Delaware & Hudson Canal
Abandoned
Canal/Railroad system to transport coal from the Pennsylvania mines to New York
Photos
Lock #50 at Phillipsport (Wurtsboro) was known as "P.O.Callahan's."
Photo taken by Chester Gehman in October 2016
Description
The Delaware & Hudson Canal was one of the first private enterprises in the country. Its primary purpose was to transport anthracite coal from the mines near Carbondale, PA to the canal terminus at Rondout, NY. From there, barges carried the coal down the Hudson River to New York City. The canal was 108 miles long, with 108 locks, and Terminated at Honesdale, PA, where a gravity railroad was necessary to carry the coal over the Moosic Mountains. The railroad consisted of inclined planes with stationary engines to raise the coal cars, which then traveled long "levels" with a slight gradient to allow the cars to move by gravity. This canal-railroad system, with gradual improvements, lasted until abandonment in 1899.
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