Construction of railroad bridges across the Hudson River, at Thurman Station. (John Hastings collection)
Railroad Branch to Warrensburgh In January of 1905, the Delaware and Hudson Railroad contracted
with Hart & Sons to build a branch from Thurman Station to the hamlet of Warrensburg. The first train to run over the new branch
was on December
2, 1905. The branch was about
three and a half miles long, crossing the Hudson River over a single-span and a double-span truss bridge. A siding about halfway went to the Schroon
River Pulp & Paper Mill. The line also serviced D. E. Pasco & Sons Feed and Coal, A. C. Emerson Company lumber, coal and grain and the Empire Shirt
Company. The bulk of business utilized by the branch
was carrying freight and providing an outlet for a large quantity of shirts,
shirtwaists, men's pants, paper and pulp, which before then had been drawn to
Thurman by teams of horses. It would also bring in large quantities of grain,
coal and lumber to the hamlet. The
branch was abandoned in 1981. A Delaware
& Hudson Railroad General Order stated, “Effective at once: that portion of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad
referred to as the Warrensburg Branch is eliminated.” Following that, the crossties and rails were
removed by a salvage company from Pennsylvania and sold. The entire length was sold to adjacent
property owners.
Freight terminus in Warrensburg, at A. C. Emerson Company. Shirt factory building, now Lizzie Keays Restaurant, is at rear right. The photo predates the construction of the grain elevator and coal pocket. (Richards Library collection)
Railway Express Agency - During World War I, the United States Railway Administration (USRA) took over the nation's railroads. Under the USRA, the four major express companies (Adams Express Company, Southern Express Company,
American Express Company and Wells Fargo)
and three minor ones were consolidated as American Railway Express, Inc. In March 1929, the assets
and operations of American Railway Express Inc. were transferred to Railway
Express Agency
(REA). REA was owned by 86 railroads in
proportion to the express traffic on their lines - no one railroad or group of
railroads had control of the agency.
Lester Love and
his wife were agents in Warrensburg from 1909 until 1953. From 1927-30 the office was located in the
Straight Block (Wills)
before moving to the Love's home at 6 Mountain Ave. Lewis Crandall took over the service in 1954.
