Historic Pennsylvania train station destroyed in fire. Now with "News Video"

That's an old P&LE station, too,  man, that stinks. Beaver County Fire Chief investigating as an arson......

www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/abandoned-train-station-set-on-fire-in-beaver-falls

That's sad and pathetic. Why would someone do that?

Not surprised, it was isolated and overgrown. I have a few photos of it but wanted more but didn't get them. The P&LE  built pretty stations. Sad to me because I think my father caught his train home to Pittsburgh to see his girlfriend(my Mother) when he attended Geneva.

Blue bridge is Rt. 588 across the Beaver River.  Straight ahead of the fire is 7th Ave Beaver Falls, main street, right end of the bridge.  Property adjoining and to the right belongs to Geneva College.  The station was privately owned.

Railroad tracks pictured are CSX. 

P&LE ran commuter service daily to Pittsburgh from here through the late 1980's  

A post card from 1914........

Source:  (Click here)

Gary

At one time there was a nice little partial round house, turn table and yard at College Station. You look at the picture of the PRR station and at the  spot today and it is hard to imagine the station in that small space. Fortunately the Beaver  P&LE passenger and freight station have been saved.

Stockton, Cal. lost its x-Western Pacific depot the same day. The responding firefighters had to rescue 2 squatters from inside the vacant building.

Here is a picture of that Western Pacific Station lost June 19th. Don

Very sad...............

I remember crossing that blue bridge many many times, going from one set of Grandparents to North Sewickley Twp to visit my other Grandparents. And looking down on the station, listening to Dad telling me about train watching when he was a boy with his Grandfather during WWll.

If it's worth saving, it's worth protecting with a fire alarm.

Arthur P. Bloom

Fire Marshal, Town of Shelter Island

Terrible! If it's not being closed down it's something like this that happens. Sad day

How convenient. Just like when we tried to save the station at Jefferson Barracks. UP wanted it gone, we tried to put it on the Historical Register, so someone put a stolen truck through it. It was beyond saving.

This is short news video:  play time, 39 seconds.

Historic Pennsylvania train station destroyed in fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsa1MVPA2O8

Source: Fox News on YouTube

Gary

The newscaster is so busy telling us about the fence, that she says "a historic train was burned down".  This is very sad news.  BF was also an area with family ties and my first fishing trip for me; it still looks like a beautiful area,in the aerial photo.

TRRR

The station was in total disarray.  From the "before" images I saw it wasn't worth saving. 

TRRR- I have spent a lot of time over the years in Beaver Falls and, like a lot of these old towns, have seen better days.  Off main street there are still some incredible old houses, a bunch of ratty old brick ones and the picturesque and historic Beaver River.  PLUS TWO, yes two major main lines going through town.  I miss it.

"Property adjoining and to the right belongs to Geneva College.  The station was privately owned"

I would be absolutely livid if someone burnt my station down!

Chief Mark Stove, Beaver Falls Fire Department has declared fire arson.

Source: NBC News: Pittsburgh, Pensilvania & AP, Associated Press

June 21, 2017 / We can not allow criminals to decide, witch structures stay or come down. It is up to the land owners, not arsonist. This was criminal. 

Gary

Joe Namath was from Beaver Falls.

my Aunt Nancy went to high school with him and dated him.

jim sutter posted:

Joe Namath was from Beaver Falls.

Yes: Joe Namath, was from Beaver Falls.  He was a  NFL Legend.  He would not support arson in his home town.

Gary

trainroomgary posted:

Chief Mark Stove, Beaver Falls Fire Department has declared fire arson.

Source: NBC News: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, & AP, Associated Press

June 21, 2017 / We can not allow criminals to decide, witch structures stay or come down. It is up to the land owners, not arsonist. This was criminal. 

Gary

Fixed that for you. 

Its unfortunate that it was arson but we seem to hold on to old buildings until they become a total eye sore or a danger to the public. This building was a hazard. While it's a shame to have it destroyed if it wasn't serving a purpose and was neglected perhaps it was for the best. I'd be more upset if the owner was making an effort to restore it. Clearly they could care less. 

I would of loved to see a serious owner refurbish it. 

I was working Rochester, PA today, just down the Beaver River a couple of towns.  Some roof photos from the old Rochester Kaufman's building, part of the upper level will be the new VA clinic.  Lower level is a larger grocery store.   All these communities are old mill towns, showing a lot of wear and tear.  The large Railroad bridge across the Ohio River is over 100 years old, yet still carries  CSX mainlines to the area pictured in the fire.  

As these old old communities change you see other heart breaking things.  St Mary's Church razed, Beaver Falls.

St. Agatha. Ellwood City, PA was also razed.   Many more churches, western PA, have gone.

The mills and factories went first.

Mike CT posted:

 

Nice pics of the old P&LE bridge in the background.  More in the foreground is the former PRR bridges spanning the Beaver River,  (that look like a pair of lionel 6-2122 extension bridges ) Now NS owned.

I've run NKP 765 across both of those bridges...several times!

OGR Webmaster posted:

I've run NKP 765 across both of those bridges...several times!

That's awesome Rich, I'm jealous.

 Did you ever run a P&LE freight across the big bridge?

OGR Webmaster posted:

I've run NKP 765 across both of those bridges...several times!

This is just north of those bridges in New Brighton, Pennsylvania along 2nd Avenue.

There is new life to the Valley.  The Shell Oil Ethane cracker plant is down the Ohio River a few miles from these pictures.  One of at least three cracker plants in the Pittsburgh area.   Hopefully by the end of summer I can get a few pictures of one of the largest industrial construction projects I've seen. 

MartyE posted:

trainroomgary posted:

Chief Mark Stove, Beaver Falls Fire Department has declared fire arson.

Source: NBC News: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, & AP, Associated Press

June 21, 2017 / We can not allow criminals to decide, witch structures stay or come down. It is up to the land owners, not arsonist. This was criminal. 

Gary

Fixed that for you. 

Its unfortunate that it was arson but we seem to hold on to old buildings until they become a total eye sore or a danger to the public. This building was a hazard. While it's a shame to have it destroyed if it wasn't serving a purpose and was neglected perhaps it was for the best. I'd be more upset if the owner was making an effort to restore it. Clearly they could care less. 

I would of loved to see a serious owner refurbish it. 

The Beaver Falls community has seen several arson fires.  With a lot of vacant buildings, the problem seems to have multiplied.  I thought the arrest of an arsonist last fall was the end of the most recent problem, but apparently not.   Even up town and further out rural communities have experienced this problem.  

Yes, I know the station.  I've been through nearby Beaver Falls many times.  So sad it is gone.  Thank you everyone for the photos and videos!!

OGR Webmaster posted:

I've run NKP 765 across both of those bridges...several times!

and I got to see you do that once, a thing of beauty