Philmont (NYCRR station)

Philmont
Former train station was in the general location of the building across the street.
Location	Main Street near Railroad Avenue Philmont, New York, 12513
Coordinates	42°15′03″N 73°38′38″W / 42.2509°N 73.6440°W / 42.2509; -73.6440Coordinates: 42°15′03″N 73°38′38″W / 42.2509°N 73.6440°W / 42.2509; -73.6440
Tracks	0
History
Opened	c. 1852
Closed	March 22, 1972 (Passenger Service) March 27, 1976 (Freight)
Rebuilt	1910
Services
Former services   Preceding station   New York Central Railroad   Following station Martindale toward New York City Harlem Division Ghent toward Chatham

Philmont was a former NYCRR train station that served the residents of Claverack, New York.

History

The New York and Harlem Railroad built their main line through Philmont up to Chatham in January 1852, and the station was built shortly after this.^[1] The station catered to a local community that had a substantial industry during the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The line provided both passenger and freight train services. The station was acquired by the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in 1864 and eventually taken over by the New York Central Railroad, who also built a railroad hotel called The Empire House in the 1880s, and a new station in 1910.

As with most of the Harlem Line, the merger of New York Central with Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968 transformed the station into a Penn Central Railroad station. However, with the demise of the NYCRR passenger services in 1972, the station was closed for passengers and provided freight only services. Philmont provided commercial freight services until 1976, when the tracks north of Wassaic were dismantled. The former Empire House has been an American Legion Hall since 1948.^[2] The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association plans to extend the trail along the right-of-way in front of the site of the former station.^[3]

References