Oneonta New York USA - Local railroad tracks are under new ownership, and the CP Holiday Train, which for years has provided entertainment and supported local food pantry programs, no longer will be chugging through the area, officials said.
 
Efforts are underway to fill in pending contribution gaps, officials at the Salvation Army in Oneonta, and Opportunities for Otsego (OFO) said Monday.
 
"We have been very fortunate that Canadian Pacific has done this for all these years," said Daniel Maskin, OFO executive director.
 
"We have been very appreciative of their generosity."
 
In September, Canadian Pacific Railway completed its sale of the Delaware & Hudson South unit to Norfolk Southern Corporation, a transaction involving more than 280 miles of track from Schenectady to Sunbury, Pennsylvania, for about US$214.5 million.
 
In the past, CP has run its Holiday Train over the D&H South, but because of the sale, the train no longer will visit communities in this corridor, a media release said.
 
However, this year CP will make a final donation to the food shelves it has previously supported in the area.
 
Opportunities for Otsego has benefited from cash contributions from CP, officials said, and the Salvation Army program was helped by food donations from the audience that attended the train's local stop to see performers.
 
For more than a decade, OFO has been the recipient of food and funds donated through the Holiday Train event, according to a media release.
 
Since 2013, OFO has shared proceeds with the Salvation Army in Oneonta, and together the two agencies serve more than 800 low-income families through their holiday basket meals programs, the release said.
 
CP's contribution to OFO has been US$4,000 the past two years and the same amount is indicated for this year, Maskin said.
 
Donations have ranged from US$1,000 to US$4,000, he said.
 
Denise Richardson.