Great Idea: I hope

francismaximus

New Member
Since I aint got much to give to this forum as far as "yeah use hydrocal its much lighter" or "oh yes the blue foam is sooo much better for your layout". I figured what could I add? SO since I am dying for spring and ideas for places to take my daughter, I'm going to hike (I have a harley so this could be fun but no daughter on the bike yet) all the rail station tracks (whats left of them) and bridges etc. Since as you all know I live in Harriman NY and the Erie ran thru here and we even have a chemical plant with a non operational extention of the old rail line filled up with over a dozen tank cars I figure should make for some cool prototype pics. So I have fun, my kid has fun, I get to ride the harley on some cool trips around here and you guys are gonna get cool pics, everyone should be happy. And actually an even cooler idea would be missions for you guys to send me on to get some erie pics of orange county ny stuff. I think this could work... Let me know.:thumb:
 

interurban

Active Member
:thumb: Hey that`s a cool idea, while I am not familiar with your area I am sure a lot of folk here are, I`ll go for a ride anytime :D lucky daughter :thumb:
Looking forward to spring and your adventures. :wave:
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
Is Middleton in that area? I rode the Middleton tourist steam train when I was about 6 years old...back in 1965! Looking forward to the results of your trips.
Ralph
 

train1

Member
That's a great idea.

Seeing that we are all in different locales, it makes sense for a thread -

Example;
Someone asks " does anyone know where I can get an example of a particular (bridge, depot, car, structure, whatever) for my layout"
And the respondant(s) submit a picture from their area of the world if they happen to see a good example of what the person is looking for.
We've seen alot of great 1:1 pictures before - so let's help each other out.

Just a thought after a 12 hour day shift.
 

francismaximus

New Member
yes im 15-20 miles from middletown. Chester NY and goshen NY rennovated thier stations. And chester I think made thier old railpaths hiking trails so I cannot wait to go exploring. My Town Harriman (lived in and named after "THE MAN" himself) lets thiers go decrepid. But it still stands. Haunted station diarama anyone? In Monroe the next town over there is a nice brige in town with a nice readable Erie across the top, and a big concrete people underpass from the tracks. Its probable where the old station was and is called post road. I havent seen tracks there any more. One other interesting thing there is a small bridge that crosses a stream about 2 blocks from me. It is a girder bridge only 20 feet long maybe, but the interesting thing is the old telephone thick poles rotted underneath. I think that was called a pile bridge? I know i read that term some where. So I guess the pile bride wore out and was replace with steel. There is a member on this forum who used to live in the area a while ago and knows the area much better then me. Im just wetting my feet. Its a shame they are overdevelopoing this area. So rich in history! Sorry for such a long post.
 

CalFlash

Member
When I was in the AF in Missouri I had a dirt bike and followed or crossed many a RR track. Funny thing is, although the MP was the major local RR, I didn't start modeling it until getting transferred to California. Still modeling it here in Florida now.
 
I lived out in Greenville near Slate Hill but drove through your town every day on my way to work down in Suffern. Lived in the area from 1977 to 1993 before starting my migration north.

Lots of railroad history in your area. There was a quite a bit of iron mining in the hills around you over the years. To the east, in Harriman Park, much of it was pre-Revolutionary War though in other areas like Southfields and the Sterling Forest, Ramapo/Ringwood area there were narrow gauge trains running through the woods in the early 1900's.

I hiked a lot of those old roadbeds back in the 1970's. Most was on private property then & I got a permit from the owners. (Sterling Forest Corporation or something like that.) Ruins of the furnaces are probably still standing. There was one in Southfields, I think, right along the roadside. The concrete remnants of the Peters Mine in Ringwood were still standing and I did some climbing around them. I have photos somewhere of the old processing mill, turntable, hoistway, etc. It was a mess then and I'm sure the owners have since recognized the liability risks and fenced it off by now.

If you're interested in local mining and the associated railroads, it might be interesting to pick up a copy of "Vanishing Ironworks Of The Ramapos" at your library and see if any of the ruins are still accessable. I haven't been there in decades, so it could be a sea of housing subdivisions for all know.

Have fun! I used to drag my daughters around industrial ruins and they seem to enjoy it, or at least let me think they did.

Wayne
 

francismaximus

New Member
Here is the Monroe station or whats left of it. To the left of the stairs is the platform and the building was probably on top of it.

Well had some uploading problems the next picture is the bridge with the Erie logo on it. About 500 ft to the left of the station stairs pic I sent.

The last pic is a closer pic of the logo.
 

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RailRon

Active Member
Francis, your offer for such pics sounds great! Thanks for hiking, photographing and posting such historic relics. :thumb:

But...

I'm sorry - I don't see any pics! :confused: :( :cry:

Ron
 

Sir_Prize

Member
Cool idea! Sounds like your a great Dad.
Nice pics already. Keep warm, dude!

Got my Cycle indorsement, last summer... now to get a cruiser of my own.
 
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