This year, Ulster County won the battle with Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMRR) in the county’s bid to prioritize the construction of rail trails along the former Ulster & Delaware railroad corridor from Kingston to Highmount. But the voices urging preservation of the rails themselves continue to be heard, despite the court’s gag order preventing CMRR members from expressing preservationist sentiments.
An independent group has converted SaveTheRails.org, an early preservation effort, into the Ulster & Delaware Railway Revitalization Corporation (UDRRC). The non-profit, now with 501(c)(3) designation, has come out in favor of rail-plus-trail, with an emphasis on keeping the tracks intact for future development, possibly of a modern light-rail commuter line.
“People see us at rallies and think we’re CMRR,” said UDRRC president Russ Bonk, a Dutchess County resident and former truck driver. “We’re salt and they’re pepper — two different groups working toward the same goal.”
CMRR’s emphasis has generally been on historic trains, such as the diesel engines and antique train cars that have just finished their last season of running tourist rides between Phoenicia and Mount Tremper. (CMRR continues to operate an excursion route within the city of Kingston, but the Phoenicia line will be taken over by Rail Explorers, which provides bicycles that run on rails.) UDRRC ‘s vision of the future includes serving the whole 38-mile corridor with light-rail trains that are low-friction, economical, energy-efficient, and less polluting than the old diesel engines.
The group has a challenge ahead of them, since the county is basing its rail trail decisions on a report from Stone Consulting and Design, whose “Highest and Best Use Recommendation” for the corridor includes ripping up tracks because they have been deemed too expensive to rehabilitate. The report observes that parts of the corridor do not have room for rail and trail to coexist side by side. Bonk agrees that there is a problem but believes that “side by side” is not a necessity. “The rails are fixed,” he said, “but the trail could be variable. You could deviate the trail downward or outward, around the rock cuts, and then meet up with the rails farther on.”
In an October 31 Facebook post, county legislator James Maloney, Chairman of the U&D Trail and Rail Advisory Committee, expressed frustration that railroaders who supported the resolution establishing the rail-vs-trail compromise “are now upset that we are moving forward with the policies spelled out in that document,” which specifies that rails are to be removed only by legislative resolution.
County Executive Mike Hein refuses to meet with UDRRC, but members had a discussion a few months ago with Deputy Executive Ken Crannell and county planning department officials Dennis Doyle and Chris White. “They dug their heels in, gave us their talking points, and said they’re going with the Stone Report,” said Bonk.
The group got a more favorable response from Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, who has had several battles with Hein in recent years. Cahill suggested UDRRC meet with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). “They’ve both had recent changes in leadership,” said Bonk. “We’re looking to set up a meeting, along with Cahill, to discuss where they stand and would like to go in the future.”
Now that it has non-profit status, UDRRC is eligible to apply for grants. Bonk said a recently planned fundraiser was cancelled at the last minute because of a derailment of the engine that was to provide rides for guests on CMRR’s Phoenicia-to-Mount Tremper route. A website for train enthusiasts, trainorders.com, reported that the accident caused no injuries, as two coaches, containing about a dozen passengers, remained on the tracks. The writer added, “It is expected that no more passenger runs will be made subject to rerailing and regage of the track.” The post was later edited to omit mention of the derailment.
UDRRC may be at a disadvantage in the struggle with the county, but its members are passionate. “I’ve been a rail buff since I was old enough to say ‘choo-choo train,’” said Bonk. “I want to save the historical value of the rails that people gave their toil, blood, sweat, and tears to build. I also think it will benefit the residents of Ulster County and beyond.”
The only rail saving that should be happening in Ulster County would be groups like this begin the grass roots effort to bring commuter rail along the line from the Newburgh area – passing near New Paltz and at least up to Kingston-Ulster. Having monring and evening commuter rail available would be an economic benefit to the West side of the Hudson. Making commutation to the lower Hudson Valley, North Jersey and NYC even easier. It would also be a double-digit % driver for seasonal, weekend and tourism traffic to our amazing attractions throughout Ulster County. Saving fallow rails is not a good use of time or money. If you want a tourism-only train that takes joy rides – then CMRR needs to get its business plan in order, raise $ to support their own efforts, and operate as such. To date – for all the debate – they have failed to do so and created a long, tiresome storm of controversey along the way. Fallow rail only attracts (literally) trash and debris and nothing else. So why not turn this fetish with trains into real economic growth and start the push for commuter rail. Then, and only then, do they really serve any purpose.
This is very poor journalism.
The writer makes assertions about the County Planning Department but never even bothered to call to check facts, get background or give the County an opportunity to provide a quote, even though she has spoken to us in the past. What happened to confirming information as a part of journalistic integrity? This “journalism” reads like a press release from a small, splinter group of railroad enthusiasts. How about doing actual research before your next article?
Mr White, Instead of just complaining, you just missed the opportunity to provide us readers with some facts/corrections about this article. You didn’t. To some, not doing so, one might think that a red flag has just hit the top of the mast.
Hey Chris White, maybe you should of done your research before you gave the illegal approval to tear the tracks out. Your so-called “research” on the Surface Transportation Board and the Abandonment status, will soon cost you your job and career.
I look forward to reading your resignation statement in the months to come.
Best,
Ryan Lennox.
Here is a rational thought; if the STB thought that track removal was not within the rights of the railroad corridor owner, would they have not issued a stop work order immediately? Since they did not, they will have no legal basis to require that the rail be put back.
One other observation; the Ulster County Legislature controls when and if track comes up on the U&D Corridor, not county planning.
Quoted from the original trainorders.com posting “…the second westbound train from Mt. Temper to Phoenicia just derailed Friday PM by dropping 6 wheels of the #407 locomotive and one axle of wheels on the first empty flat car, of the three empty flat cars. The two trailing coaches were not derailed containing about a dozen passengers who had to be transported back ½ mile to Mt Temper parking lot. It is expected that no more passenger runs will be made subject to rerailing and regage of the track.” The edited version can be read at http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,4150409
The Stone Consulting Report can be read at http://ulstercountyny.gov/sites/default/files/Ulster%20combined%20report%2012-1.pdf
I have asked Chris White dozens of times for facts and all I got in return was the sound of crickets. Promises made by him to answer email questions not answered during a December Boiceville information meeting turned out to be a broken promise. Taking the trouble to get facts from Mr. White has been a waste of my time.