The Fantrip at Otterkill Bridge

As seen in the last post, here is the same fantrip along the Newburgh Branch about to cross the "Otterkill Bridge" in Salisbury Mills NY. The Otterkill bridge is one of five bridges that the Erie passes over to cross the Moodna Creek, which follows the Newburgh Branch all the way from Greycourt to Salisbury Mills. Bridges, in general, were a big part of this branch as there were fifteen bridges on the entire branch and nine of them lie between Vails Gate and Greycourt. Out of these nine, eight survive with Jackson Ave. in Cornwall removed in the 1980's. The Otterkill Bridge remains today, hidden from site off Orrs Mills Rd in Salisbury Mills NY. Dennis Carpenter photo.

Fantrip at New Windsor

During the 1960's, the EL ran a series of large fantrips along the Newburgh Branch right of way. The most photographed of them ask was the 1966 fantrip seen here. Online the others, the leading engine had not yet been repainted by EL and retained it's Lackawanna heritage. It is the only time that an engine with Lackawanna attire traversed the branch and it made for some interesting pictures like this one. The trackage in the foreground used to service one of many coal docks in the New Windsor/Newburgh area. Today, the trackage remains yet it does not see as much action as it once did. Dennis Carpenter photo.

The Story Behind the Rt. 32 Bridge

Many of you may pass under this bridge regularly. It takes the Erie's Newburgh Branch over Rt. 32 just north of the five corners in Vails Gate/New Windsor NY. At one time, this section of the branch from Vails Gate Junction to Newburgh was double tracked, yet in the 1930's reduced to a single track. Seen here is the bridge during the early 1980's with Conrail 8009 heading back to Newburgh. A signature feature of this bridge for years was the gratified "Lionel RR" on the southern side of the bridge (Lionel being known as a renowned manufacturer of toy trains). Ironically, this was soon replaced with "Tyco RR" which is yet another model train manufacturer. That is the first "controversy" in this picture, along with the blue Conrail engine, which represents a very controversial topic within itself. Two controversial topics, that of model trains and of real railroads, both very relevant but rarely seen in the same picture. The bridge remains today yet it is spotless. Russ Hallock photo.