The history of the Ellenville to Kingston spur of the New York, Ontario and Western Railway (the O&W) begins at the turn of the twentieth century with the construction of the rail spur from Summitville, NY to Kingston, NY. , forcing the demise of the D&H Canal. The coal from Honesdale, Pennsylvania is shipped via rail much more quickly than canal barge. But the coal and its demand as a heating fuel soon runs out and passenger fares and milk pickups from a then robust dairy industry along the Rondout Valley take over the main business of the line. Then the advent of the automobile and freight trucks along with an expanding highway system will call for the demise of the O&W in 1957.

An album of Historical Notes and Pictures is available along the line of that by-gone era, provided by the Middletown, NY based O&W Historical Society. Many thanks to them for this album.