Phoenicia station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phoenicia
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West elevation and north profile of Phoenicia station in 2008
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| Location | Station Road, Phoenicia, Ulster County, New York 12464 | |||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||
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Phoenicia Railroad Station
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Phoenicia, NY | |||||||||||||||
| Nearest city | Kingston | |||||||||||||||
| Area | less than one acre | |||||||||||||||
| Built | 1899 | |||||||||||||||
| Architectural style | Shingle Style | |||||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 95000474 | |||||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | April 20, 1995 | |||||||||||||||
The Phoenicia Station is an old train station located in Phoenicia, New York. It's a wooden building that was built a long time ago, at the end of the 1800s.
It was first built by the Ulster and Delaware Railroad to help people traveling to hotels in the beautiful Catskill Mountains. The station was used for many years. Eventually, the Ulster and Delaware company became part of the New York Central Railroad. In 1995, the station was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is home to the Empire State Railway Museum and is a stop for the Catskill Mountain Railroad.
Contents
What the Station Looks Like
The Phoenicia Station is found just south of High Street, a road leading into Phoenicia. It sits in an open area near the Esopus Creek. There's a parking lot nearby and a small kiosk. The train track used by the Catskill Mountain Railroad is on the east side of the station.
Building Details
The station building is a one-story, rectangular wooden structure. It sits on a stone foundation. The outside walls are covered with wood shingles. The roof is peaked and covered with asphalt shingles. A stone chimney sticks out from the west side of the roof.
There's a wooden trim that goes around the building where the stone foundation meets the wood shingles. The walls also flare out a bit below the windows. The roof has a wide overhang, with exposed eaves and decorative brackets. This overhang covers a wooden platform. This platform was built high enough so people didn't need small steps to get onto the trains.
Inside the Station
Inside, the station still looks much like it did originally. Only one small closet was added for electrical equipment. Both the waiting room and the baggage room are now used for museum displays.
The walls inside are covered with narrow yellow pine wood panels. These panels are placed both horizontally and vertically, reaching up to the vaulted ceiling. The floors are made of wide wooden planks.
Between the two main rooms, on the side facing the tracks, is the ticket agent's office. This office still has its original brass window bars and milk glass windows. The waiting room still has its original benches, water fountain, and sink. There's also an old heating grate. A large cast iron air vent was moved slightly to make space for a new electrical outlet.
The track next to the station is a standard size for trains. This is the only track left, but there used to be five tracks here.
History of Phoenicia Station
The story of the Phoenicia Station began in 1866. Thomas Cornell started a railroad company called the Rondout and Oswego. His goal was to move goods from Central New York to Kingston. Kingston was already a major hub for coal being shipped to New York City.
Early Days and Growth
The first Phoenicia station was built in 1870. It was a brick building located near where Plank Road and Lower High Street meet today. Business at the station grew when a new branch line, the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad, was built in 1882. This branch went up to Hunter, New York. Because of the increased traffic, two covered porches were added to the station.
Eventually, the Ulster and Delaware railroad line reached Oneonta. In 1899, the train line was changed to a standard size. This was because more and more passengers were using the trains to visit mountain resorts.
The current station building was built in 1899. It was a pre-made structure, very similar to the Oneonta Station, which is now a local bar. This new station became the busiest one on the line. It served both the main train line and the branch line. In 1913, which was its busiest year, 675,000 passengers passed through the station!
The station also had a freight house, which handled goods for both the main line and the branch lines. In 1906, the station was even used as a filming location for an early movie called Holdup of the Rocky Mountain Express.
Changes and Preservation
Even after the Ulster and Delaware company was sold to the New York Central Railroad in 1932, the station remained busy. However, passenger train service ended in 1954. After that, the station started to fall apart. In 1976, another railroad company, Conrail, stopped freight service.
But before the station could be destroyed, a local railroad enthusiast named John Ham bought it from the New York Central. Today, the station is home to the Empire State Railway Museum, which opened there in 1985. It is also a stop for the Catskill Mountain Railroad. This is a tourist train line that runs from Phoenicia to Cold Brook Station. There are plans for the Catskill Mountain Railroad to eventually go all the way to Kingston. They are even restoring an old steam locomotive there!
In 2011, the Esopus Creek flooded after Hurricane Irene. The museum building was damaged and had to close for a while. The museum staff plans to fix it and reopen fully. It has been open for self-guided tours on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.
Images for kids
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West elevation and north profile of Phoenicia station in 2008
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Sign for the Catskill Mountain Railroad at Phoenicia Station
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An old postcard of the station from its peak days
