This open circular pit is all that remains of the Ulster and Delaware's turntable at Kaaterskill, NY. The U&D Kaaterskill Branch split away from the main at Phoenicia, NY and ran north approximately 20 miles to Kaaterskill. A short branch split away a few miles south of here at Kaaterskill Junction and ran to Hunter. In it's heyday, the line hosted through passenger trains from as far away as Philadelphia and served several luxurious hotels that catered to the Catskill tourist industry including the Laurel House, the Hotel Kaaterskill, and the Catskill Mountain House. Tourism peaked in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and then slowly declined as vacationers increasingly favored the scenic wonders out west in the Rocky Mountains. The line was finally abandoned in 1940. Photo taken on Friday, 07/17/2009.

Photographed by Rich Kugel, July 17, 2009.
Added to the photo archive by Rich Kugel, July 21, 2009.
Railroad: Ulster & Delaware.

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