Will you help us make the Depot look like this again?

We used AI and some old photos to make this rendering.

The old Train Depot on the Corkscrew Rail Trail has its own fundraiser. Our ultimate goal is to restore the Depot so that it can take its rightful spot as a gathering place beside the trail.

This is one of the few remaining train depots on the original Rutland Rail Line, which ran from New York to Vermont up until 1953. One of its branches had a route that ran around the local hills and was nicknamed "The Corkscrew Rail". There used to be train depots all along the line; so many are gone. The one in New Lebanon, NY is still around. It was hidden in the trees for seventy years and is now being brought back to life.

In the past few years, our scrappy group of volunteers has been working to stabilize the depot. In the Fall of 2025 the depot got the first coat of paint it has had in about 50 years, the windows are getting reglazed, lots of carpentry has been done to close up holes. It’s surprisingly stable for an old building that had been forgotten in the woods.

The big projects it needs are a new roof and some foundation stabilization. When those two are taken care of, we can begin working on the inside walls and floors. The beadboard paneling and most of the plaster walls are still in decent shape.

The Corkscrew Rail Trail Association is proud to announce that we have succeeded at two major goals for the depot, thanks to our donors. Our first goal, after receiving the train depot by generous donation, was to pay several years of back taxes on it. Our second goal was to repair holes in the roof that was letting the weather and the elements in. Once again, thanks to our donors, we were able to get enough repair done to the roof so that we can button up the old depot safely until it can be restored. This repair was accomplished in the summer of 2023.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the depot through the original Corkscrew Rail Trail gofundme site. We appreciate your love for the old station so much! The depot is a big restoration project with a long way to go, it needs a fundraiser of it’s own. The original Corkscrew Rail Trail gofundme site continues to be a place where you can make a donation for the expansion of the Corkscrew Rail Trail, running between Stephentown and New Lebanon, NY.

We're also delighted to say that NY State has now declared that the old depot is eligible for National Historic Registry status. This was accomplished through the work of dedicated volunteers. This will help to be a protective step for the building and will also help us to get the necessary grants for its restoration.

If you would like to donate to the next step for the depot, please feel free to do that here!

Many thanks from the Corkscrew Rail Trail Association.