Officials at the Catskill Mountain Railroad in Kingston, N.Y., say they are considering relocating from their longtime home after years of conflict with the county. Ernie Hunt, president of the tourist railroad, said the decision would depend on whether the local government allows them to expand later this year.

“If we don’t get our expansion, then we’ll go and expand somewhere else,” Hunt said. “We’ll go somewhere that wants us.”

Catskill Mountain Railroad was founded in 1982 to lease and operate a 38-mile former New York Central branch line. Today, the tourist railroad runs on about five miles of track out of Kingston, located about 100 miles north of New York City in the Hudson Valley. Ulster County purchased the railroad from the Penn Central estate in 1979 with the goal of reopening the line for tourism. However, the railroad has long butted heads with local county officials and trail advocates, who have sought to remove large sections of the line and replace them with a bike and walking path. Eventually, 11 miles of track were ripped up by the county and turned into a trail, while the rest of the route remains in question.

A few years ago, it appeared the railroad and the county might have turned a corner on their contentious relationship, after signing a new lease to operate excursions through 2028. The railroad also secured $4.4 million in state grants to build a new terminal, engine house, and track to connect the railroad to the Ashokan Rail Trail. While the project was funded, the county had not approved it, and Hunt said it’s uncertain it will. A final decision is due in July.

Hunt told Railfan & Railroad that, if the county does not approve its expansion plans, it will relocate at the end of its 2028 season. Presently, the railroad is considering three or four sites across the state, mainly along the New York State Thruway.

—Justin Franz