Rare Vintage Footage of the Delaware and Hudson in Upstate New York, 1930s 

Wow! Your grandfather caught some great scenes, he must have been a sharp man. Thanks

My Grandfather, William Henry Schraft was the Foreman blacksmith at this roundhouse. He got his experience in blacksmithing during WW1 as a tank repairman. Your Grandfather , no doubt knew my grandfather! Beautiful video ! Thank you

Grandfather, father, 2 uncles, 1 brother & myself all worked for the D & H out of Oneonta at one time or another. Great video, thanks.

this is pretty amazing footage. It's technically advanced video. This guy knew his stuff. Ah, that's when Oneonta was truly an economically vibrant community.

Nice to see the Wooten locomotives in action, very rare to see them in motion close up like that!!!

Awesome stuff. An incredible record. The D&H had some pretty cool steam as well as an awesome fleet of ALCO diesels. Sadly just 2 locomotives ramble the D&H tracks still wearing D&H livery. Thanks for sharing. I railfan on the Lake Champlain trackage, mostly the Rouses Pt. to Ticonderoga area. It is neat you have this incredible footage.

Some incredible footage. The partial color as opposed to the usual black-and-white helps bring this long bygone era to life again, a true glimpse into the past. Thank you for posting.

First and foremost, Thank You. For myself, seeing the engineers and workers made the film very personal. I also appreciate the sheer size of the trains and everything involved in keeping them running. Your grandfather had a fantastic eye!!! thanks again!

Great footage and very rare ... The 1500s (Challengers on the UP) or 'J's on the D&H are my favorite all time power ... I can barely remember them passing thru Bainbridge, a little south of Oneonta in 1950-1951 or thereabouts ... I'm in the process of building an HO model of the 1500s so this scene at 9:00 in your clip is really appreciated ... My dad was a D&H section hand in Bainbridge so I got see many types of power come through as I waited with my mother for him to come off duty ...

Wow this is amazing footage this is what I like about youtube people like you who make the time and effort to upload footage like this ......some fantastic scenes & locos...your grandfather was a lucky man to opperate a cini camera in those days he must of known it would of been saved for future generations. ...jim

I used to live in Oneonta, NY. Never got to see the roundhouse (I was born in 2000), but this is a dope look into it.

Simply wonderful films.. My grandfather started taking me to the Oneonta rail yards at about age 8 in 1950 and I visited regularly over the next 50 years or more. I even wrote a book about it.. "Grandfather, Oneonta and Me" that chronicles the history of the D&H in Oneonta as well as my own covering some 60 years... I have many fond memories, among them, riding a J class 1500 Challenger and these films bring back so many wonderful memories many thanks from a grateful long time D&H railfan.

Apparently, a little bit of the footage was filmed in the '40s. The 4-6-6-4 Challengers started arriving on the D&H in 1940.

Thank you for posting this. Very nice. There is still an old roundhouse in Cortland, NY on Owego Street, across from Gator's Tavern. :-)

I love the line of spectators at the wreck site!

Thanks for sharing! This was fantastic! I used to watch and photograph along the D&H in and around Oneonta in the 1990s, and am a huge D&H fan. I recognized most of the locations in the film. As a couple of people mentioned below, the Challengers first started being delivered in September, 1940. It was a real treat to see one on film - I think most of the film footage of them that exists is from the Pennsylvania Division where they were dragging coal, but not very fast. The one in this film was barely out of the yard limits but already had a roll on it, maybe doing around 40 or so - the location looks like it was where the D&H main curves north eastbound out of Oneonta to go under I-88 (although I-88 was 40 years in the future at the time of the film).

Amaaazing footage! thanks for sharing!

Great footage thanks for sharing it. D&H steam in photos and films is so much more rare than many of the other roads. So your generosity is even more awesome.

That big boy 4014 is from Schenectady NY. UP needs to do the right thing, and bring him home to NY at least.

Great pictures.

Very good quality video for the 30's,I was a 3rd generation railroader with over 30 years.thanks for sharing. Joe Sandoli

My grandfather Clayton Van Tassell worked for the D&H around this time as a towerman in Binghamton, NY. He and his family lived on Winney Hill Road in Laurens. Grandpa would walk down to the rail yard and catch the morning train to Binghamton. Then take the train back and walk back home in the evening. My great grandfather Fred Truesdale was an engineer for the D&H. Maybe around this time? Thank you for sharing this!

I grew up in Oneonta as well. I recognize nearly all of the locations in this film, from the '70s and '80s

My grandfather {Clayton Van Tassell} worked for the D & H back in the early to mid 1900's in one of the switch towers in Binghamton. He lived in Laurens and stayed in west Oneonta for a small time. He would walk down to the rail yards in Oneonta and ride on one of the D & H trains down to Binghamton and then ride the train back at the end of the day.

i bet you were hesitant to post this film due to quality, however, i am so glad you did.. there are so few motion pictures of the steam era on this rr , each one is a treat ... your dates are close, however your ending date should be changed to 1940, 41, or 42 because near the end of the film a 4-6-6-4 j-class challenger barrels by, they were built in two batches, first ones in 1940 and the rest in 1942 .. also appearing prior to that is the only movie film i know of 1402, named the james archbald, one of the few experimental high-pressure locomotives.. the 1402 was scrapped in september 1942

Superb footage great to see the old steamers. Kev

The lower deck! Oneonta powerhouse Delaware and Hudson! My grandfather worked there and I would spend tons of time around those tracks. Our parents would be so pissed off when they found out we were playing in the crumbling roundhouse. The pit was filled with horrible looking water then…just don’t fall in. Memories of otown!

Great job illustrating roundhouse and yard jobs

My grandfather was a Crane Operator for the D&H and worked here. He was born 1886 and died and died in 1958. I remember wearing a train engineer's outfit he go for me. I went here many times.... and just this past year I drove there.... sadly.... to see history gone.

Cool! I worked MOW in the yard in '76 (other gangs from '74-'79)- we averaged a derailment a day then, what a mess!

That derailment was that what they called the chocolate derailment???? Where the cars were carrying chcolate and when it dumped the load kids ran and grabbed the chocolate? Thank younsooooo much. This was an amazing video... Thank you for sharing...

this whole area was in my 'backyard', growing up. i lived on Ceperley, starting in the mid 70's. at that point the bridge at the end of the road still existed, tying Ceperley to River St. my dad work down there for years. just walked a block, or 2 to work. i spent time in the yard w/ him and his co-workers. remember seeing the roundhouse, or what was left of it, early on, for me, anyway. this's really cool, though. never got to see things hoppin' like this. thank you for the upload! i sent the link to my dad, who's still there, on Ceperley. very cool for him to see. excited to see the more recent stuff you shot. it's so different, even from when i was a kid...which may have been not uncommon to ride bikes down there...that coulda been someone else, though;"). us crazy Westenders!! the tracks and the gravel pits..."i do not recall..."

Amazing

This is a wonderful Time Machine to the pre-WWII time in upstate New York! It is a simpler life and time but still tough because the Great Depression was still on!

My Great Grandfather was an engineer for D & H

Great video

Wonder if the original film still exists, as this is a poor quality transfer done to analog video tape (probably VHS, possibly multiple generations, probably in the 1980s). A modern digital transfer of the original film would really be a historical treasure for the Oneonta community. My grandfather worked at the D&H starting in the mid 1940s. Not sure of he dates.

What is the restaurant??now. And did you post a video from 2012??

It's not owned by a restaurant it's owned by "American Blade," the roundhouse was abandoned by the fall of steam, it's sad how they abandoned it piece of history. EDIT: all that's left is the coal loader and that huge smoke stack, April 2018

Possible camelback at 4:37? I suspect they were confined to Carbondale service by then. Was hoping a little Ulster & Delaware or Unadilla Valley might show up. My best friend married an Oneonta girl who knew nothing of the town's railroad history. I only had to ask her once. But then most girls just don't get it "and they smell funny too".

As a former resident of Plattsburgh, I must protest Oneonta being referred to as upstate New York. It just isn't. Excellent footage though. :D

Time machine would be fun

Would get our orders from FA tower at the start of the day....

Scrap the delaware and hudson diesels!