Kingston, New York railroad stations
There were four stations built to serve the city of Kingston, New York. The first station was known as "Higginsville Station" built by the Rondout & Oswego railroad company (later known as the Ulster & Delaware (U&D)). The second station was served by three different railroads, all of which eventually became part of the New York Central railroad company. The third station, known as "Fair Street Station", replaced the Higginsville Station in 1882. The fourth station was for the New York, Ontario and Western railroad.
Higginsville station
Located near MP 4.4 on the U&D at the time of its construction in about 1869, Higginsville was the first station location for Kingston. It was situated just west of the current Washington Avenue. The Rondout & Oswego was Kingston's only railroad at the time.
The CMRR plans to rebuild a station at this location as part of its expanding service in Kingston towards the Ashokan reservoir.
Union Station
The next railroad to serve Kingston was the broad gauge (6 ft) Wallkill Valley Railroad, an affiliate of the Erie system. Following soon afterward was the West Shore Railroad which quickly bought up the Wallkill Valley. Around 1880, at the junction of the West Shore Railroad, Wallkill Valley Railroad and U&D, Kingston Station, also known as "Union Station", was built by the West Shore Railroad. Operating costs were shared by New York Central and the U&D which then discontinued use of the Fair Street Station. Passenger service on the Walkill Valley RR ended in 1937.
There was also a nearby subway station for the Colonial City trolley line under the West Shore Railroad tracks.
Kingston Station, MP 2.8, became one of the busiest stations serving the U&D. The U&D went along the north side of the station while the Wallkill and West Shore ran in front (east) of it.
In 1884, the West Shore became a part of the NYC. In 1932, the U&D ceased to exist and became the Catskill Mountain Branch of the NYC; Kingston Station became an NYC station. In its latter years one morning train a day (except Sundays) ran on the route from Kingston to Oneonta and one afternoon train in the east-bound direction back to Kingston. Passenger service on the old U&D route ended by the end of 1954.[1][2]
NYC West Shore line service in the latter 1950s dwindled to one Kington-Weehawken trip a day in each direction and one full length Albany-Kingston-Weehawken trip a day in each direction;[3] and this last passenger service to Kingston ended in 1958.[4] The station was then abandoned. It had deteriorated so badly that it was torn down in the 1960s, although some local groups tried to save it.
Fair Street station
Located near MP 4.0 on the U&D at the time of its construction in 1882, Fair Street Station was near the central business district of Kingston. The change from Higginsville to Fair Street was the result of an agreement made in 1881 between Thomas Cornell, as president of the railroad company, and a committee of citizens. Fair Street station closed in 1898.
New York, Ontario & Western station
In 1902, the New York, Ontario and Western (O&W) constructed a branch from Summitville to Kingston, and built a station west and slightly north of the site of the U&D's early Fair Street Station. Passenger service had already been terminated by 1950.[5] This station survived until the railroad was shut down in 1957. The station was torn down in the 1960s.
Catskill Mountain Railroad station
The Catskill Mountain Railroad, which leases the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad in Ulster County, New York started a special event shuttle in Kingston on December 6, 2008. A small ticket office and loading platform was placed just east of Westbrook Lane, MP 3.78. This ticket office is known as Westbrook Station. Its location is about 1/4 mile east of the former U&D Fair Street Station.
References
- 'Official Guide of the Railways,' January 1950, New York Central section, Table 79
- 'Official Guide of the Railways,' December 1954, New York Central section, Table 96 (freight only)
- 'Official Guide of the Railways,' December 1957, New York Central section, Table 80
- "Comments On The West Shore from James Knecht". Nyc.railfan.net. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- 'Official Guide of the Railways,' January 1950, New York, Ontario and Western section
External links
| Preceding station | New York Central Railroad | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Terminus |
River Division | Milton toward Weehawken | ||
| Lake Katrine toward Albany |
Port Ewen toward Weehawken | |||
| Stony Hollow toward Oneonta |
Catskill Mountain Branch | Rondout toward Kingston Point | ||