NYSW Northern Division

The Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley was Walter Richs first adventure in railroading. Started on a piece of ex NYC Delaware & Ulster in Oneonta, he moved to the ex D&H Cooperstown Branch in a swap with NY State DOT for right of way that would eventuallly become part of I 88. Walter ran trips to Milford on the branch with this ex US Army 0-6-0. Here we see it cold and stored at Cooperstown.

C&CV office car Franklin Lakes at Cooperstown.

Interestingly, the C&CV, which was a tourist road, had six of these Thrall Door cars, that were designed so that the whole car side was made of sliding panels, allowing access to any part of the car. This one was at Cooperstown.

A local for the Utica side is made up and ready to go out on Monday behind a C430

This is the engine that worked tourist trains from Cooperstown down to Milford back in the 70s, now parked with stack capped at Cooperstown.

For several years, NYSW leased these former Santa Fe CF 7s

NYSW 260, originally LIRR 221, sits outside the Binghamton engine house.

A visit to the NYSW in Binghamton in the mid 80s could turn up almost anything. They ran a number of short lines during that time, among others, the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley, the Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville, the Central NY-the one that was the ex DLW Richfield Springs branch, not the incarnation created to run the NS former Erie Delaware Division. Their power was painted for any number of these, as we can see here. RS 2 100 is lettered for the Delaware Otsego System, with FJG initials.

NYSW 3004 sits at Binghamton yard waiting for the inevitable after suffering a rollover.

The dead line at Binghamton has an interesting composition, as one would expect from the NYSW. Leading off is RS 1 252, along with the two wrecked C 430s, which will be scrapped soon. Rounding out the group is an RS 2 and RS 3, one in the DO maroon and red scheme.

The power from an SLN 5 that came into town in the morning is now at the shop awaiting attention before it goes back to Jersey on the next eastbound. NYSW ran anything that would pull cars on those trains, as can be seen by the lineup here.

This S 2 was repainted in its original scheme, funded by a Rockland County group. It worked in regular service til it had some component failures, which sent it here to Binghamton to sit in the dead line. It was a good looking unit, even stored.

This RS 1 was stashed under the NY 363 overpass, not quite in the shadows. It has seen its last road call, and is now waiting for the torch.

An RS 1, looking good in its yellowjacket paint, has seen its career pass, and is now on the Binghamton dead line, hood doors open to the elements and scavengers for useful parts, soon to go to scrap.

A straight on view of F 45 3636 at the Binghamton shop. Looks imposing from this angle.

A more conventional roster shot of NYSW 3636, now renumbered from 6370, and in fresh paint.

NYSW 2010 puts its train together at the Binghamton yard, getting ready for a trip up the Utica side.

The B 40s were not exempt from yard work. Here we see 4004 working a cut of cars next to the D&H station at QD.

C 420 2010 rolls north at Pooleville. It had come north from Binghamton with a BH 1 crew, then traded crews, rolling on to Utica with the UT 1 crew.

UT 1 works the Chenango Valley Pet Food mill, and will swap cars here with BH 1, up from Binghamton. Looking at this line now(2015) its hard to believe there was once enough traffic here in the post EL era to run two jobs.

GP 38 2012 arrives at Sherburne and will swap cars here with UT 1. Both will work the pet food mill.

Theres no work at Oxford, and BH 1 hustles past the old DLW freight house as it makes for Binghamton.

The 2010 and 2012 have swapped trains. BH 1 now switches the pet food mill, and will shortly head south.

A scene that would become a memory in another 20 years, BH 1 works at Greene. Floods in 2006 would cause numerous washouts, putting the line south of Norwich out of service. Note the D&H covered hopper at far right.

Former LIRR C 420 2010 works on a Utical side local at Sherburne.

C 420 2010 is working BH 1, heading north past the Agway mill as it makes for the Utica side. At the time, that was where the business was, and got a train almost daily. The Syracuse side got a train twice a week.

NYSW 2010, a former LIRR C 420 equipped with a steam generator-note the high short hood-and ancient RS 1 238 sit at the Binghamton engine shop. The C 420 has neen renumbered since the last time I photographed it three years prior. It was 260, now a horsepower based 2010.

BH 1 starts a trip on the Utica Branch, passing the Agway mill on the ex DLW line. DLW had a yard here years ago, YO, which was by this time a weed covered field. The cars at left are grain loads for Agway, a Conrail customer. Grain in boxcars was still a common sight here, including a few Erie cars still in service.

BH 1 crosses the Chenango River in late afternoon lighting. This train always seemed to get out late in the day, and could be hard to shoot here, since the orientation of the bridge made mid afternoon light a problem.

BH 1 was dodging the shadows by the time it got to Chenango Forks, but I was able to get this shot up near the NY 369 crossing.

Just about the end of useful light, but the sun is still high enough to highlight the trees, which are peaking as the train passes through Greene.

Sunday afternoon was often a good time to catch BH 1 on the Utica Branch, and this one is no different. C 420 2010 rolls through the south end of Bevier St on its way to the branch.

NYSW 2010 working the yard, pulls out its cars from Conrail. It will be making its train up for a run north on the Utica Branch.

D&H 74 has the honor today of being the power for BH 1, the NYSW Binghamton based job that will work the Utica Branch. It is just underway up the ex DLW, crossing Old State Road.

The NYSW does not climb like the D&H, which has already gained some elevation-and which seen above the NYSW-but the trains still work a bit coming out of Binghamton. BH 1 rolls north past Binghamton Precast, its concrete vaults peeking through the snow.

BH 1 has completed its work at Rubbermaid and is now working the sidings at the old DLW freight house, the edge of which is seen at far right, which is used to hold cars for Rubbermaid, and also for Agway, which has a feed mill a couple of blocks north.

For many years, Rubbermaid had a plant in Cortland. They received plastic pellets vi` rail, though most if not all of their outbound traffic went by truck. BH 1 is working a cut of covered hoppers into the plant on a cold day in December. Despite the gloomy weather, the engine looks festive. That's the ex DLW passenger station at right.

BH 1 has a car for a customer south of downtown, and is seen crossing Court St, having left the rest of his train up at-Rubbermaid. The crossing tower up near the station is visible above the train.

Almost 30 years after this photo, several railroads have created heritage fleets, honoring their predecessors. This building serves in much the same way, though more through benign neglect that by design. BH 1 works past the old DLW freight station in Cortland as it does some local switching.

NYSW 3004, partly dismantled at Binghamton, in a view from the engineers side. It will be cut down to the frame in a few days.

BH 1 has left some cars on the siding south of Chenango Forks, and now heads north to work its way to Norwich and Sherburne. The track at right is the Syracuse Branch, which joins the Utica Branch here.

The power plant from NYSW 3004 sits in this D&H gon outside the NYSW shop at Binghamton. Dont recall what happened to it, but I would think it went somewhere for a repowering job on another diesel.

NYSW 3004 had the misfortune of rolling over, which ended its career. It wound up being scrapped at the NYSW yard in Binghamton.

NYSW 3004 has been cut down, and now there is nothing left but the frame and electrical cabinet. A few more days, and this C 430 will be only a memory.

BH 1 behind C 420 2010 rolls across the Chenango River as it makes its way north, today taking a trip up the Syracuse side, a lucky catch, since they went up there usually two days/week. At the time, the Utica Branch was a daily event, and much easier to find a train there.

There will be lots of these on the branch, as it is quite rural, except for Cortland. BH 1 passes a field of cut down corn as it approaches the crossing at Itaska.

The clouds have started to thicken as BH 1 rolls past the landmark Killawog Red Mills as the light starts to fade, making the train blur a little as it passes.

BH 1 passes a dairy farm just north of Lisle.

BH 1 has just left Binghamton and is crossing Old State Road on the first leg of its trip to the Syracuse Branch.

BH 1 approaches the US 11 crossing south of Whitney Point. Its a good location, even now its an open shot.