Graham Line
The Graham Line (also known as the Graham Cutoff) is the portion of the former Erie Railroad in New York State from Harriman through Otisville Tunnel to Guymard (at about 41°25′44″N 74°35′43″W / 41.429°N 74.5954°W), built in 1904–1908 as a low-grade freight bypass line. The Graham Line bypasses the original Erie Main Line through Monroe, Chester, Goshen and Middletown.
Grade was not to exceed 0.2% eastward or 0.6% westward; the original line had 1% or more each way. The sharpest curve on the old line was 7 degrees and on the new was 1 deg 30 min. The one drawback to the Graham Line, other than the fact that it is seven miles longer, is that the passenger stations are in more remote areas than on the original Main Line through the town centers of Monroe, Chester, Goshen and Middletown. The original Erie Main Line was abandoned around 1955 west of Howells and in 1984 east of Howells, after Metro-North Railroad shifted its commuter trains to the Graham Line the year before.