PORT JERVIS, N.Y. — The City of Port Jervis has initiated conversations with TOYX regarding a direct lease of the former Erie Railroad turntable site near downtown, according to a statement posted on the TOYX Facebook page. In December 2025, the City terminated the TOYX lease agreement instructing the non-profit group to vacate the 8.67-acre city-owned site by July 26, 2026.
“We are optimistic that a mutually beneficial agreement will be reached to continue and expand TOYX’s ongoing preservation and interpretation of this City-owned historic site, as well as provide a public space for residents and visitors to experience TOYX’s own railcars and artifacts that are so critical to the City’s heritage,” TOYX said in the Jan. 23, statement.
When the TOYX lease was terminated, the City indicated it was applying for a New York State brownfield remediation grant to clean up and then redevelop the turntable site. During the Dec. 8, 2025 city council meeting, Port Jarvis Mayor Dominic Cicalese stated the City has no plans to dismantle the turntable, sell the property, or redevelop it for another purpose.
“The historic turntable is not being demolished, the land is not being sold, and there is no development going on that land,” Cicalese said. “Those artifacts are staying here, and they need to stay here. … Outside of that, there is nothing much more I can say and there is nothing much more the public can hear on this …”
The current lease negotiations are directly between the City of Port Jervis and TOYX. The previous TOYX lease was a “service-based sublease” according to TOYX President Rudy Garbely.
“[We] have a service-based sublease,” Garbely said in an interview with the Pike County Courier. “The city owns the site and leases it to the Outdoor Club of Port Jervis, which is responsible for maintenance of the property, grounds, and turntable. The Outdoor Club then subleases all of the tracks to TOYX …” The Outdoor Club, Garbely indicated, was having second thoughts about its involvement with the turntable site as it was beyond the scope of its mission of providing stewardship for local hiking and biking trails.
The railroad came to Port Jervis in the early 1850s. The original line — the New York & Erie Railroad — was built to a 6-foot gauge. The first passenger train rolled into the city on May 14, 1851. By 1854, the New York & Erie built its first turntable and roundhouse in Port Jervis. The current turntable, installed by successor Erie Railroad between 1927 and 1928, measures 115 feet. It was used by Conrail until 1987 and restored in 1996.
TOYX indicates it will post additional information regarding the lease negotiations on its Facebook page. For more information on TOYX, please visit its website.
