This is a view looking north at Johnson Hollow Road, which is located off of Route 23 just west of Prattsville, NY. The two mounds of earth on either side of the road were intended to carry the Schenectady and Margaretville Railroad, which was chartered in the early 1900's as a trunk line carrying coal from Wilkes Barre, PA to Schenectady, NY (with New England as the final destination). The line would have (possibly) used the O&W as far as East Branch, NY; the Delaware & Eastern from East Branch to Arkville; and then the Ulster & Delaware from Arkville to Grand Gorge, NY. From Grand Gorge, the line would run on a new right-of-way through Prattsville and on up to Schenectady. Construction began in 1906 and halted only a year later in 1907 when funding ran out. Not a single rail or tie was ever placed. Sadly, this location once boasted the most tangible evidence of this ghost railroad in the form of a stone arch bridge spanning the road. Regrettably, the township foolishly demolished the bridge in the 1980's because the tight clearance would not permit passage of the school bus! The photo was taken on Saturday, 02/20/2010.

Photographed by Rich Kugel, February 20, 2010.
Added to the photo archive by Rich Kugel, February 23, 2010.
Railroad: Ulster & Delaware.

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