Halcottville Railroad Station

Halcottville Station, MP 53.0 on the Ulster and Delaware Railroad (U&D), served the hamlet of Halcottville (also known as Halcottsville). In 1932, the U&D became the Mountain Division of the New York Central Railroad. In addition to the station, the U&D constructed a large ice-house here and stored ice from Lake Wawaka. A tiny steamboat, also named Wawaka, plied the lake during the summer months drawing visitors from up and down the line who rode the boat and picnicked on the shores of Lake Wawaka. Halcottville boasted a hotel, two creameries, an early electric light plant, several stores, a post office, dance hall, school, and several churches. There were also numerous boarding houses in the area.

As with most of the other stations, It was closed in 1954, with the end of passenger service on the Mountain Division. But it wasn't destroyed. Instead, it met a more unusual fate; it was cut in half. The passenger side was moved a few hundred feet, and is now a privately owned shed. And the freight side was moved to Arkville, where it now serves as a tool shed for the Delaware and Ulster Rail Ride.

External links

* [http://www.durr.org/ Delaware & Ulster Railride]
* [http://www.udrrhs.org/ Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society]
* [http://www.catskillguide.com Online Guide to the Catskill Mountains]
* [http://www.catskillarchive.com The Catskill Archive - history of the Catskill Mtns.]