May 7, 2016 marks the first time that steam has traveled the rails of the Ulster & Delaware since the 1950s, but sadly it also marks what is quite possibly the last, as the Catskill Mountain Railroad, which now leases the tracks from the county of Ulster, has announced that it's last day of operation will be May 30, 2016. The county of Ulster has suspended the lease to the Catskill Mountain Railroad, as the county is in favor of having a paved trail along the railroad bed instead of the actual railroad, but sadly this will not bring nearly as much good as the railroad has for the past 150 years, especially since the railroad makes up for nearly 20% of the county's tourist revenue. The railroad has put up with a long and hard battle with the county of Ulster, but it seems as though the county has won.
Viscose Company 0-4-0 switcher No. 6 reverses away from the Route 209 crossing, with GE 45 Ton switcher #42 leading towards downtown Kingston to be refueled and to run the last excursion run of the day.
As the railroad will be shutting down soon, I highly recommend that you visit it if you are in or near the area. They will be hosting a special event May 28, May 29 and May 30 for their last day of operation, which will be May 30th, and will be running excursions along both of their lines. Here's a link to their website; http://catskillmtrailroad.com/
