Although the
New York & Harlem Railroad traversed the Pawling community as early as the late 1840s, the town did not receive a dedicated passenger station until the construction of one by the
New York Central & Hudson River Railroad in 1881. Despite the establishment of a nearby "Wood station" in 1860, the Pawling station became a focal point for the town's development and continued to serve passengers following the village's incorporation in 1893. The station was one of the stops on the Harlem Line for trains such as the
Berkshire Hills Express, offering limited-stop service between New York City and destinations in the
Berkshires region, including
Pittsfield and
North Adams, Massachusetts. In 1950, these direct trains were replaced by shuttle transfers. As with the rest of the Harlem Division, the Pawling station was incorporated into the
Penn Central Railroad (PC), following the 1968 merger of the
New York Central and
Pennsylvania railroads. PC's ongoing financial difficulties throughout the 1970s led to the transfer of its commuter services to the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which continued operations through the formation of
Conrail in 1976. The station's ticket office ceased operations on March 11, 1977. ==Station layout==