A question about track arrangement in New York State, where they interacted with the NYO&W. I have two NYO&W trains orders, which I need to better locate. Where I have them noted in my files, is as close as I can guess right now. They are "MQ Tower" (or "MQ Crossing") and "O&W Crossing". Where were they, in relation to Campbell Hall? Scans of them can be seen here: https://train-orders.com/TOUR/E/ERIE/ERIE.html Anyone have a very good map? Or some older Erie employee timetables to reference?
Try this on for size. It tells you exactly where MQ Tower is, if you can decipher it. http://www.nyow.org/ques_ans_.html
Here's a different explanation and a pic: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/thenhrhtanewhavenrailroadforum/campbell-hall-maybrook-n-y-t9826.html
Yes, it all gets rather confusing with so many railroads converging on the Campbell Hall, NY area. The map below is helpful. Dotted lines are out of service or abandoned in our era. You can see MQ Tower's location at the lower left, protecting the crossing of two Erie lines. The L&NE had trackage rights on the north/south Erie line at MQ. L&NE trains worked north from MQ to cross the O&W at CH Tower, then immediately swung northeast to access the huge NYNH&H yard at Maybrook, NY. The three mile double track line connecting Campbell Hall and Maybrook was owned by the NYNY&H, but saw trains from the Erie, L&NE, O&W and NYC (the NYC accessed the area using the Erie line from the north). Note that CH Tower (just to the west of the diamond and the adjacent NYNY&H Campbell Hall depot) stood north of MQ. I drove around this area in the early 1980s and got completely lost!
Imagine if a switchman who spent his whole career in Maybrook Yard helping the whole New England coast get the stuff of life and the export goods to keep their ports busy were to come back to life. How would you go about explaining that the Poughkeepsie Bridge burned, and no one thought it was worth rebuilding?
How would we explain such massive abandonments? Hiking trails being more important than nation life giving commerce? Mismanagement, (such as deferred maintenance; getting rid of sales departments and agencies, yet still thinking customers would come to them), on an enormous scale, and the ignorance of cherrypicking customers? PSR; and......
Wish I could get a larger, clear version of this map. It very nicely shows CH Tower, MQ Tower/Crossing and O&W Crossing.
I sent you a PM with what you seek. By the way, the L&HR entered the regional fray into Maybrook with their line east of Campbell Hall, crossing the O&W at Burnside. You can see the L&HR's line to the right of the others. The loss of the Poughkeepsie Bridge that @acptulsa referenced dealt near instant defeat to the once mighty L&HR. PC was only too happy to route tonnage around it to an all-PC route.
You may find the various topographic maps available at https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer to be useful. There are maps from the present and going back about a century.
Map copy received from Hardcoaler does the job, perfectly. Shows everything large enough and very clearly readable! Yippee!!!