Route Review: Rail Explorers Catskill Division
Launched in 2018, the Rail Explorers Catskill Division River Run starts at the old train station in Phoenicia, NY and runs on track of the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad along the Esopus Creek. Since the Catskill Mountain Railroad ceased tourist operations on this scenic stretch of track in 2016, Rail Explorers has brought new life--and maintenance--to this historic line. I pedalled this route in July of 2018 and some details have changed as described below. Operations are closed for the winter, but will resume on May 18th and bookings are already being taken.
Nestled in the eastern Catskills, the start of the route is in the yard of the former Phoenicia Train Station, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and houses the Empire State Railway Museum. The yard and sheds are home to a collection of locomotives, coaches and cabooses. Until their lease with Ulster County expired in 2016, the Catskill Mountain Railroad used the station and equipment for tourist rides along the same alignment.
Running along the Esopus Creek, the River Run is a leisurely 8-mile (12.9 km) round trip beside campgrounds and country homes. At one point, the tracks cross Route 28 and the riders are treated to protection from traffic with crossing gates and signals originally installed for the railroad.
At the turnaround, riders wait in a seating area while the railbikes are turned around using on-track turntables (shown here in former routes in the Brandywine Valley, Delaware and Saranac Lake, NY).
Given that the Esopus Creek feeds the Ashokan Reservoir, a major element of the NYC water supply, there are strict environmental standards in place along the route. Always innovators, Rail Explorers founders Mary Joy and Alex Catchpoole devised a way to keep the tracks clear of overgrowth without using polluting chemicals. Here is their trailer-mounted mower, which can be towed behind a rail bike.
The 4 miles (6.4 km) used by Rail Explorers are part of 38 miles (61 km) of line owned by Ulster County, which is part of the greater line that formerly ran from Kingston Point on the Hudson River to Oneonta, NY where it met the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. Originally envisioned as a summertime-only connection to resorts in the Catskill Mountains, it eventually ran year-round carrying both passengers and freight and served branch lines to Hunter and Kaaterskill. The second half of the 20th Century saw the demise of the line, with mail and passenger service ending in 1954 and freight service ending in 1976.
The 2.4 miles (3.9 km) from Kingston Point to the Rondout neighborhood of Kingston, NY are now used by the Trolley Museum of New York. The section from Kingston to Hurley is used for tourist train excursions by the Catskill Mountain Railroad. Beyond Ulster County, the Delaware and Ulster Railroad run tourist trains around Arkville, NY.
Closer to Phoenicia, many bridges and creekside tracks have been washed away by storms and flooding since the closure of the railroad, isolating the section from other operations. Furthermore, exposed to similar spacial politics of several routes described in this blog, the future of the line is in question and subject to a legal battle over the use of the right-of-way, with Ulster County planning to remove much of the track to create a recreational trail. The section in use by Rail Explorers appears to be safe from this plan, although the future of the tourist trains remains unclear.
I pedalled this route aboard the steel-framed, cast-iron-wheeled railbikes described in my earlier post on the Rail Explorers Las Vegas Division. However, as noted on the Rail Explorers website, they offer a “new Rail Explorers fleet of rail bikes, now with electric pedal assistance!” I look forward to returning to Phoenicia this year to see the new railbikes. Here is a great shot of a tandem from Saranac Lake on Rail Explorers Instagram account.
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While Phoenicia is typically reached by car, Trailways offers daily buses from New York City through New Paltz, Kingston and on to Oneonta. It is a short walk from the center of the hamlet to the starting point at the station. The completion of the Empire State Trail in connection with the recreational trail planned by Ulster County might offer options for reaching Phoenicia by bicycle in the future.
Phoenicia is a popular tourist destination, perhaps best known for whitewater tubing along the Esopus Creek, and centrally located near many options for hiking, skiing and fly-fishing. Nearby Belleayre Ski Resort offers summertime gondola rides for hiking, mountain biking and sightseeing. Main Street in Phoenicia has a small stretch of shops, pizzerias, bars and restaurants. The nightlife in nearby Woodstock has picked back up in recent years, especially thanks to the Station Bar and Curio, where one can enjoy drinks and live music in a station that used to serve the same line described above.
