The watercourses of the Beaverkill and Willomemoc came together just north of the Depot in Roscoe at a place called “Junction Pool.” This spot became (and still is) known as one of the best trout fishing locations in the North East. The anglers below hardly seemed bothered as F-3 set 821A/B rumbles overhead with a string of empty reefers picked up from the New Haven in Maybrook yard. Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider

Class E 4-6-0 No. 225 runs to the daylight from the stifling bore of the 3860’ Highvew Tunnel to drift to stop with a Southbound returning from the “Borscht Belt” hotel region of Sullivan County. Designated “BH” in the telegraph call letters of the O&W, the Depot at High View was a classic example of “Mission” style architecture. Diorama, models, photo and digital effects by Mal Houck.

At a grade crossing in the business district of Livingston Manor, Class U-1 4-6-0 passes another passenger cosset just arriving at the Depot. The “Manor,” call letters VM, was in a low spot on the O&W main line. Pusher engines, in the steam era, were stationed there to push trains out of town, both to the North and to the South. Models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider on his layout.

VM had modest yards where a number of trains originated, including the Livingston Manor Limited which operated only during the peak travel summer months. Following the East Branch of the Delaware River both south and north, the mainline saw a number of freight locals out of VM referred to as the “Pickup.” Here 2-8-0 Class W No. 304 switches a car at VM for that run.Models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider on his layout.

A number of the Class W 2-8-0s had their twin single air pumps moved to the pilot deck, to avoid having to install stokers on locomotives with 90 tons or more on the drivers. These engines where shopped and equalization was adjusted to meet this limitation. No. 325, here simmering away on a ready track at Roscoe (RK) is a W-2. Models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider on his layout.

W-2 No. 325 was the only O&W 2-8-0 to be fitted with the hardware to mount a pilot snowplow. At RK No. 325 is switching some cars, on a cold day in late fall having its plow already installed. It will soon be dispatched to Utica, where it was customarily stationed at this time in its service. Models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider on his layout.

The 403 splits the CTC signals, added as part of the WWII era single-tracking of the line just north of Livingston Manor where the O&W crossed the Cat Tail Creek on this low deck bridge. Within a few minutes she will be pulling into Roscoe with her load of weekend travelers. Models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider on his layout.

After 1948 the O&W cut its remaining passenger traffic back to Roscoe, and trains would lay over here waiting for the few fair-paying passengers that remained. Now owning little of its own equipment, the railroad relied on leased coaches for its few revenue passengers. As witnessed by the open windows these cars didn’t carry such modern frills as air-conditioning! Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider

In 1946 a freshly delivered set of FT’s meets a 44 tonner still wearing its delivery scheme of Mountaineer maroon. The weeds have already started to take over. Amazingly, Munns depot would survive the railroad and has today been lovingly restored by author and historian John Taibi. Diorama, and photo by Bill Schneider. 44 Tonner by Mal Houck

The last train south from Roscoe to New York City on Sunday, to return sportsmen and vacationers for work the next day was The Sunday Special, here with No. 407 on the point and crossing Lake Street just South of the Bradford Lee Gilbert designed Depot in Liberty. The community of Liberty was located in the heart of the Borscht Belt resort hotel region and was the vacation destination for millions of travelers over the decades. Diorama, models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider.

The last stream locomotives purchased by the O&W were the Class Y-2 4-8-2s from Alco in 1929, No.s 451-460. Built at the same time as the NYC L2-C Mohawks, these engines even had shop order numbers within the sequence assigned the NYC engines. No. 456 waits at the ready for pusher duty south out of Livingston Manor towards Youngs Gap. The Y-2 were not only the last steam engines purchased by the O&W, but also the last engines ever fully paid for before the line filed Bankruptcy. Models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider on his layout.

The Main Street level crossing in Livingston Manor could be a hive of activity when the train was in town, but for most of the day there was little activity to report. The resident’s of the Dubois house, a classis Victorian era landmark, have opened a few windows to try to catch whatever breeze might be stirring. Today all of this is gone, with the exception of the Dubois house. Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider

In an attempt to stem branch line passenger train operating losses the O&W looked to the Sykes “Seagull” motor car No. 801 in 1925, and then assigned it to work the Delhi Branch from Bridge Street Depot in Walton. The experiment was wholly unsatisfactory, since the car was noisy, unreliable and inhospitable. Soon assigned to the branch serving Kingston the results there were no better and the car was retired after only 14 short years of service. A model by Joe Bux pauses at Roscoe on its way to the shops in Middletown. Models and photo by Mal Houck on Bill Schneider’s layout.

EMD F-units have replaced steam, but their days on the point of revenue passenger runs were also numbered. In September, 1953 the railroad gave up on passengers entirely, becoming a “freight only” listing in the Official Guides. Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider.

Far up on the Northern Division, the town of Munnsville (Munns on the railroad) was served by a classic board-and-batten station. With the demise of passenger service years earlier the station become just a freight shed with an office for the agent and had not seen fresh paint in many years. Surely it won’t be standing much longer. Diorama, models and photo by Bill Schneider

The O&W never invested in any proper diesel road-switchers, relying instead on NW-2 yard switchers and footboard equipped F-3’s in the 500 series for its local freight power. #503 is on the local freight today as it moves some cars around for delivery in Livingston Manor. The water crane is now a relic of a by-gone era. Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider.

North of Liberty stood the Upper Liberty Trestle, a landmark span on the O&W. One of the road’s FT sets gingerly crosses the now single tracked span with a northbound freight. Purchased in 1946, these locomotives sounded the death knell for steam on the railroad. Deliveries of F-3’s in 1948 completed the dieselization of the O&W. Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider

One of the O&W’s classic wooden cabooses rolls by Livingston Manor station in the last years of the line’s life. By this time the railroad wasn’t even bothering t maintain lenses in their marker lights. Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider.

EMD NW-2’s, delivered with the F-3’s in 1948, took over much of the local and branchline work once handled by camelbacks and W- classes. #114 is back on solid ground after coming off of Upper Liberty Trestle with a southbound local. Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider.

A northbound freight clears the crossing in Roscoe, with one of the O&W’s classic wooden cabooses carrying the markers. The passenger train can now start its southbound run to Weehawken. Layout, models and photo by Bill Schneider.

On the point of Northbound Train 1, The Ontario Express, No. 403 is just clearing the canopy at the north end of the Roscoe Depot (Mile Post 135. 38) heading for its destination at Walton at M.P. 179.45. All distances on the O&W were calculated from the joint NYC-NYO&W West Shore Terminal at Weehawken, New Jersey. Models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider on his layout.

Roscoe’s station was a typical O&W family design, with several other stations nearby being built to variations on this theme. Its claim to fame was perhaps its trout weather vane that proclaimed Roscoe as “Trout Town, USA”. Layout and photo by Bill Schneider

The thoroughbreds of NYO&W Class Y 4-8-2 were ten in number, 401-410 and were ordered from Alco upon the specification that they should handle 12 steel passenger cars at a steady 35 mph over the curving and climbing route of the O&W mainline. Here no. 407 starts some stack talk to get its train rolling up the easy grade out of the Middletown Depot, Northbound on Train3, “The Mountaineer.” Models and digital effects by Mal Houck. Photo by Bill Schneider on a Joe Bux/Rich Cobb diorama.