cornell to appoint John A. Greene as acting president in 1872 with hopes of completing the line to Oneonta by 1874 while managing debts approaching $700,000. Despite these efforts, the railroad operated at a loss, cut back services, and declared bankruptcy that same year. It was reorganized later in 1872 as NYK&S to continue its development.

New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad

Following the bankruptcy of the Rondout and Oswego Railroad in 1872, it was restructured as the New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad (NYK&S) under George Sharpe’s leadership. Plans to extend all the way to Oswego were abandoned; instead, focus shifted toward reaching Oneonta and establishing a northern connection at Earlville with the Syracuse and Chenango Valley Railroad. Construction advanced swiftly, reaching Roxbury, Gilboa, and Stamford by late 1872; however, Oneonta itself was not connected until 1900.

This expansion marked the first major rail access into the Catskill Mountains region, enhancing both passenger travel and freight transport opportunities. Links with other railroads provided routes from New York City via connections such as the Wallkill Valley Railroad and Erie Railroad. Additionally, a ferry service connected Rondout with Rhinecliff, facilitating travel from Hartford, Providence, and Boston through prominent rail networks.

Kingston emerged as an essential industrial center along the Hudson River contributing considerable freight revenue from its cement, concrete, brick manufacturing, and bluestone quarrying industries. It also served as a critical passenger hub for workers commuting daily to nearby factories and mills.

Despite these advances, NYK&S continued facing financial challenges and entered bankruptcy again in 1875 after trustee management failed to stabilize operations. The railroad was subsequently sold under foreclosure and reorganized later that year as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad

The Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad (SC&CM), a narrow gauge line with a 36-inch track width, was established by entrepreneur Cornell. This line extended from the Ulster and Delaware (U&D) junction at Phoenicia to the village of Hunter. Construction commenced in 1881 under the supervision of Samuel Decker Coykendall, Cornell’s son-in-law. Initially operating as a seasonal summer route, it served communities in Ulster and Greene counties such as Phoenicia, Chichester, Lanesville, Edgewood, and Hunter. Over time, the railroad transitioned to year-round operations. Important stops included the flag stop at Stony Clove Notch and Kaaterskill Junction Station, where it connected with the Kaaterskill Railway.

To resolve the incompatibility between U&D’s standard gauge tracks and SC&CM’s narrow gauge system, a Ramsey car-transfer device was installed at Phoenicia in 1882. This mechanism allowed for the swift transfer of rolling stock in approximately eight minutes, thereby lowering operational expenses.

Significant freight clients along this route included industrial enterprises such as the William O. Schwartzwalder Furniture Factory located in Chichester—a village owned by the company—the Fenwick Lumber Company based in Edgewood, and Horatio Lockwood & Company Furniture Factory in Hunter. The Ulster and Delaware Railroad acquired SC&CM in 1892, incorporating these industries into its freight service network.

Currently, the Mountain Top Historical Society maintains the restored second station at Haines Falls.

Final years of U&D service

The Ulster and Delaware Railroad experienced its highest traffic volume in 1913, transporting 676,000 passengers to the Catskill region along with substantial freight shipments. However, during the Great Depression, passenger numbers dropped significantly due to competition from private automobiles, bus services, and shared limousine taxis known as "hacks." Meanwhile, trucks dominated most freight transportation except for bulk commodities. Facing financial difficulties, the railroad was taken over by the New York Central Railroad on February 1, 1932, following directives from the Interstate Commerce Commission. In its final operational phase during the early 1950s, service was limited to one morning train daily (excluding Sundays) running from Kingston through Phoenicia to Oneonta, accompanied by an afternoon return trip eastbound. Passenger service ceased entirely on March 31, 1954.

SC&CM locomotives

SC&CM number	Name	Builder	Type	Date	Works number	Remarks
1st #1 (1882–1886) 2nd #2 (1886–1894)	Stony Clove	Dickson Manufacturing Co.	2-6-0	July 1882	358	Newly purchased; renumbered U&D #2 in 1894; sold to Chateaugay Railroad in 1899; dismantled in 1903.
2nd #1	Hunter	Dickson Manufacturing Co.	2-6-0	May 1886	530	Acquired new; redesignated U&D #4 in 1894; transferred to Chateaugay Railroad in 1899; scrapped by 1903.
1st #2	Gretchen	Dickson Manufacturing Co.	2-6-0	Dec. 1878	226	Purchased in April 1881; previously operated by Plattsburgh & Dannemora and Chateaugay Railroad; sold in 1885 to Dexter Hunter Sr., president of Western Railway of Florida; leased back to Western Railway until its bankruptcy and reorganization as South-Western Railroad.

Locomotives of the Kaaterskill Railroad

KRR Number	Designation	Manufacturer	Wheel Arrangement	Manufacture Date	Serial Number	Notes
#1	Rip Van Winkle	Dickson Manufacturing Co.	2-6-0	May 1883	423	Acquired new; reclassified as U&D #1 in 1894. Later sold to Empire Steel & Iron Co. in 1899, transferred to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. in 1905, and subsequently to Crystal River Lumber Co., Florida.
#2	Derrick Van Brummel	Brooks Locomotive Works	2-6-0	June 1883	936	Purchased new; renumbered U&D #5 in 1894. Disposed of to F. M. Hicks & Co. between 1899 and 1900.
#3	Thomas Cornell	Dickson Manufacturing Co.	2-6-0	February 1883	411	Initially Chateaugay Ore & Iron Co. #8 (Dannemora). Acquired by Kaaterskill Railroad in 1893; redesignated U&D #3 in 1894. Sold to F. M. Hicks & Co. in 1899, then transferred to Otis Engineering & Construction Co. for the Catskill & Tannersville Railway, eventually utilized as a stationary boiler at Otis Summit.

Narrow Gauge Passenger Cars

The narrow gauge passenger cars, constructed by Jackson and Sharp Company during 1881 and 1883, were sold between 1899 and 1900 to F. M. Hicks & Co., based in Chicago. In 1901, Hicks sold four of these coaches to the White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&YR numbers 218, 220, 222, and 224). Despite undergoing several reconstructions under White Pass ownership, these cars have preserved their original structural design and framing, and continue to be operational today.

Bibliography

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