Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society

Four new members from our post of a sample page from the Rip Van Winkle Flyer. Great. Thanks for joining. We're going to keep the ball rolling with an occasional post of historic viewS. While many U&D photos exist in the post U&D period (NYC Central and Penn Central 1932-1976), so much of the U&D's history (and that of other Catskill Mountain railroads) depended on postcards. Back in Spring 2005, the "Rip Van Winkle Flyer" published a story entitled "Allaben & Shandaken: Dep...ots of the Shandaken Valley". This was the beginning of our focus on U&D villages and hamlets which morphed into RVWF issues entirely devoted to single stations. Missing from that Shandaken issue was a remarkable postcard I obtained several years back. Here's a thumbnail story, much shortened from the RVWF of 2005. The depot site at Shandaken frequently flooded and the U&D asked the Public Service Commission for relief and allow the railroad to build a new Shandaken station at Allaben, After considerable debate, the change happened in 1902 but the mail would still be handled at what the U&D designated as "Old Shandaken", a mail crane without a depot. "Old Shandaken" lasted until 1954. Here's the only known postcard (in my experience), of a mail crane.

The Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society is looking for new members. Some years back, the Society published a newsletter called the Rip Van Winkle Flyer. We are resurrecting that publication, drawing on previously researched but never published information. Our new issue (#47), just printed (August, 2018) covers Creameries of Roxbury Township. The milk business was important to the U&D and our 20-page full-color newsletter features historic postcard views, val ma...ps and latter-day (1960’s) Gene Dauner Kodachromes of scenes along the U&D in New York Central days. Included below is a sample page. Want to sign up? Membership is $20you receive a classy credit-card size membership cardand includes issue #47 along with #46 (Down by Roxbury Depot). Membership is good through October, 2019. Our next issue of the Rip Van Winkle Flyer will be our largest effort, A Colorful View of the Delaware & Eastern, a nearly-book-like (48 pages) chronicle of this wonderful East Branch of the Delaware shortline. Sign up via Paypal [email protected] or pay by check to Ulster & Delaware RR Historical Society c/o Richard F. Makse 7 Swimming River Ct Barnegat NJ 08005-5624

When I set up this FB page, I thought the focus was correct. But in greater conformity with the Society's mission, I created "Ulster & Delaware RR and related Catskill Mountain Railroads" as a closed group to more correctly focus on our interests. There have been some recent posts on "Ulster & Delaware RR and related Catskill Mountain Railroads" so I encourage you to "sign up". And point blank, let me state that this FB page is for serious regional railroaders and historians--FB "group" collectors--and you know who you are--need not apply. That being said, we have had some excellent activity on "Ulster & Delaware RR and related Catskill Mountain Railroads" and I will be personally active in posting some good stuff.