Narrow Gauge Trains Of The Catskills

      Narrow Gauge Trains of the Catskills – by John M. Ham

304 Pages – Hard Cover Book on glossy paper

More than 550 Photos, Maps, Timetables, and Contracts

Twenty-four years ago, John Ham published his first book, “Light Rails and Short Ties through the Notch”, a book about the different narrow gauge railroads that were built to support the rapidly growing 19th Century resort industry in the High Catskills where he was born and still resides. He was not at all satisfied with the quality and set up that the printer did with that book; using matte paper instead of gloss and antiquated photo reproduction methods.

John had pondered a redo of his first book as it was, but so much new material has surfaced since then, he has decided to do a completely different version of it, adding much new and different content.

Much of the text used in that first publication has been re-written for an easier read and to correct glaring errors. To this redone presentation, John has 

added some of the best available photos of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad’s early Main Line between Kingston and Phoenicia, most of which lies under today’s Ashokan Reservoir. There are also many additional high quality photos he and his friends have gathered over the years taken on the narrow gauge Stony Clove & Catskill Mt and Kaaterskill railroads, the narrow gauge Catskill Mountain Railway System, and the standard gauge Stony Clove & Kaaterskill and Hunter Branches, both during the Ulster & Delaware and New York Central Twentieth Century periods of operation.

John is aware that he has used pieces of this material in some of his earlier books in one form or another, but this one ties everything together using a multitude of top quality photos of the 1903-1940 “Resort Ridge Railroad Era” for his last hurrah about the Mountaintop’s rails and historic resorts that are gone, but not forgotten.