New Paltz Mayor Tim Rogers recalls, as a child in nursery school, running out to wave at the engineers when a train trundled by on the Wallkill Valley Railroad. The days of train traffic being the economic center of New Paltz are long gone, but it’s possible that the excited squeals of train-addled tykes will again ring out in the lower parts of town.
Local historian Tom Olson approached trustees of the village board at their February 12 meeting about a project that could eventually lead to a rail car along lower Main Street. It could be years or decades to realize such an ambitious dream; Olson was coming forward only to touch on a first step of “some urgency.” The developer who plans on demolishing the immense old brown warehouse between the rail trail and Water Street will, as part of that site work, be removing part of the remaining railroad track; about half of the 80 feet will be preserved there as part of the planned hotel project. Olson and a group of local railroad aficionados would gladly accept the other 40 feet as a donation to their effort — if they can find a place to store the immense lengths of metal.
The proposal is to keep it near where it was historically, along the rail trail that was created on property once reserved for the operation of a train into Kingston, and that is now village property. For the full project, they are eyeing the space across the trail from the restaurant at 5 Main Street, in the last remaining building that was once a station along the old railroad. That was once where there were “siding” tracks that allowed for trains to be stopped out of the way of through traffic on the main line; the current rail trail uses this historic siding area, Olson said. “There would have been train cars there all the time.”
Olson said that 200 feet of track would be needed to make it possible to consider an actual rail car, and that the first step would be to clear back the brush between the trail and the embankment upon which the post office is located, and have a proper survey done to establish if there’s a large enough, flat enough parcel to make this possible.
The tracks would be stored to the west of the trail. Olson said that there’s a possibility that an “ambitious thief” could steal this to sell for scrap, but since the full lengths weigh three-quarters of a ton, the thief would have to be ambitious indeed.
Asking for permission from village trustees was not the first stop for this group. The rail trail is overseen through the Wallkill Valley Land Trust due to a conservation easement, and that group’s executive director, Christie DeBoer, has already spoken to another group member, Terry Dungan, about this idea. Noting the excitement and passion that Dungan brings to the project, DeBoer nevertheless has a reputation for denying anything that would run afoul of such an easement, which was set up to limit development and to run in perpetuity.
At first glance, “What was shared was not a violation,” DeBoer confirmed, which is why “I urged speaking to the [village] board.” What’s critical to making that determination stick, according to the executive director, is that neither the storage nor installation of track and train blocks the trail. The use also cannot be a commercial one. DeBoer appears enthusiastic about what’s proposed, saying, “I really appreciate that they came to us ahead of time; that’s a breath of fresh air,” and , “I always love surveys of any of our properties.” In addition, work there could open the way to other improvements to a stretch of trail that isn’t the most visually appealing, such as landscaping, and adding steps to allow for pedestrian access to the post office.
Olson said at the meeting that, should this go forward, it’s hoped that the remaining track and hardware needed could be donated or obtained at a relatively low cost, but that an actual rail car would require a greater investment. To that end, New Paltz Community Foundations is in place to serve as fiscal sponsor and receive donations toward that acquisition, and the project as a whole.
If you would like to be involved in this project, email wallkillvalleyrailway@hotmail.com.
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