Graham Line; was:RE: (erielack) EL June Calendar

["Paul Brezicki" <doctorpb_@_bellsouth.net>]

Schuyler, that's my understanding as well. The grade actually began at Port 
Jervis, where the line left the Delaware valley, hence the continued need 
for helpers. I believe the grade steepened at the location that became 
Graham, which made it a logical place for the west end of the freight 
cutoff. I'll add that the east end of the Graham line  was originally part 
of the Newburgh Short Cut, built to connect the main line at Newburgh Jct to 
the Greycourt-Newburgh line at Vail's Gate Jct. The new alignment for the 
Graham line began approx 4 miles west of Newburgh Jct at Highland Mills.

In 1953, the double track through Otisville Tunnel was singled and centered 
to enhance clearances for freight, including the planned inauguration of 
piggyback service the following year. At around the same time, the passenger 
line through Otisville was abandoned as a through route, so the Erie 
alignment across Shawangunk Mtn went from four tracks to one. It is 
remarkable that Otisville was the only tunnel on the hilly Erie mainline 
between Croxton and Chicago.

Paul B

Ed,

The location "Graham" is rather in the boonies.  You can get there by 
following some of the roads
off Route 209 northeast of Port Jervis, looking for "Guymard."

"The Graham Line" is often misunderstood.  What I'm about to type is my 
understanding of it, and it
may not be totally correct.  The original ERIE Main Line went over 
Shawangunk Mountain right through
the village of Otisville.  As of a couple years ago, you could still find 
the edge of the platform
in the hollow in the middle of Otisville where the line ran, as a curb 
embedded in a parking lot,
with a give-away curve in it toward the east end.  The line then zig-zagged 
down the east side of
the mountain before heading in a slightly straighter path toward Middletown.

But the Western end of the Graham Line originates at the point shown in the 
photo, on the ascent of
the west side of Shawangunk Mountain in a flyunder (so to speak) where the 
eastbound line, all the
way to the right in the photo, was at a lower grade, and when a sufficient 
difference in elevation
was achieved, it burrowed under the original main line.  The two tracks then 
traversed the mountain
side and then went into a tunnel directly under Otisville, essentially on a 
simliar alignment.  The
Graham Line and the old main intersected east of Otisville (see 
http://docs.unh.edu/NY/prtj08ne.jpg
), and then split again at Howells Junction (you can see this location prior 
to the Graham Line on
this view: http://docs.unh.edu/NY/gshn08nw.jpg ), with the old main heading 
toward Middletown, and
the rest of the Graham Line heading somewhat northeast.  This line then 
curved around about 90d to
the south to line up with Moodna Viaduct, which runs more-or-less 
north-south.  At the east end of
the Viaduct, the line curves around the north end of Shunemunk Mountain. 
You can see that here:
http://docs.unh.edu/NY/schu35ne.jpg   From there, the line went south 
downgrade to rejoin the
original main line at Newburgh Junction, near Harriman.  Look here:
http://docs.unh.edu/NY/schu35se.jpg .  So, the overall Graham Line went 
between Newburgh Junction
and Graham.

Note there is a parallel between the Graham Line and the DL&W's construction 
of the cutoffs.  Both
replaced curvey track through towns with straighter lines through relatively 
unpopulated territory.

That spur you noticed was the original ERIE Main Line still reaching up to 
Otisville from the
Howells Junction area.  I have no idea when service to Otisville was 
suspended.  Ten - fifteen years
ago, you could find that old ROW because of the very wide open paths in the 
trees.  Some of this is
still visible in Google Earth.  At Otisville, see the line running southeast 
from town, there is a
very straight line at about 135d from north.  If you go east toward Howells 
(shows up as a named
place in GE) look for Derby Road, which is a bridge (is it still?) over the 
Erie Main.  Just to the
left of Derby Road you can see the curving line of the original main/branch 
to Otisville off to the
south of the line.  From there it heads south of west, along the edge of 
some swampy/wet areas, and
you can catch the sharp curve as it turns north to align with the run up to 
Otisville.

So, who was "Graham?"  I don't have his first name right to hand, but he was 
the engineer who laid
out the line, I believe an ERIE employee.

SGL
 


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