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Narrow Gauge Locomotives

Ulster & Delaware Railroad
"The Only All Rail Route Through the Catskills"

Narrow Gauge Locomotives of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad

Stony Clove & Catskill Mountain Railroad
Kaaterskill Railroad

Later the Narrow Gauge Division of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad

The three-foot narrow gauge lines of the Stony Clove & Catskill Mountain Railroad (SC&CM) and the Kaaterskill Railroad (KRR) were constructed in the early 1880's, to provide passenger and freight service to the Mountaintop towns of Greene County. The lines, extending from Phoenicia to Hunter (SC&CM) and from Kaaterskill Junction to Kaaterskill (KRR), were constructed through rough and mountainous territory. Both railroads were funded entirely by Ulster & Delware Railroad interests and to reduce costs an initial three foot (3' between rails) gauge was chosen for both lines.

A succession of seven, diminutive but adequate, steam locomotives plodded along the light narrow gauge rails of the SC&CM and KRR.

As a formality, the SC&CM and KRR were absorbed into the Ulster & Delaware Railroad in 1893. The two narrow gauge roads then became the Narrow Gauge Division of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad. The narrow gauge locomotives were then renumbered as U&D 1 through 5.

By 1899 a larger amount of traffic to the mountaintop prompted management to standard gauge (4' 8-1/2" between rails) the old SC&CM and KRR lines. Being no longer usable, the little narrow gauge locomotives were sold off by the U&D.

Locomotives of the
Stony Clove & Catskill Mountain Railroad

Locomotives of the
Kaaterskill Railroad

1 (1st) / 2 (2nd)

1 (2nd) / 2 (3rd)
"Stony Clove"

2 (1st)
"Gretchen"

1 (3rd)
"Hunter"

1
"Rip Van Winkle"

2
"Derrick Van Brummel"

3
"Thomas Cornell"

Locomotives of the
Narrow Gauge Division of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad

1

2

3

4

5

Former SC&CM #1 "Hunter," renumbered as U&D narrow gauge #1, is seen here at Phoenicia in 1899. Seen here is Frank Conerty, long time engineer on the Stony Clove Branch. Conerty's favorite locomotive was the "Hunter" but the locomotive would not be around much longer.

 

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