Telegraphed Dispatch

July 2000

There was a time, about two generations ago; when virtually every adult American could identify with a railroad station that has played a significant part in their life. In fact, for well over a century and a half beginning in the 1830s, the nation's appetite for mobility, information, and the fruits of commerce has drawn people to the town depot¾the community's gateway to the world¾ one's entree to new experiences.

It was here that one stood on the platform and could talk with the engineer of the "Flyer," ship a trunk via Railway Express, or depart for camp, college, or war. You could receive mail-order packages, wire money to a son or daughter, and step aboard a Pullman sleeper for business or vacation. For recent generations contact with railroad depots has perhaps meant brief encounters while commuting between home and work, or encouraging preservation efforts of the endangered hometown station. More likely however, it has involved nothing more than just simply passing a site where a depot once stood and speculating on how things used to be.

Due to the rapid expansion of railroads in the second half of the nineteenth century and their extraordinary impact on the growth and economic well being of the community, the town station became the focal point for many aspects of daily life. Here the station agent worked and sometimes resided, for he was the railroad's representative in the community and often a key player in the monitoring and controlling of train movements between stations along the line. With the railroad's arrival in a town, new opportunities opened up for contact with other communities and the nation's expanding frontier encouraged personal travel, facilitated commerce, and provided the means for more rapid and reliable communication.

The railroad depot was the center of activity. Here you could purchase a ticket and board a train to conduct business in a distant city or visit places you only dreamed about. Your personal belongings would be accommodated in the baggage car, by having the freight agent issue you a paper check identifying the items as your personal property for redemption at a final destination. Arrangements could be made for shipping or receiving goods aboard the line's freight train and the U.S. Mail arrived and departed from the depot. In the mid 1800s telegraph lines were strung all along the railroad network¾later replaced by telephone wires¾and the station became the town's communication center. Agents honed their skills as telegraphers, receiving and sending messages that governed the movement of trains. Utilizing the lines of private companies such as Western Union, these agents also handled communications for the public. A telegraphed dispatch or telephone message brought news from afar and was quickly disseminated to all that gathered at the depot.

In time as towns grew activities in and around the railroad station were expanded and became more diverse. Restaurant and hotel facilities were prevalent at big passenger terminals and some major cities boasted of having barber shops, showers, changing rooms, and retail stores to service the traveler. Railroad agents could help plan a complex itinerary, rent you a hotel room, provide for secondary transportation, and even offer traveler’s insurance.

By the turn of the twentieth century, the remaining and operable railroad stations and depots had become part of the social fabric of most communities, as well as the center of commercial activity. Here was the place where much of the town's business was transacted as residents and visitors passed and the social commentators gathered. For more than a hundred years and for thousands of small towns and villages, train time was an event that commanded attention, even if it was for no better reason than to see who was arriving today on the "Limited," "Flyer," or "Special."

Our Phoenicia Station is certainly no different than any other railroad depot of its time. If the walls could speak or senior residents would spin their tales of the good-old days when rails ran throughout numerous Catskill communities, contemplate for a moment the images their recollections and stories would paint. Let us hope that what we have now we can share with all those who seek and continue to preserve the heritage of our station and be able to pass along forgotten history to the next generation

On March 25, 1960 the Empire State Railway Museum received its initial charter from the State of New York. While entering the fifth year of existence, Edgar T. Mead wrote the following story about the ESRM for the trustees and members of the museum in September 1964.

We of the Empire State Railway Museum are proud of our humble efforts during the past several years. For the benefits of our friends and our many new members, the Trustees thought it would be timely to present a capsule history of the organization, beginning with its time-consuming start at a Westchester County site to our present area of operations at Middletown, New York. Middletown, located in Orange County only 65- miles northwest of New York City, is still a "railroad town" despite the demise of the renowned New York, Ontario and Western. The old mainline of the Erie (now Erie-Lackawanna) and the shortline Middletown and New Jersey Railway continue to serve the community. Every member is a testimony and a contribution towards the preservation of old-fashioned steam railroad trains. We are a non-profit educational organization, and our only sources of support are derived from our members and friends. We are a "bootstrap" group, unrelieved by any magic sources of personal, industrial, or community wealth. It is our single-handed task to maintain a working demonstration train using a coal-burning engine.

It was the resolve of the founders that the new Museum should focus on the actual operation of steam locomotive and coach equipment, rather than confine itself to discussions, photographic and literary efforts-fields truly excelled in by older railroad hobby associations. The objective thus established, it remained for the infant organization to discover and develop an operating site somewhere within easy reach of the world's busiest metropolis. It was a search complicated by high real estate prices, local zoning laws, and claims to poverty on the part of neighboring railroad lines- the latter undoubtedly would-be supporters of an operating railroad museum, but not at the time able to justify donations of materials and equipment.

During the spring of 1960, the prospect of purchasing a recently abandoned New York Central branchline presented itself. It was a portion of the seven-mile Mahopac Branch, which later days supported a commuter service between Lake Mahopac, Golden's Bridge, and New York. It was in fact, the first rail connection into Lake Mahopac when built in the early 1870s at a time when the Lake was evolving into a summer resort for well-to-do New Yorkers. For an amateur steam railroad, the abandoned branch seemed ideal. It followed the banks of a reservoir, passing through oak and beech forests and crossed an arm of the lake over a 110-foot iron-girder bridge. Although the rails had been removed, the roadbed was solid enough to invite the relaying of track with replacement ties. The first piece of equipment designated by the trustees was a Pullman Sleeping Car¾ but such was not yet destined to occur.

There was an encouraging degree of support from local residents but not enough to bypass the barriers of zoning restrictions without interminable delay. Suffice it that the trustees reluctantly withdrew plans for a Golden's Bridge-Mahopac site and turned elsewhere.

The Site Committee toured the environs of New York every possible weekend, and indeed numerous potential locations were uncovered. The most promising contact, however, was with the Middletown and New Jersey Railway, which had come under new ownership and was looking for ways to augment its freight revenue. The railway was associated primarily with feed, fertilizer, lumber and other bulk commodities terminated along the fourteen-mile line.

An ESRM donation stock certificate. Ingenious share system devised by a trustee to purchase and repair railway equipment.

Chartered in 1863 as the broad gauge Middletown, Unionville and Water Gap, it was typical of thousands of country branch lines constructed in the wake of the Civil War. Absorbed around 1866 into the standard gauge New Jersey Midland (later known as the Susquehanna), direct passenger train service was provided between Middletown and Jersey City via Sussex and Beaver Lake. In those days, Middletown was a regular transportation hub, since trains of the broad-gauge Erie Railroad passed close to the branch terminus, and tracks of the New York and Oswego Midland were only yards away. Later on, an electric trolley line, the Wallkill Transit, afterward called the Middletown and Goshen Street Railway, passed nearby, choosing for its route an underpass beneath the six or seven mile mainline tracks rather than take its chances across the busy steel thoroughfare. Hotels and various retail establishments designed in "General Grant" gothic style sprouted on all sides.

By 1913, the parent Susquehanna Railroad was ready to call it quits. Heavily overcapitalized and serving towns provided with stronger railroads, the line became insolvent. During the subsequent reorganization a consortium of local feed-and-building supply dealers purchased the section of the line in New York State from a point known as M & U Junction (or Hanford) 14.92 miles north to Middletown. Hanford, a mere dot on the map just a half-mile south of Unionville, became the northern terminal for the reorganized Susquehanna. A yard and turntable were installed for the branch freight, which during its final days was powered by a 2-10-0 Decapod that rattled up from Beaver Lake every evening.

Through passenger service was discontinued in favor of local passenger trains which ran between Middletown and Unionville, a quaint village not far from High Point, New Jersey. Engines were turned on a "wye". During the thirties, a Brill railcar was obtained, and service was aligned to fit schedules of the Middletown High School. Handling local farm supplies by freight trains kept the rails shiny until the mid-fifties. In fact the two daily roundtrips to Hanford, one of them chiefly a milk run, wore out seven steam locomotives.

In 1946 the first brand-new piece of motive power, a 44-ton GE diesel-electric, arrived on the property as no. 1. This diesel rumbled up and down the weed-filled track until early 1964, when it was taken to the Vermont Railway and replaced by no. 2, a second hand machine (from American Cyanamid) of the same type but several years newer.

A cruel stroke of luck came when the Susquehanna felt obliged to cut its Hanford Branch back to Beaver Lake, thus ending the "overhead bridge" route between the south and north at this point. It was invaluable to the railway since most of its loaded grain came up to the Middletown area from a mixing plant in New Jersey. It was clearly a time for a new look in traffic.

Ex-LI RR freight and transfer caboose no. 28. First piece of rolling stock acquired by the ESRM.

The first formal operation of the Empire State Railway Museum in Orange County took place on May 13, 1961, using Middletown and New Jersey diesel no. 1 and two Stilwell cars rented from the Erie. It was believed to be the first public passenger train ever operated under M&NJ control for over ten years. It was a reasonably well attended trip¾but nothing in comparison with what was to come.

The trustees found that before long that obtaining suitable old railroad equipment was not so simple. Wartime scrap drives and passenger train service reductions had eliminated all but a very few antiques, and there was competition from other museums for what did remain. The first actual piece of rolling stock acquired by the Museum was an ancient caboose from the Long Island Railroad. The no. 28 caboose was not as unusual a car to be sure but it became highly practical during those early days of the struggling society. Before long, a nucleus of members arrived on the scene to clean out the old car and repaint it for a bunkhouse and locker-room for visiting volunteer workers. It was also used once in a while by the Middletown and New Jersey, a feature which most gratifying to the membership, and a latter-day role found it covered by a plywood advertising sign (in the shape of a locomotive) on a sidetrack where passing motorists could learn about the train schedules.

Arrival of Ex-Sumter & Choctaw RR no. 103 in March 1962. Weighing in at nearly 4-1/2 tons with a traction force of 16,500 lbs., this 2-6-2 Prairie was built by Baldwin in 1925.

The attempt to find a suitable steam locomotive required months of patient investigation. Engines in good condition carried exorbitant price tags, and rusty bargain-basement veterans needed thousands of dollars and hours or repair. Short lines and industrial companies were combed at length from the Atlantic to the Pacific until the ideal opportunity arose. It seemed that the 23-mile Sumter and Choctaw Railway, a lumbering railroad in Alabama owned by an American Can subsidiary, was about to convert to diesel power, thus obsoleting a 2-8-2 and an elegant little 2-6-2. To supply the funds necessary for the purchase and repairs, an ingenious share system was devised by one of the trustees, and thanks to the generous understanding of the several railroads between Alabama and New York, it was made possible to deliver the locomotive at a reduced rate.

The Baldwin 2-6-2 arrived in March of 1962, a tiny smudge of a locomotive atop a giant-by-comparison Southern Railway flatcar. Its smokestack had been removed for clearance purposes, and although its appearance was nothing short of bedraggled, the Railway and Museum made enthusiastic preparations to unload the engine and inspect it. Meanwhile, a local contractor built a sheet-metal barn, and volunteer crews pushed a sidetrack into the building. It was erected near the former turntable and water tank in Middletown.

The ESRM Annual Membership Meeting was held at Phoenicia Station on Sunday, May 21st. The minutes, as recorded from that meeting, are highlighted here for those who could not attend.

Present: Bob Angyal, Paul Brasky, Bob Bucenec, Nancy Burfeind, John Dearstyne, John Doyle, Lonnie Gale, John Ham, Al Howes, Bill Kaba, Jim and Kitty Kaljian, Bryan Van Kirk, Ernie Klopping, Carol Love, Dave Mason, Earl Pardini, John Prestopino, Charles Selteneck, and Beth Waterman.

Minutes: On a motion by Carol Love and Earl Pardini, the minutes were accepted as read.

President’s Report: In the absence of the President, Beth read the "President's Message" from the latest newsletter.

Treasurer’s Report: The report was accepted as presented by Bob Angyal on a motion by John Ham and Al Howes.

Membership: Beth reported 305 members with about 95 expired memberships were within this total.

Curator: Lonnie reported that the show is up. Member volunteers will assist with distribution of information. Bob Bucenec reported on the progress of the model railroad from Phoenicia to Hunter is under construction.

Old Business: 1. Election of Officers. Beth explained the board's policy that potential board members attend a regular meeting before being elected or appointed to serve on the Board of Directors. Nancy Burfeind was nominated from the floor by Earl Pardini and seconded by Carol Love. Lonnie Gale and Ed Bolsetzian were nominated by John Ham, seconded by Earl Pardini. John Ham moved the nominations be closed and the secretary cast one ballot for the election. Earl Pardini seconded the motion. It passed unanimously.

New Business: 1. Beth announced receipt of a $2000 grant from Catskill Watershed Corporation to distribute videos about our shows that featured building the NYC water system. 2. Bob Bucenec was made an honorary life member for his services to the museum. 3. Engine #23 - Earl reported that over 2000 volunteer hours have been spent toward restoration. He described progress to date and future plans of the CMRR to restore track. Lonnie asked about the cost to move #23 to Phoenicia. Further fundraising efforts are necessary to get the locomotive restoration completed. 4. Volunteers on the restoration for engine #23 have agreed to take turns helping out at the museum on Sundays, but considerable additional volunteer help is necessary to operate this summer.

On a motion by Lonnie Gale and Bob Angyal, the meeting was adjourned at 12:45 PM.

Shortly after the Annual Meeting adjournment, Beth Waterman and Lonnie Gale lead members in a mortgage burning ceremony. With final payments made, and the bank note destroyed, our Phoenicia Station is free and clear of debt.

The Board and museum fellowship would like to take this opportunity to welcome first time members to the ranks of the ESRM, and thank all past individuals and families for their renewals and generous donations for the restoration of engine no. 23.

We hope all members will continue to enjoy the special presentations, photo exhibitions, and author book signings conducted in our very special Phoenicia Station. Remember that the museum's success is its membership.

A very special welcome to Doris Morehouse and her husband, Dakin. Doris is a well-needed addition to the museum, working in the gift shop to relieve volunteers that are spread thin. Within the first few weeks behind the counter, Doris has familiarized herself with museum merchandise and has read most of the historical literature we offer about railroading and the Catskills. She will be a well-versed addition to our day-to-day operation.

Ralph Goneau has submitted his resignation. On behalf of the Board of Directors and all members of the ESRM we extend him a vote of thanks for his dedication to the museum during his tenure as president and stationmaster. His extraordinary contributions will be sorely missed and we wish him all the best and good health.

During this years summer exhibition the ESRM is hosting a special tribute to a rather unique topic that most people living in surrounding villages know very little about. They may understand the significance or the need for fire towers, but they may not be aware of the proud heritage of the observers and the sacrifices they made in order to protect their communities?

With nearly 60 photographs culled from our curator's collection and some on private loan, the history of forest watching on the near peaks, past and present, is neatly presented. On Sunday, June 18th, in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Catskill Center for Forest Preserve, two authors were gracious enough¾through their publisher, Purple Mountain Press¾to hold book signing at the museum and answer questions posed from the curious and the knowledge seeker.

Marty Podskoch author of the Fire Towers of the Catskills: Their History and Lore, gave a slide presentation during mid-afternoon, that covered a number of interesting topics from early wooden platform construction, destructive area fires, and what the future might hold for the lofty steel giants that often go unnoticed today.

While Marty was presenting his research and slide collection to an SRO crowd in the waiting room, the father and son team of Norman and Russell Van Valkenburgh were busy signing copies of Norman's newest book, Cub Scouts Climb the Tower: Hunter Mountain, 1963. This well received children's book has been neatly illustrated by Russell and both Van Valkenburghs were glad to entertain questions from visitors and members alike.

If you have not made your seasonal trip to visit the newest of our exhibitions, time is running out, but you still have until Columbus Day weekend. What better way to become educated on the subject of how important fire observation platforms were to Catskill communities and what the future may hold than through the inspiring words of two dedicated authors and the museums illustrated showcase.

The Van Valkenburgh's, Russell and Norman, sit in the station agents office and personalize copies of their children's book Cub Scouts Climb The Tower: Hunter Mountain, 1963.

From the evidence presented in the above photograph, the ESRM was very fortunate to get historian and journalist John Conway out of the forest and into our station for a special event on June 25th.

As an expert on gangsters that frequented the area, John just recently published his insights, speculations and findings about Dutch Schultz and His Lost Catskills' Treasure. Supposedly buried by the Dutchman himself and right-hand man Lulu Rosenkranz in April 1933, stories indicate Phoenicia as a center point for the estimated five to nine million-dollar treasure.

After meeting with museum visitors and signing copies of his new book, John spoke to a rather focused crowd. We can not be absolutely certain however, than Mr. Conway was as open and honest about sharing all the information when he addressed the interested followers¾I mean, he too, is still busy hunting for that elusive buried prize.

The colorful mobsters and hidden treasure subject is very intriguing and rather unique in comparison to the historic interests that our museum usually highlights each season.

Watch your local Fox listings and stay tuned for a special program about Million Dollar Treasures filmed in and around Phoenicia a number of weeks ago. If you wish to get a head start on everyone else, read the book and maybe you could ask Lonnie Gale for the telephone number of his personal psychic.

In the last issue of the Telegraphed DISPATCH, we reported on the appropriated $750,000 to help with the much-needed upgrades for the Catskill Mountain Railroad tourist line.

In addition to these funds, the state DOT has agreed to rehabilitate the crossing of Route 28 at Mt. Pleasant and a couple of miles of track eastward from that point. If all funding components fall into place, eight miles of track will be restored west of the Chimney Hole Bridge and five miles east of it. To make a truly functional railroad for the 13-mile stretch from Phoenicia to Shokan, extensive restoration would be required on the bridge.

Pictured above is a portion of the dilapidated 320-foot trestle in Boiceville that stands some 70 feet above the Esopus Creek. This crossing might be construed as a major stumbling block for the connection of the two proposed rail routes¾one that could cost upwards from one to two million dollars to repair.

Although the CMRR has other immediate rehabilitation problems, the bridge will have to be dealt with somewhere down the road if the county tourism board and the tourist line ever wish to restore service along the entire stretch of tracks in Ulster County from Kingston to Highmount.

The Catskill Mountain Railroad ran a special train on Saturday evenings this summer under cool star-studded skies.

The "Twilight Limited" brought passengers from Mt. Pleasant station to the ESRM, where excursion riders were met on the Phoenicia platform by crew and special musical performers. While being treated to various tunes and refreshments, visitors had the opportunity to view the station and photographic displays inside the station while learning about the museum and its mission.

Al Howes performs some pain-staking and tedious work on one of the MU coaches.

During day-light hours work continues on the ex-Erie Lackawanna coaches with at least one car beginning to get a face-lift by having the deteriorating exterior and interior sand-blasted, getting rid of peeling paint and rust. A coat of primer will be used to prep the car for a fresh paint scheme.

Our own Beth Waterman joins other members of the Earl Pardini and the Slide Mountain String Band on Phoenicia Station platform.

The ESRM has begun the process of acquiring an additional piece of property that directly adjoins our existing boundaries.

During a board meeting on July 10, Lonnie Gale addressed specific issues and relayed information he had gathered after speaking with family spokesperson David Coby. The Board of Directors unanimously approved the idea of buying the property, which is part of the estate of the late Karen Coby.

The ESRM will launch a fund raising campaign that includes secretary Beth Waterman applying for a CWC acquisition grant, a state grant under OPRHP, but additional sources and opportunities are strongly needed from the membership.

Purchase price has been negotiated at $60,000 for the level lot and the dwellings that sit on a .83/100 acre parcel that directly abutes High Street. With a new 250-foot frontage on High St. and direct attachment to our existing property it will provide the museum with increased exposure after some choice landscaping is accomplished.

The primary reasons we need to acquire this property is for the protection of our primary asset¾the station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places¾and to facilitate expansion plans and future CMRR operations.

An appeal for separate membership donations will appear in future correspondence or through the Telegraphed DISPATCH. Should anyone have any ideas for major fund-raisers, please contact the museum.

The U&DRR Historical Society should be commended on their preservation efforts todate of former O&W bobber caboose #8206 (shown above). Although not complete as yet, anyone wishing to see the historic restoration project first hand can view the railcar on a siding in the Arkville yards of the Delaware & Ulster Railride.

The "steam team" restoration efforts continue down on Cornell Street in Kingston come rain or shine on Sunday mornings.

Between mandatory safety meetings and odd jobs around the small narrow yard, various pieces of equipment are being attended to while members of this elite crew are trying to finalize setting-up a machine shop and multi-functional repair facility.

Lately these weekend warriors have been busy gearing up for important work coming down the pike by creating an accessible machine shop in an old box car sitting on a siding nearest the concrete dock. The volunteers have been supplying heavy equipment such as a crane, welding machines, a backhoe, compressors, and various hand-power tools. The New York Power Authority has been generous in loaning such tools as heavy air grinders, ultrasonic thickness testers, magnetic based drill presses, rigging, air hammers, cutting tools, precision measuring instrumentation and almost anything else the troops seem to need.

The original tender frame for no. 23 is separated from the wheel sets and moved to higher ground to make work easier.

A 16-inch heavy geared head engine lathe along with two milling machines were purchased in order to meet the demand for critical work that will be performed on-site. The equipment acquisition provides a more feasible and economical solution than farming out the work elsewhere, saving time and money¾money that the restoration project doesn't have and that is sorely needed for future work. The makeshift machine shop inside the boxcar needed to be rigged with 3-phase power supply and should be nearing completion as of this time. In the interim, a loaned electrical generator has been used to light the box car and RS1 no. 401 (ex-Green Mountain) was tapped to provide compressed air to run needle scalers, air hammers, and drills.

The new longer and reinforced frame blocked-up on the loading platform in the Kingston yard facility.

Although some work continues on engine no. 23, operations have shifted and are now focused towards the reconstruction of her coal tender. Earl Pardini made a special trip to Middletown in order to take measurements on a replacement body that turned out to be slightly bigger and longer. The original was found to be unsalvageable, completely rusted out, due in part to maintenance neglect and exposure to the elements. In order to ready the underframe to accept the replacement, the crew needed to cut and replace worn steel members and extend the overall frame with fabricated channel iron for proper support. The draw bar pocket was needle scaled cast, holed to accept rivets, and extended another 13 inches.

During the nearly 2,800 volunteer hours already logged on restoration of our equipment, the steam team always find the time to greet visitors with a smile and provide an informative tour of the facility and equipment. But, the answer is always the same when questioned about their needs¾money to complete the job.

Close work in tight spaces. Ernie Klopping, one of the "steam team", welding on an extension to 23s tender frame.

The restoration project of Engine No. 23 will be featured on a regular basis. Due to the historical importance of such an undertaking, every attempt will be made to keep the membership well informed. Joe Michaels and Charlie Selteneck will provide current information, photographs and pertinent data on all aspects of this monumental task. Your continued support of this major project is needed and appreciated.

On August 2, 1967, New York City's recently established Landmarks Preservation Commission¾formed in response to the demolition of Pennsylvania Station¾ designated Grand Central Terminal as a landmark, subject to the protection of law. But a serious threat arose the following year.

Penn Central, formed by the merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads, proposed building a 55-story tower designed by Marcel Breuer above Grand Central. The Terminal's facade would have been preserved, but rendered virtually invisible; the entire Main Waiting Room and part of the Main Concourse would have been demolished. When the Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to approve the scheme, Breuer presented a second proposal, which would have saved the Main Concourse but demolished the facade. In August 1969, the Landmarks Preservation Commission again blocked the project.

Penn Central filed a lawsuit against the City of New York, essentially challenging the validity of the City's landmark law. Litigation lasted for nearly a decade. City leaders, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, former first lady, rallied against changes to Grand Central Terminal. In December 1976, the National Register of Historic Places named Grand Central Terminal as a National Historic Landmark. More importantly, the Penn Central lawsuit went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which on June 26, 1978, upheld New York's landmark law in a decision written by Justice William J. Brennan for a six-to-three majority.

Grand Central had been spared the wrecking ball, but was far from saved. After decades of deferred maintenance, the building was crumbling. The roof leaked; stonework was chipping away; structural steel was rusted. Pollution and dirt had stained surfaces; commercial intrusions, such as lighted signs and a giant clock, blocked out natural sunlight.

In 1983, Metro-North Railroad took over operation of Grand Central Terminal, and soon after, the railroad began a systematic program of repairs and capital improvements, including a $4.5 million project to replace the leaking roof and skylights. This urgently needed work helped stabilize the building and enabled Metro-North to develop a long-term strategy for Grand Central.

In 1988, Metro-North commissioned a master revitalization plan from Beyer Blinder Belle architects. Metro-North then asked retail specialists Williams Jackson Ewing to prepare a master retail plan to address amenities and services in Grand Central. In April 1990, a $425 million Master Plan for Grand Central Terminal was presented at a public hearing and subsequently was rejected by the Metropoliton Transportation Authority (MTA). This significant decision was followed by an investment of $160 million in utility upgrades, Main Concourse improvements, and structural repairs.

Statue of the "old Commodore" above the main entrance to Grand Central Terminal.

The original Grand Central Depot was opened in 1871 for Commodore Vanderbilt’s New York Central & Hudson River, New York & Harlem and New York & New Haven Railroads. This building was razed long ago; so was the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity (far left) and the 42nd Street spur of the Third Avenue elevated line (far right).

The former Main Waiting Room was restored in accordance with the new Master Plan, and was inaugurated as a public exhibition and special events space in 1992.

In 1994, the MTA gained long-term control of Grand Central Terminal in the form of a 110-year lease from American Premier Underwriters, Inc., successor to the Penn Central Corporation. This enabled the MTA and Metro-North to enter into an agreement with GCT Venture, Inc., a partnership of developers LaSalle Partners Incorporated and Williams Jackson Ewing, to implement a comprehensive revitalization plan based on the Master Plan for Grand Central Terminal. Construction began in 1996 with the cleaning of the Main Concourse and the Sky Ceiling. As restoration and renovation continued, the project generated more than 2,000 construction and construction-related jobs throughout New York State.

With the final scaffolds dismantled and the last construction crew departed, this venerable New York City landmark will now embark on a new chapter of history. Completely restored with pedestrian circulation overhauled, climate controls added, more than 100 shops and restaurants, and a fresh food and produce marketplace, Grand Central Terminal will once again be New York City's premier meeting, shopping, dining, and transportation hub¾the Grandest Terminal of them all.

· The total land area of Grand Central Terminal is 48 acres. It extends from 42nd to 50th Streets, between Lexington and Madison Avenues.

· The floor of the Main Concourse measures 200 feet by 120 feet, and sits ten feet below 42nd Street. The vaulted Sky Ceiling mural is 120 feet above the Main Concourse.

· The sculpture group above the 42nd Street main entrance is entitled "Transportation," stands 50 feet tall, is 60 feet wide and weighs 1500 tons. It depicts Minerva, Mercury, and Hercules and was created by Jules Couton. The sculpture sits
atop a monumental clock with a diameter of 13 feet. The completion of the sculpture's installation in July 1914 was
considered the placement of the final stone in Grand Central Terminal.

· To make way for the Terminal, some 180 buildings, principally dwellings, hospitals, churches, and the Old Grand Central
Depot was razed.

· Almost 3 million cubic yards of earth and rock were excavated in the process of building Grand Central. · Nearly 500,000
people pass through Grand Central Terminal each day.

· Over 18,600 tons of steel were used to create the structural framework of the Terminal. 51,870 tons of steel were used as supports for the upper track level. 14,700 tons were used as supports for the elevated via-duct roadways. The heaviest beams weigh one ton per linear foot.

· Grand Central Terminal contains over 10,000 panes of glass. The terminal's dramatic arched windows each measure 30 feet
by 60 feet and 30,000 light bulbs are used in the building each year. Grand Central Terminal will once again be New York
City's premier transportation hub.

A shot taken in the spring of 1996 of the Fleischmanns U & D station site looking east towards Summit Mt. Only the tracks and a shell of a freight house remain today.

A famous William Henry Jackson photograph taken during the peak of summer traffic circa 1900. Fleischmanns was previously known as Griffin's Corners.

The Curators Corner presents a picture for the "younger members" of the ESRM - Catskill Mountain Branch of the New York Central. Engine #1920 was built in Schenectady in 1900. This photo was taken at Arkville, in May 1947. To the right of the engine you can see a Mobilgas sign. This was a Socony oil yard and storage facility. In back of the tender is the freight house which the Delaware & Ulster Railride presently use as their station. Lonnie asks if anyone has a better shot of the turntable, he would like to see it.

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