Delaware & Northern

Railroad Fever swept across our country reaching a peak during the mid to late 1800s.  The quiet secluded valley that contained the East Branch of the Delaware River was not visited by this malady until very early in the 1900s.  Big plans called for a railroad that would transport Pennsylvania coal to Schenectady.  That grand scheme was never realized but a line from the NYO & W tracks at East Branch to the Ulster & Delaware tracks at Andes was built.  Prior to the completion of the railroad it was common for residents of this remote river valley to spend their entire lives close to their birthplace.  The   D & N changed that with residents riding the rails as far away as NYC.

There was no way that the D & N could be a part of my model railroad but an engine was modified to at least resemble the prototype number 10.  Two cars were built but the new finish would not have lasted long in actual operation.  Unblemished shine clearly identifies these as mere models. 

There were no tunnels on the full sized railroad but I needed a scenic location to establish a record of these models.  They are now in the possession of an auctioneer.  The fact that I never got around to building a caboose is hidden by the tunnel.

This model of the north portal of the Hawk Mountain tunnel on the Scranton Branch of the O & W has way more than a slight resemblance to the real thing.  The inclusion of native stone near the uniform tunnel stones can also be seen in photographs of the actual tunnel.  Time spent researching then gathering up the needed materials and building a realistic model was pure pleasure way beyond possible description.  Unfortunately no allowance was made to remove this feature intact so soon it will go out with the trash.  I will always have this picture. 

That was a similar fate for the real tunnel.  NYS wanted the O & W roadbed to facilitate building a four lane highway and quickly and perhaps unnecessarily approved plans to abandon the O & W.  When I drive this no longer new highway, I can see the abutment for a trestle that crossed low ground near the former location of the tunnel but can find no signs of the actual location of the tunnel.  Parking the car and walking about might improve my chances but Hancock is a favored location for rattlesnake hunters.  So far I just continue to drive.

 

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