The Catskill Chronicle

MOUNTAINDALE – After several years of planning and preparation, the brand new Mountaindale Railway Station will have a grand opening celebration on Saturday, November 14th at 9:30 a.m.

Located on Railroad Station in Mountaindale, across from the Post Office, this municipal building features public restrooms and excellent parking access for the trail head of the Rails to Trails to Woodridge and beyond. 

The restoration was made possible through a New York State DOT TEA-21 Grant and in-kind donations from Sullivan County, the Town of Fallsburg, and local Mountaindale businesses and civic groups. 

Although it is state-of-the-art new construction, its design is based on the 1920 architectural plans of an New York, Ontario & Western Railway (O&W) building proposed for Mountaindale but never before built. 

When the new facility was originally proposed for Mountaindale by then County Planning Commissioner Alan Sorensen and local architect, Robert Dadras, longtime resident and train history buff, Ken Schmitt recalled having seen the old blueprints in the O&W Railway Historical Society archives in Middletown, NY. 

Now that these modified plans are finally completed, it’s been a labor of love for Town Engineer, Will Illing to see to all the final details of design and decor. 

Both the interior and exterior have been painstakingly modeled after actual O&W depots of decades past. Ken and Barb Schmitt of the Mountaindale Community Development Project (MCDP) have been working with Will to curate a permanent exhibit of O&W train photographs so that visitors will have a feel for the mammoth engines that rumbled past Mountaindale until the railway closed operations on March 29, 1957. 

Mountaindale is regarded by many as an enchanting, charming community. This new public building adds to its uniqueness and sense of place. Attending the ribbon-cutting celebration will be speakers like John Taibi, renowned author of numerous O&W books, county historian, John Conway, and a musical tribute to the railroad era by Paul Lounsbury (pictured at right), performing his original multimedia composition, "A Catskill Mountain Trilogy." Steve Levine, who was the Fallsburg Town Supervisor throughout the entire project will also attend. 

Refreshments will be provided by the Mountaindale Action Committee and the MCDP. This event is free and open to the public. All are invited to enjoy a day in Mountaindale, hiking along the Rail Trail, strolling along our picturesque Main Street, and walking in the Labyrinth at the Sandburg Creek RiverWalk.

The MCDP was founded by Mountaindale residents Bob Hunter, Ken Schmitt, Karen Larson and Barbara Schmitt, in order to accomplish the community development goals set forth by Mountaindale residents during a two-week visioning session conducted by the Catskill Center for Conservation & Development. The organization is committed to the sustainable development of Mountaindale as a year-round business and arts community that enriches the lives of residents, merchants and visitors through creative and innovative initiatives.

For more information, please call Barb Schmitt at 434-4747.