1998: Golden Spike National Historic Site While still in Utah we will also make another historical RR stop and also checked out some of the ROW that was also built near by... [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica][/FONT]
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) Lisa and I will travel on our very first Delaware & Hudson Railfan Trip back in October of 1998. The goal was to photograph as many Stations / Depots in New York / Pennsylvania as we could located as well as other D&H historical sites. It was also a perfect time of year to be a “Leaf Peeper” too. I will take allot of photographs so I will post details about this trip as this was a very special RRAdventures story for me. BUT... Before we start on this chapter of RRAdventures maybe it's also a good time to (re) introduce myself to those that have not gotten to know me. Let me break my early life up from "Model" to "Railfan" story into four parts. 1) Like many of us I will have various "Toy" train models such as this one... 2) As I got older I was allowed to play with my Dad's Marx's train set on the floor and I'm now the proud owner of the set 3) My parents eventually purchased me an O Gauge train set that like my fathers set was NYC based that I would play with in my bedroom 4) I would later move to a layout and switch to HO Gauge. In those days we are talking Tyco, AHM, etc. and have a 6x12 space in the basement
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. So, why my interest in the D&H... [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica]My parents encouraged the hobby of model railroading, they found the roadname D&H that matched my initials DEH and they purchased a few cars from my LHS for me as a gift. When I left for college, my model trains started to collect dust, later were boxed up and the basement HO layout dismantled. I had family that was in the RR business over the generations in various roles that spanned many different roadnames but none that I know of were D&H. Still, the lure of the RR was still there and my models kept calling to me to get out of the box and back onto a layout or at least out of my parents home and back into my position As an adult, I started to expand my D&H model collection in G, O, HO, N, and Z Gauges for some future layout ideas that still have not happened. While building this model collection, I decided to learn a little about the D&H which is when I discovered it was "America's oldest continually operated transportation company" and the D&H was responsible for the "First Operation of a Locomotive in America"; the [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica]Stourbridge Lion[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica]. This new found knowledge caused me to dig deeper into the history and I started to collect D&H memorabilia over the internet. During the summer of the 175th anniversary of the D&H. Lisa and I took a trip to New York & Pennsylvania in which we attempted to located and photograph as many remaining D&H Stations and anything of the D&H Canal that one can see if a few days. I also joined the "Bridge Line Historical Society" and the "Delaware and Hudson Cancel Historical Society". In doing so we would also get to play Leaf Peeper which was key to getting Lisa on-board with the trip and see lots of small towns. This trip would also be where my DHVM Website would grow from that today has several thousand photos online all D&H related... It is that trip which is where this RRAdventures [/FONT]Chapter [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica]will [/FONT]come from...
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. During this trip we will visit three (3) museums that all have D&H Canal Company history Neversink Valley Area Museum D & H Canal Historical Society Minisink Valley Historical Society The D&H CC started in 1828 and lasted until 1898. The canal was 108 miles long and had 108 locks with the primary purpose to transport anthracite coal from their Pennsylvania mines to the Hudson River at Kingston, New York, from where it was shipped downriver to New York City. Our goal, given what time we had, was to track down as many of the remaining remnants we could find and we learned of many more we would not have the time to find. I was shocked how much had survived... [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT]
Speaking of the D&H, I read a statement last week which seems to have the fate of those rail lines in question, under new CPR leadership. Is there a site somewhere which has more about the "packet" type boat you have pictured?
Under Conrail, Guilford, and now CP more and more of the D&H has slowly vanished but one can hope the old ROW will become a Rail Trail as the D&H operated in some beautiful areas. There are some sections where Tourist Railroads have taken over and they have some old D&H on their rosters too... This might be a useful website page on the Packet Boats: http://www.neversinkmuseum.org/blackdiamonds.html
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. Like with railroads, people needed to Live / Work along the canal to maintain the system. Here at this location (Cuddebackville, NY) we find the original Carpenters House as well as the Blacksmiths House. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT] Over time I have learned of other "interesting" structures that have survived such as this one that is also near this location <Click Here>
Darren, New York State used to be good at preserving the state's history. It sounds like that has changed. I do remember MANY of the structures such as the one you provided a link to, many with old Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogs for use. :happy:
I was actually surprised on how much D&H history has survived and I will mostly credit the small towns that the D&H operated through that look to have gone out of their way to save their local piece. Some of the structures I will be posting in this chapter date back to nearly 1828; this pre-dates all RR history in North America. Even some of the the replicas are very old so I was extremely please with this success we had!!!!!!!
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. Also here in Cuddebackville, NY they have preserved part of the "Towpath" as the D&H Canal Heritage Trail. The Towpath was primarily used by the "crew" to pull the boat back up steam. Here is a historical photo of such action taking place We will hike down to the "Island Basin" which from a Railroad perspective can be thought of as a Siding. The canal itself started out only 4ft deep (later 6ft deep) and 32 feet wide with a total elevation change of 1,075ft 41.463585° / -74.599418°
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. The D&H Canal during it's 108 mile journey had to make four (4) river crossings so how does one get a body of water to cross another body of water? Just like with the Romans, you build Aqueducts and the best of those were designed / built by John Roebling using the "Wire Rope" which became the basis behind the American Suspension Bridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Roebling). The D&H Delaware Aqueduct still stands today as an automotive bridge. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT]
I've seen pictures on line of such a crossing in Germany. Built in recent decades, with fair sized ships using that overcrossing. Amazing.
Mr. Roebling was German and in 2006 they made a commemorative stamp in his honor for his most famous project here in the US; the Brooklyn Bridge
There was also his son, Washington Augustus Roebling, who did design work on the Brooklyn Bridge and actually oversaw most of that construction after John died.
What's crazy about this side story is even Washington Augustus Roebling suffered a major injury during the project as well and it was Washington' wife Emily Warren Roebling that supervised the bridge's construction. Grandson Washington A. Roebling II died aboard the RMS Titanic and Great Grandson Donald Roebling would later design / build military equipment for the US war effort. The D&H did well getting Roebling involved in their canal construction as this family's Engineering gene was strong for generations!
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. Our journey takes us also to High Falls, NY to the D&H Canal Museum [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica][/FONT]
Darren, I really appreciate your photo essay of the D&H Canal, I'm learning alot. Even though I was born and spent much of my youth across the Hudson River in Westchester and Rensselaer Counties, no more than 100 miles from the Canal, I never knew where it was located, let alone anything about it. Thanks! "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart" :sad:
