The Ghent station was a former New York Central Railroad

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

that served the residents of Ghent, New York.

History

The station catered to a local community that had a substantial industry during the era of the NYCRR, and, earlier, the

New York and Harlem Railroad The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and was the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and ...

. Prior to this, however, another railroad laid tracks through the community nearby: specifically, the

Hudson and Berkshire Railroad The Hudson and Boston Railroad was a railroad that spanned across Southern and Central Columbia County, New York. It was chartered in 1855 and acquired by the Boston and Albany Railroad in 1870, only to face its gradual demise beginning in 1959 ...

, which was completed in 1846 between Hudson and Chatham It went bankrupt and was reorganized as the

Hudson and Boston Railroad The Hudson and Boston Railroad was a railroad that spanned across Southern and Central Columbia County, New York. It was chartered in 1855 and acquired by the Boston and Albany Railroad in 1870, only to face its gradual demise beginning in 1959. ...

in 1855: later acquired by the Boston and Albany Railroad in 1870, which eventually downgraded it to the B&A Hudson Branch. The New York and Harlem laid tracks through Ghent to Chatham in 1852. The line was eventually taken over by the New York Central Railroad (NYCRR), and provided both passenger and freight train service. Ghent was the station that served both the

Harlem Division The Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York and Harlem Railroad, is an commuter rail line running north from New York City to Wassaic, in eastern Dutchess County. The lower from Grand Central Terminal to South ...

and the former Boston and Albany Railroad Hudson Branch. The station had a tower that coordinated the two railroads from here to Chatham Union Station until 1936. It also included a hotel named The Bartlett House, which was built in 1870 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 8, 2012. However, with the demise of the NYCRR, and its 1968 merger with the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

to form the soon to be bankrupt Penn Central Railroad, passenger services ceased on March 20, 1972. Ghent provided commercial freight-only service, and even became a terminus for freight when

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...

acquired the line in 1976 and eliminated it between here and

Millerton station The Millerton station is a former New York Central Railroad (NYC) station on the NYC's Harlem Division that served the residents of Millerton, New York. History Millerton station was located on the NYC Harlem Division, originally the New Yor ...

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...

. The station continued to do so until 1980, when the tracks between here and

Chatham Union Station Union Station served the residents of Chatham, New York, from 1887 to 1972 as a passenger station and until 1976 as a freight station. It was the final stop for Harlem Line trains. It had originally served trains of the Boston and Albany Rail ...

were dismantled. 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.Harlem Valley Rail Trail map
/ref>

References

Former New York Central Railroad stations Railway stations closed in 1972 Former railway stations in New York (state) Transportation in Columbia County, New York Railway stations in Columbia County, New York 1972 disestablishments in New York (state) {{NewYork-railstation-stub