If you were driving along and saw a store where you wanted to stop you could just go there. Automobiles could go up steep winding roads and trains could not. But there are a few negatives to having cars around. People have to supply their own gas and oil, which cost more than a train ticket. And when cars came around, bigger and better roads had to be built.
Cars also make a lot of pollution.
At the turn of the century the most popular form of transportation in Schoharie County was still horse and carriage. For winter travel most people put away their carriage and hooked horses to their sleigh. While they were non-polluting, horses did not transport people as fast as automobiles eventually would. Horses did need to eat and drink but most people could supply the food and water easier and cheaper than gas and oil. . Middleburgh News .