"It’s the End of the World As We Know It...."

by Bill Schneider

Special Thanks to Wayne G. Levitt

"It’s the end of the world as we know it...." This was a line to an REM song, but for the citizens of Livingston Manor it must have seemed that their world as they knew it was coming to an end when, in 1958, the scrappers arrived.

These photos were taken in 1958 by a Manor resident. They were sent to me by Wayne Levitt who knows of my interest in the railroad in Livingston Manor. Over the years, Wayne has provided an amazing amount of information that I’ve used in building my layout. These photos show not only the sad end to the railroad, but also an area of Livingston Manor that has all disappeared. Today much of this area has been redeveloped and few recognizable landmarks remain.

Here then is the end of the line….

The Salzburg scrapping train in front of the station. After pulling up the spikes, the crews would cut the bolts holding the rails together and then pull the sections of rail onto the gondola using a ramp and winch system. Its easy to forget just how heavy this stuff really was....

Acetylene canisters - it must have cost a small fortune in supplies and manpower to remove the railroad. These are just some of the supplies seen in the photos, and this was just for one town. 

The remains of the yard lead switch.

Looking north we see the remains of the yard on the left, and on the right (from front to back) the drying sheds for Sherwood's mill, the Livingston Manor Lumber Company, the old Manor Times building and the old Dubois store. In the far left background is the Fried Brothers furniture store. Today, its all gone but the drying shed....

One of the only landmarks still visible today - the old A.P Dubois house.

Here then is the last train through the Manor. How the mighty have fallen....