The Delaware & Ulster Railroad at Arkville preserves part of the transport landscape that made the Catskills accessible by train. Its historic route belongs to the story of the Ulster & Delaware, a railway whose ambitions reached far beyond a short scenic outing. Founded in the nineteenth century and headquartered at Rondout, the original line connected the Hudson River with the interior of the mountains and ultimately with Oneonta. Passenger travel, local commerce and through connections all contributed to its importance.
The old railway promoted itself as an all-rail route into the Catskills. That claim mattered in an era when reaching mountain destinations could require several changes between boat, train, stagecoach and carriage. The line’s connections at Kingston, Arkville, West Davenport and Oneonta linked it with other systems. Looking at a route map therefore adds depth to the modern experience: a quiet section of track once belonged to a network carrying visitors, goods and information between multiple counties and regions.
Arkville is an appropriate base for interpreting that history because it was itself a junction. The surviving railway corridor helps explain how a line followed the geography of valleys and communities, finding workable grades through a landscape that attracted travelers but complicated construction. Historical equipment adds the human scale of the journey. Passenger cars were places in which people spent hours watching the countryside, working or traveling toward a holiday destination.
The heritage operation should be understood as an operating collection rather than a conventional exhibition hall. Its railway vehicles and route work together to preserve an experience, while maintenance and restoration remain necessary behind the scenes. That distinction is useful when planning: a train ticket provides a particular journey, not automatic access to every stored car or workshop. The equipment and departures available can change.
Before traveling, consult the current operator’s information for public trips and any separate historical displays. For context, compare the modest present-day operation with the former Ulster & Delaware’s much larger map and its connections to the Hudson. The contrast helps reveal what has been preserved and how much of the Catskills’ railway network survives chiefly in buildings, records and the shape of the landscape.
Visitor information
Researched November 2026.
Sources
More railroad museums in New York
- Empire State Railway Museum — Phoenicia: Depot and railroad history museum
- Medina Railroad Museum — Medina: Depot and railroad artifact museum
- Railroad Museum of Long Island — Riverhead and Greenport: Railroad museum with two visitor sites
- Railroad Museum of the Niagara Frontier — North Tonawanda: Railroad museum and archives
- Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum — Rush: Railroad museum and operating collection
- Salamanca Rail Museum — Salamanca: Depot and railroad history museum
- All 7 railroad museums and sites in New York
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — museums, stations and landmarks
- Northeast — the trains you can ride in the region