Peter Brill, Barberio and Kierzkowski 188 pages softcover
The Monticello & Port Jervis Railway Company was incorporated to construct and operate a railroad from Monticello to the Erie at Port Jervis, a distance of 23.75 miles. The broad gauge road officially began operations on January 23, 1871. The M&PJ was reorganized as the Port Jervis & Monticello Railroad Company on July 16, 1875. The PJ&M was reorganized as the Port Jervis, Monticello & New York Railroad Company on November 17th, 1886. The PJM&NY entered receivership on November 14th, 1893. On March 15th, 1900, the O&W announced it had acquired stock control of the PJM&NY and, on December 12, 1902, the O&W organized the Port Jervis, Monticello & Summitville Railroad to succeed the PJM&NY. O&W extended the line from Valley Jct. to the O&W’s main line at Summitville. This history is covered in volume I which was published a few years ago as an O&W RHS Observer.
This new book covers.about a dozen years, the last days of steam and the entire diesel era. An eclectic variety of diesels, limited in size by the Neversink River bridge, arrived in the late 1940’s. Double-headed GE 44-tonners, Whitcombs, an experimental GE diesel produced for the US Army and an F3A would be employed, and not all types were up to the task. Finally, the restricting bridge was strengthened, and the diesel power situation was resolved in a manner similar to that for the entire O&W system. The NW-2’s would handle the local jobs on the branches and one of their number, based in Middletown, would power the last train on March 29, 1957.
A large selection of train paperwork illustrates operations in the very late steam era of the early 1940’s and in the diesel era. Customers and commodities are presented. An ill-fated proposal for the movement of air-activated cement container traffic off the New York Central to Monticello is discussed in detail with illustrations and correspondence.
Once the O&W’s intent to abandon the branches was clear, the Erie extensively studied taking over operations and elected to only take over service within Port Jervis yard limits. A number of former O&W customers left without rail service elected to receive their cars on Erie’s Pine Bush Branch and truck the freight to their plants. An extensive selection of paperwork documents the
Erie’s activities.
A final chapter presents steam era material gathered since the first volume. It includes a look at some of the commodities handled.
