After 2 previous attempts to start a railroad on Staten Island decades before, our first train began service in April of 1860. The line ran between Vanderbilt’s Landing, where the Commodore (Cornelius Vanderbilt) had his ferry service operating for some years before, and Eltingville. The original line was 7 1/2 miles long.
As it was adjacent to the ferry slips, the station was originally called Vanderbilt’s Landing but was later renamed to the town proper: Clifton. The name Clifton dates back to 1817.
When grade crossings were eliminated on the railroad, the original train station was demolished in favor of a more…”industrial”, elevated structure.
That old station certainly had style…(sigh)
