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

Glenford Boiler Explosion MP 14 near Ashokan - August 23, 1930

From The Ulster and Delaware . . . Railroad Through the Catskills by Gerald M. Best, pp 163-164 "On August 23, 1930, engine No. 24 , on passenger train No. 9, blew up at Milepost 14 near Ashokan at 8:15 A.M., killing engineer John Scully and fireman Lester Reed. The engine turned upside-down in the ditch and the first three cars of the train were derailed, but the 18 passengers and the train crew were not injured. Even the fingerling trout in the New York State Conservation Commission's car Adirondack were not disturbed. The cause of the boiler explosion was low water, and due to the destruction of the water glass, gauges and other cab fittings, it was impossible to determine why such an experienced engine crew had fallen victims of the explosion"   Above photos from the collection of P.M. Goldstein. U&D 24 lies in the ditch after she exploded and hurled into the air more than thirty feet. U&D 24 at Oneonta in May 1915, before she blew herself to pieces in 1930. She wouldn't be scrapped until 1932.

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