Oh, I don't know. There's lots of towns across the US that only came to be because it was a water stop. And in those towns the tracks still exist and the people living there commute to work.
The little town I grew up in had a trainyard and that's why it existed. The yard is gone but there's still active train lines going through town.
What's happened is the US judicial system has decided that if you make a fireman or policeman legally liable, then everyone has to be. Meaning if you see that your neighbor is in an emergency situation, it's not enough to call 911, you have to respond and can be found liable, if emergency responders are.
It's stupid.