Throughout the forty eight of the states that make up the United States of America, you have big cities, and you have small towns. In the heydays of passengers railroading, many of these cities and small towns were served by the railroad with freight and passenger service. In each of these towns was a train station. As service to the small towns declined, many of those small train stations were abandoned. Some were demolished. Some were spared from demolition. They were made into visitor centers, stores, houses, and then you have those that were made into restaurants.
Welcome to the Tamaqua Station Restaurant in the town of Tamaqua in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The state of Pennsylvania is home to many railroad sites. The Tamaqua Station is among those sites. Built in 1874 by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, it was to be demolished after passenger service ceased just like many other train stations, but an effort was made to save the station, and the effort was successful. When you come to eat at the Tamaqua Station Restaurant, you will be glad that it was spared. With the Reading, Blue Mountain, and Northern Railroad making stops here on its excursions to Jim Thorpe, you can say that it is an active train station again. Along with the restaurant, there are also cabooses, a locomotive, and an old yard tower on display.
Some of you are saying, “This is nice that they saved this train station from being destroyed, but many train stations were spared and made into restaurants. There is nothing special about this station.”
You say that there is nothing special about this train station. What is special about this train station? In its recent release of postage stamps, the United States Postal Service released a set of stamps featuring old train stations. One of those stations was the train station in Tamaqua, the home of the Tamaqua Station Restaurant and a stop on the Reading, Blue Mountain, and Northern Railroad.
Yes, the train station is special as it is the hub of the town. If you are hungry, you can get a great meal here. It is located on U.S. Route 309. It is open from Wednesday to Saturday. Parking is available across the tracks with easy access to the restaurant. You can get more information on the restaurant at http://www.tamaquastation.com/tamaquastationrestaurant.html. Just to let you know, the restaurant has great reviews.
So, if you are in Pennsylvania and come upon the town of Tamaqua, make a trip to the train station. Eat at the Tamaqua Station Restaurant that has many ‘stamps’ of approval.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 