The Catskill and Tannersville Railway was a historic 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad operating in New York.
Contents
Also known as "The Huckleberry", the C&T operated tracks that were laid to a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge. The railroad commenced at the Otis Summit station in Kaaterskill at the top of the Wall of Manitou, which was the terminus of the Otis Elevating Railway, and ended 5.2 miles away at its headquarters in Tannersville. The C&T faced competition from the parallel Stony Clove and Kaaterskill branch of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.
History
The Catskill Mountain Railway didn't always have the Catskill & Tannersville to connect the Otis Elevating Railway to Tannersville. Instead, the Kaaterskill Railroad served that purpose, as it was the same 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge as the Otis Elevating and the Catskill Mountain Railway, and connected by a shorter C&T from the Otis Summit Station, too. But the C&T was also present in the area, and was very close to the Kaaterskill. In fact, the two lines were so close that the C&T ran trains on the KRR from 1893-1898. This stopped when the Ulster and Delaware converted the Kaaterskill Railroad to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge in 1899, and the connection was no more. So the CMR president solved that problem by lengthening the C&T to Tannersville in 1899.
It was built on a tight budget, and used 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge track so it could interchange freight cars with the Otis, and because it was cheaper. It only had two locomotives in its roster, both eventually being replaced by outside-frame engines. This railroad was the Ulster & Delaware's narrow gauge competitor; it did offer an alternative route, but this "alternative route" was right next to the U&D, and most of the C&T stations were right across from the U&D stations. There were downfalls to using this railroad, and that included the fact that the railroad barely ever ran on time. This was probably due to the frequent stops to let passengers get out and see the Kaaterskill Falls, the mountain laurel in full bloom, and even to pick blueberries, which the locals called "huckleberries", hence the railroad's nickname, and was probably enjoyed by the fellow passengers.
The railroad was somewhat profitable, and managed to survive for quite a while, but it couldn't stave off bankruptcy. It went bankrupt in 1918, and was torn up and sold for scrap, along with the rest of the Catskill Mountain Railway system in 1919. The two locomotives that were previously owned by the C&T were shipped to the Bellevue and Cascade Railroad in the State of Iowa.
Stations
Freight Car Interchange
In 1904, a freight car interchange was installed between the C.&T. Ry. and the Otis Ry. at Otis Summit. The Catskill Mountain Ry. built the following freight cars for use through this interchange, and through the interchange with the C.M. Ry. at the foot of the Otis Ry.