Skip to main content

Hi all!

I was wondering what everyone's favorite railway stations are!  Post a photo (or more) of the Building, location, and year.  Is the building still standing, or has it met an untimely demise? If you've modeled the structure post a picture of that too!  PLEASE make sure you do not post copyrighted photos from books or online!!!

I'd have to go with the classic architecture of Canadian Northern's Edmonton, Alberta Station.  Built 1905, the structure met its end about 20 or so years after its replacement was completed (in the 50s?).  Its larger"kin" in Dauphin, Manitoba is still standing (and in use) to this day. 

PC012067side building 8 inches wide

Attachments

Images (2)
  • postcard
  • side view
Last edited by OGR CEO-PUBLISHER
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

The Southern Pacific Grand Central in Houston was an art-deco beauty.  It's a shame it was torn down.  I am also partial to the San Antonio Sunset Station which was more Spanish Mission style and also unfortunately torn down.  I did not post pictures due to copyright concerns however both can be searched easily.

The PRR's newest streamline making the final stop in downtown Carlisle, 16 October 1936.  This the former Cumberland Valley RR Station was closed at W. High/N. Pitt streets for a new station on the North end of town N. WEST/W. Penn streets.  The CV station was gone in my life time replaced by a lime stone Exxon station and is now a drab brick business office with parking.2020-05-31 20.55.36

2020-05-31 20.24.172020-05-31 20.53.05

Attachments

Images (3)
  • 2020-05-31 20.24.17
  • 2020-05-31 20.53.05
  • 2020-05-31 20.55.36

Lancaster PA This beautiful station has been restored and renovated and is of a modest size that could be modeled with a few Ameritown parts and a MTH bank. I visit it occasionally and do some train watching when I have business in Lancaster or York.

I like 30th Street in Philadelphia. I was in the First Class lounge waiting for my Silver Service train and took these :

Img_130616152328Img_130616152359Img_130616152500

These lights in the main concourse are almost forty feet long:

Img_131006033819

Img_131006033844

Attachments

Images (5)
  • Img_130616152328
  • Img_130616152359
  • Img_130616152500
  • Img_131006033819
  • Img_131006033844

Santa Susanna, CA.  Southern Pacific RR.

Beautiful old Southern Pacific station opened 1903.  Saved, moved several miles, and renovated at its present location on the (now) UP Coast Line, Santa Susana, CA. 

Last used in revenue service in the 1960s.

(Yes, there are two spellings.)

 

Attachments

Images (1)
  • mceclip0
Last edited by rthomps

San Antonio Station info:

 

MKT/Katy Torn Down.  Mission Style.

MP/IGN Sold to VIA.  Transit agency, not the one in Canada.  Used as a near westside transit center for bus and BRT.

SP Sold to VIA?  Amtrak built a new station between it and the Alamodome. Still in use as an event center, while maintaining the Espee Station feel.  Part of the St. Paul Historical district just east of I37.

The one's I've been in....

Penn Station (just kidding). Wish the old one was still standing.

Grand Central Station

30th Street-Philly

South Station- Boston

Baltimore Penn Station

Union Station- DC

Notice a NE Corridor theme here?

Amtrak- Lorton- leaving for vacation

Amtrak- Sanford- arriving at vacation

Amtrak- Lorton- returning from vacation

Strasburg RR- Ronks Pa.

Too many on the LIRR and NYC Transit to list here. Most are not memorable anyway.....

Bob

The P&LE station in Pittsburgh. From street level it looks like an office building  with a small carriage-half-circle. Walk through the door and you are at the top of these stairs:

                    IMG_4149

Mum and I sitting bottom right. Christmas Eve, 1964. By the time I was riding trains there were no P&LE passenger trains. B&O through trains used this station across the Monongahela River from Downtown because the B&O station in Downtown was all stub tracks so trains had to back in or out. Giant time-suck, that procedure.

 

Another favorite was the UP station in West Yellowstone, Mt:

        DSCN3139

We stepped off one Summer day, 1960, the last year the train ran. Immediately behind the photographer is the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. 

The Conductor came through the train and took Breakfast orders. We stepped off of our Pullman and walked into the Dining Hall adjacent to the station and sat down to breakfast:

         DSCN3140

The train can be seen through those tall windows.

 ON EDIT: Both stations still exist. The P&LE station main concourse is now a restaurant.

Attachments

Images (3)
  • IMG_4149
  • DSCN3139
  • DSCN3140
Last edited by geysergazer

Little Silver, NJ

My home station of sorts when I was a child.   A terrible photo of the station that I took in 1982 with an AGFA all plastic 35mm at age 13.  I was more interested in the E8 at the time.  It was one of the few stone stations on the NY&LB and when I rode the Shore Line in my Youth the station had very limited hours.  Hoping to scratch build it one day.

NJTE8

 

Attachments

Images (1)
  • NJTE8

This station was in severe decline and boarded up during the days I was assigned to Quanah, TX.  It is gratifying to see it restored and used for good purposes.PICT0083

The paved area in the foreground of this next photo indicates where the tracks were located.  Those weeping mulberry trees have been there since the very beginning in 1910.

PICT0090

The next photo shows the station's proximity to the REA building which was tucked between the QA&P and the Ft. Worth & Denver line (foreground).  The FW&D station was located off-camera to the left.  It was a beauty, but BN, Inc. tore it down with no warning to the town.  The bell crossing is Texas highway 6 (looking left to right is northeast toward Eldorado, OK ).  My family traveled this route frequently throughout the years, and it became one of my favorite childhood places...as we crossed the multiple tracks, first looking left to see the QA&P depot which always had a GP7 parked alongside...then looking right to see the FW&D depot and the Frisco connection and looking for whatever might be set out on the various sidings and spurs.

PICT0496

QAP_1

We have lost a lot through these recent years, but we haven't lost everything.

Attachments

Images (4)
  • PICT0083
  • PICT0090
  • PICT0496
  • QAP_1

Lew, your nice night photo of LAUPT brought back some memories.  Notice that there is a sign by the clock which reads PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, bringing back memories of the days when the railroads stayed on Standard Time all year long, and timetables (and this sign) reminded passengers that times at stations during Daylight Savings Time would be one hour earlier than the local time.

A friend and I rode a Pacific Railway Society excursion out of LAUPT in 1959 or '60, going over the Second District to the Orange Show at San Bernardino, and returning via the Third District.  His mom drove us from Fullerton to LAUPT and we had breakfast in the Fred Harvey restaurant.  I'd love to have another helping of those griddle cakes with hard butter and syrup.

My Dad had just purchased a 1950 DeSoto coupe, and we went for a Sunday drive into Los Angeles, stopping at LAUPT, where there was  a Santa Fe Alco A-B-A and an SP Daylight 4-8-4 ready to depart.

Good memories.  Thanks.

Last edited by Number 90

I'd have to say the one I use, Philadelphia's 30th St. Station. We can walk from our house to our local station in 7 minutes. A 30 minute ride lets us off at 30th street. Then it's on to Boston, New Orleans, or Phoenix. We could even take locals to the Philadelphia Airport, but it would take an hour vs. 20 minutes driving.

Attachments

Images (2)
  • download (14)
  • download (11)

Like this thread so much. Stations are some of my favorite railside buildings to research online. The magnificent and quaint each have charming architectural elements and interesting history. I especially like the rural stations. I live in KC and saw its Union Station almost daily as I worked in City Hall 29 years. It is a treasure. So fortunate that it was renovated so we can see the beauty inside and out. One of my colleagues was involved in the Santa Fe Historical society and lived in KC during the steam era would invite friends for excursions around KC railroad points of interest and we would sometimes lunch at Union Station and tour the building and discover so many interesting things.

 

@Prr7688 posted:

I love looking at old station in Pennsylvania through this site, it's a (almost fully) complete database of all passenger and freight stations in the state. My personal favorite is Wallingford, Pa which is believed to have been designed by Frank Furness. 

This is a great site. I have spent hours looking through the inventory. I would like to model the McClure station in Snyder County. Do you think there is a copyright problem if I do that if I just base it from the photo? I estimate the exterior board width to be about 10 inches. Your thoughts invited.

Last edited by pennsynut

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Ste 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×