Tag: old-train-station

The Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven, Kentucky

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Kentucky is a state known as the Bluegrass State.  Many people know about Kentucky Fried Chicken which was started by a man named Harland Sanders, commonly known as Colonel Sanders, even though he started in a restaurant in the state, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken was opened in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The state is known for its horses, and it has the continuously running sporting event in the world, the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, which is a horse race that is the first race of the Triple Crown.  The state is known for its bourbon, of which there are plenty of bourbon distilleries in the state mainly around the Frankfort and Lexington areas.  You may have heard of My Old Kentucky Home.  It is a real house in Bardstown.  In the city of Bowling Green, you will find the National Corvette Hall of Fame.  Along with Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is run, the city of Louisville is known for the Louisville Slugger bat factory where many baseball bats are made and sold, and you can tour the factory and buy a bat of your own.  You have Mammoth Cave, the largest known cave system in the world.  Very few people think of the railroads in Kentucky as there of plenty of great railroad sites in the state.

Welcome to the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven, Kentucky.  Although the original museum was founded in 1954, it has been at it current site since 1990 after the land was donated by locals to be used as the site of the museum.

As you enter the museum parking lot, you are greeted by Locomotive Number 11 from the Louisville Cement Company.  You park your car, and you notice a wooden boxcar next to the old train station.  What is this boxcar?  It is known as a Merci Car and it one of fifty wooden boxcars that were sent to different areas of the United States of America by France as a thank you to the U.S. for protecting the nation of France from being taken over by Nazi Germany during World War II.  The Kentucky Railway Museum was one of the fortunate recipients of one of these cars.

Now it is time to go inside.  You enter the gift shop which is located in the ticket master’s office.  You see the telephone, the telegraph machine used to send Morris code, and you get a view that the ticket master had of the trains even though it is much different today that the original view.

You then go into the big room.  What is in the big room?  Of course, you have railroad artifacts.  You have an HO model train display.  You have many models of locomotives and passengers cars on the wall.  You have model locomotives enclosed in glass.

The model trains and artifacts are nice, but you want to see big trains.  Time to go outside.

Locomotive Number 770 from the Nashville and Louisville Railroad is the first thing you see as you approach the train shed covering a row of cars.  Many of these cars to include passenger cars were used on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.  If you are fortunate enough, the museum does have train rides.

The Kentucky Railway Museum is located 136 South Main Street (U.S. Route 31E) in New Haven, Kentucky.  Hours vary by the time of the year.  Parking is on site.  The great news is that the museum and the train is wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information about the history of the museum, admission, train rides, and hours at https://www.kyrail.org/.

The Kentucky Railway Museum is one great museum to visit.  You can almost say that it is one of the state’s great treasures.

The Hagerstown Police Department, Hagerstown, Maryland

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Maryland is one of the original thirteen states.  It was in this state where the National Anthem of the United States of America was written near Fort McHenry.  The oldest Catholic Church is in this state.  The oldest continuously operating airport in the world, College Park Airport, in located in the state.  The capitol building in Annapolis is the only capitol building in the nation where the capitol dome is completely made with wood.  It is where you will find the largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, in the nation.  As for the railroad, the first railroad began in Maryland, and you can still ride the first mile and a half of railroad at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore.  The oldest railroad bridge in the nation as well as the oldest railroad aqueduct in the nation are in the state and still used today by the Chessie Seaboard System (CSX).  The oldest surviving train station in the nation is in Ellicott City and is open as a museum.

Then you have the city of Hagerstown.  Located in the western region of the state, it is a city that is at a crossroads.  The National Road (present day U.S. Route 40) passes through here as well as U.S. Route 11, and it is where Interstates 70 and 81 meet.  In the city of Hagerstown, you have the Hagerstown Police Department.  What is special about the Hagerstown Police Department?  Well, it is like any other police department in the nation, but they do have one exception.  What is special about the Hagerstown Police Department?  We must look to their headquarters.  Yes, some cities have a fancy elaborate headquarters for their police, but Hagerstown is different.  How?  It was not always the headquarters of the Hagerstown Police Department.

Before it was the Hagerstown Police Department Headquarters, it was a train station for the Western Maryland Railway.  The structure you see today was not the original train station for Hagerstown.  The current structure was built on the site of the original train station.  When passenger serviced ceased to Hagerstown, the building was spared and bought by the city of Hagerstown and became the headquarters of the police department.

The Hagerstown Police Department Headquarters is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 40.  Along with the station, there are a few monuments to the police and to the railroad on the grounds.

The Mansfield Historical Society and Museum, Mansfield, Missouri

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Missouri is located in the heartland of the United States of America.  It is a state that has so much to offer.  You have the city of Saint Louis, nicknamed the ‘Gateway of the West’.  It is famous for the Gateway Arch, a huge arch that rises over the city that is located on the Mississippi River just south of where the Missouri River flows into it.  The Saint Louis Cardinals, the city’s professional baseball team, is the second most championed team in Major League Baseball.  (The New York Yankees are number one.)  On the opposite side of the state is Kansas City that is mostly in Missouri with sections in the U.S. state of Kansas.  The city is known for being a city of fountains having more fountains that any other city in the nation, and it has been known for its barbeque, but it has been most famous for the Kansas City Chiefs, an American football team that is part of the National Football League.  The state has its small towns.  The most famous small town in the state is Hannibal.  What is famous about Hannibal?  No, it is not named after the famous criminal Hannibal Lector.  It is where the famous author Samuel Clemens, famously known as Mark Twain, grew up, and his famous stories, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was based.  You have Branson, a city kind of known as the Las Vegas of theme parks.  (In case you are wondering, Las Vegas, Nevada is famous for its numerous casinos.)  Then you have the town of Mansfield.

What is special about the small town of Mansfield, Missouri?  As you visit the town of Mansfield, Missouri, it may appear to be an average American town.  It was the home of baseball pitcher Carl Mays, and it was also the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author who gave us Little House on the Prairie which was made into a television series, and her home is open for tours and she is also buried in a cemetery in town.  As you go to the center of the town, it may not appear to be much, but the town was much different in its heyday.

Welcome to the Mansfield Historical Society and Museum.  As you approach the museum, which is also the tourist information center, you will see that it looks like a train station.  Well, it is a replica train station built on the site of the original train station which was demolished.  There is also an old passenger car on the site.

Today, only the main railroad line passes through the town, but the town was once the site of a railroad yard.  The Ava Southern Railroad, a short line railroad, went south to the town of Ava.

You go inside the museum.  Of course, the museum is about the history of Mansfield Missouri, and the different displays are about the life in the town to include the lives of Carl Mays and Laura Ingalls Wilder.  During here time in Mansfield, Laura Ingalls Wilder made much use of the railroad and the train station as she use the railroad to brings many of her goods to the town.  As you look through the exhibits, you will see a photo of Laura Ingalls Wilder attending an event with the driving of the last spike of the Kansas City Ozark and Southern Railroad which later was known as the Ava Southern Railroad.

Mansfield Historical Society and Museum is located at 101 W. North Street in Mansfield, Missouri, one block south of U.S. Business Route 60.  It is open from 10:00am to 3:00pm Monday through Saturday.  (It is closed on Sunday and from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.)  Parking is on site.  Admission is free, but they do take donations.  The museum is on one floor in two different rooms that are wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information about the museum and read more into the historical society at https://mansfieldhistoricalmuseum.com/.

The state of Missouri is nicknamed the ‘Show Me State’.  Allow them to show you the small town of Mansfield.

The White Oak Rail Trail, Oak Hill, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

In the heyday of America railroading, the railroad connected the small towns with the major cities.  As many railroad lines were no longer used, many of the railroad tracks and the railroad ties were taken up while some rails and ties were left to decay.  Some of the railroad beds were left to erode over time while some were covered into rail trails.  (A rail trail is a trail designed on an old railroad bed to be used for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or just plain walking.)  Many of the trails are paved while some remain dirt or have gravel.

In the U.S. state of West Virginia in the metropolitan region of Beckley, you will find the town of Oak Hill.  The town is not very famous although it is said the country music singer Hank Williams may have died at a gas station in this town while on route from Bristol, Virginia to Canton, Ohio.  (The story has not been confirmed.)  The only thing most people know about Oak Hill is that most people drive by the town on U.S. Route 19 while traveling from Beckley to the World Famous New River Gorge Bridge which is just north of the town.  One thing that is confirmed is that the town of Oak Hill was served by the railroad.

The White Oak Rail Trail is a rail trail that is slightly under eight miles that passes through the town.  Much of it is paved, but there are portions of the trail that are not paved.  The railroad line was owned by the White Oak Railway, and the rail line was later taken over by the Virginian Railway.  The main center point of the trail is the old train station.

What is special about the old train station?  It is one of the oldest structures in Oak Hill.  It is a passenger and a freight depot.  It was built by the White Oak Railway in 1903, and it was later taken over by the Virginian Railway.  Like many small towns, the railroad was a major contributor to the town’s economy.  The depot was also used by the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.  The train depot remained in service until 1983.  The rail line later became the rail trail it is today.

The train depot is now an art store selling locally made at.  An old railroad line that passes by the old train station is the only reminder of Oak Hill being a railroad town today.

The Oak Hill Train Depot is on the National Register of Historic Places.  It is located at the intersection of Virginia Street and Central Avenue.  The trail goes north from the depot to the community of Summerlee and south to the community of Carlisle.  Much of the trail is wheelchair accessible.

When you think of the New River Gorge region of West Virginia, think of the small town of Oak Hill.  It was once a railroad town, and an old train depot remains.

Heritage Station, Huntington, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of West Virginia is a state full of mountains.  The city of Huntington is a city in the western region of the state and located on the Ohio River and across the river from, of all places, the U.S. state of Ohio.

Some of you are saying, “Yeah!  Too bad that it happens to be a boring city with nothing to do.”

Those who see the city of Huntington, West Virginia as a boring city has obviously never visited the city.  Some of you may have heard of Marshall University which is located in this city.  The university was made famous by the movie We Are Marshall about how the university’s American football team that was tragically killed in a plane crash and, when the university wanted to end the program, the people of the university told them otherwise.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice, but this city is not a railroad city.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, you are wrong again.  One of the founders of the city of Huntington was a man named Collis Potter Huntington.  Yes, it is the same Collis Potter Huntington who had a steam locomotive named for him.  He is considered one of the “Big Four” of western railroad as he was the man who built the Central Pacific Railroad which became a part of the Transcontinental Railroad.  He founded the city to be hub for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.  Another railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, also came here, and they built a passenger train station downtown.

Welcome to the Heritage Station.  What is the Heritage Station?  It was once a passenger train station for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  When passenger service ceased, the old train station remained.  Also called the Heritage Village, not to be confused with the Heritage Village and Farm, a living history museum located south of the city, it houses the Cabell Huntington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and a few shops and restaurants.  One of the shops is called the ‘Red Caboose’, which sells arts and crafts by regional artists.  There are old freight houses and an old bank that is part of the village.  What is special about the bank?  It is said that it was robbed by Jesse James, the famous outlaw.  It was the city’s first bank robbery.

As you approach the Heritage Station, the first thing you will see is not the old train station but a steam locomotive.  The locomotive was first used by a coal mine and then used to haul lumber.  You will also find an old Pullman passenger car and two boxcars.

Need a reason, to visit Huntington, West Virginia?  You actually have many reasons to visit this city.  The Heritage Station is just one of them.

The Heritage Station is located at 210 Eleventh Street at Veterans Memorial Boulevard (U.S. Route 60).  Parking is on site.  You can get more information at https://ghprd.org/index.php/heritage-station.

As mentioned, you have many reasons to visit Huntington, West Virginia.  The Heritage Station is one of many.

Historic Railpark and Museum, Bowling Green, Kentucky

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Kentucky is a state known as the Bluegrass State.  Many people know about Kentucky Fried Chicken which was started by a man named Harland Sanders, commonly known as Colonel Sanders, even though he started in a restaurant in the state, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken was opened in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The state is known for its horses, and it has the continuously running sporting event in the world, the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, which is a horse race that is the first race of the Triple Crown.  The state is known for its bourbon, of which there are plenty of bourbon distilleries in the state mainly around the Frankfort and Lexington areas.  You may have heard of My Old Kentucky Home.  It is a real house in Bardstown.  In the city of Bowling Green, you will find the National Corvette Hall of Fame.  Along with Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is run, the city of Louisville is known for the Louisville Slugger bat factory where many baseball bats are made and sold, and you can tour the factory and buy a bat of your own.  You have Mammoth Cave, the largest known cave system in the world.  Very few people think of the railroads in Kentucky as there of plenty of great railroad sites in the state.

Welcome to the Historic Railpark in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  As you arrive, you will notice that it looks like an old train station.  Well, that is because before it was a museum, it was a train station.  The Louisville and Nashville Railroad built the train station in 1925, and twenty trains served the station each day.  As passenger train service decline, some smaller cities like Bowling Green, Kentucky were no longer served by the passenger train.

Fortunately, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot was not demolished like many other train depots, and it eventually became the home of the Historic Railpark and Museum.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice that the train station was spared and made into a museum.  Too bad that there is not much to see here.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, if you only enjoy museums that do not have much to offer, then the Historic Railpark and Museum is not for you.  What is special about the Historic Railpark and Museum?

As mentioned, you will first notice that it was a train station.  This is just the beginning.  Yes.  It is just the beginning.

Behind the old train station, you will see a train.  No.  It is not a little model train.  It is a full size train.  Located at the original boarding platform, you will see Louisville and Nashville Railroad Locomotive Number 796.  Behind it is Railway Post Office Car Number 1107 also from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.  It is followed by the Duncan Hines Dining Car, the Towering Pine Sleeping Car, and the Presidential Parlor Car.  Yes, you can take a guided tour of this train, but two other cars that are not open to the public is a caboose and one of the few hospital cars on display.  If you are fortunate enough, CSX may treat you with a passing freight train which runs on the same tracks that the Louisville and Nashville Railroad used as the served the station.

If you think that you have seen everything, let us say that you have not seen much yet.  It is now time to go inside.

As you enter the old train station from the old boarding platform, you enter the gift shop.

Some of you are saying, “What are they trying to do?  Are they trying to get us to buy things before we tour the museum?”

It is designed where you enter the gift shop to pay your admission.  The next thing you see the model trains.  Yes, there are a few model trains here.

The waiting rooms, the main hall, and the upstairs are filled with rotating exhibits.  As you look at the ceiling and the walls, you will think that you are in a grand train station and not a museum.

The Historic Railpark and Museum is a great Kentucky treasure.  It is a place when railroad history continues to stand still.

The Historic Railpark and Museum is located at 401 Kentucky Street (U.S. Route 68) in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  The museum is open year round, but the hours and days vary throughout the year.  Parking is on site.  Although the museum is wheelchair accessible, the train is not.  You can read more into the history of the museum, the old train station, how you can help out or donate with the restoration of some of their railroad cars, get information on admission, and get directions at https://www.historicrailpark.com/.

When you think about what is great about the U.S. state of Kentucky, think about the Kentucky Derby.  Think about the Louisville Slugger.  Think about Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Think about that glass of bourbon.  When you visit the Historic Railpark and Museum in Bowling Green, you will have a great railroad site on your mind.

Chatham Railroad Museum, Chatham, Massachusetts

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Massachusetts is one of the New England states that makes up the northeastern region of the United States of America.  The state began as one of the thirteen original British colonies and became a U.S. state when the United States of America won its independence from Great Britain.  It was here at a place called Plymouth Rock on the shore of Cape Cod Bay where the Pilgrims landed after a long voyage from Holland, and it was here where what was called the First Thanksgiving took place.  Even though it was not the actual First Thanksgiving as the actual one happened in the U.S. state of Virginia near the present day city of Richmond, it was the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving that the holiday is modeled after as it involved a feast where as the in Virginia, it was a long prayer of thanking God for surviving a long and dangerous voyage across the ocean.  Massachusetts played a big role in the American Revolution with the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Boston Tea Party, the famous ride of Paul Revere, and ‘the shot heard around the world’ at the Battle at Concord Bridge.  (In case you are wondering, ‘the shot heard around the world’, was not a gunshot that was so loud that it was heard as far away as Antarctica but message that the United States of America was fighting for its independence.)  Along with the American Revolution, the city of Boston, the state capital, is a big sports town.  It is the home of the Boston Celtics, the most championed team in the National Basketball Association and the third most championed team in North American professional sports.  (The Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League is number two and the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball are number one.)  Also, you will find the Basketball Hall of Fame in the city of Springfield.  The state is known for its geography with a long stretch of land known as Cape Cod and its islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, and the state has a few great lighthouses.  In the town of Provincetown at the very end of the Cape Cod peninsula is where the eastern end of U.S. Route 6, a road known as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway which honors American Civil War Veterans and is the longest route in the United States of America, is located.

Yes, the state of Massachusetts is known for many things.  When people think about the state, very few people will think about the railroads.  The railroad sites are commonly overshadowed by its other historic sites.  There is one particular place where the railroad once was.

If you visit the town of Chatham, Massachusetts, you will see a nice, charming town.  Located on the southeast corner of the state, you will get great views of the Atlantic Ocean, on old windmill, a lighthouse that is still active and own by the United States Coast Guard, and an old train station.

Some of you are saying, “Wait a minute.  There is no railroad on Cape Cod.”

Welcome to the Chatham Railroad Museum.

Some of you are saying, “Oh!  I see.  They found an old train station and brought it to this town to make it a museum.”

Actually, you are wrong.  The old train station, built in 1887 in what is called a Railroad Gothic style, is on its original site.  On what was originally the trackside is a wooden caboose from the New York Central System.  The town was the end of the line for the Chatham Railroad Company that ran between the town of Chatham and the town of Harwich.  There was also a railroad yard in Chatham.  As tourism in Chatham grew, so did the railroad.  As the roads on Cape Cod improved, the railroad declined.  Service to Chatham ended in 1937.

Today, very little evidence of the railroad remaining in Cape Cod with very few of the old railroad beds are now rail trails.  As for the old train station, it later became the home of the Chatham Railroad Museum.

Some of you are saying, “Oh yeah, and it has somebody’s old train collection.”

Well, if you had two New York Central System model locomotives that were on display at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, you can say that it is a great collection.  The exhibits display the history of the railroad to Chatham and the stations along the short railroad.

The Chatham Railroad Museum is located at 153 Depot Road in Chatham, Massachusetts, just off of Massachusetts Route 28.  It is open from June to October.  Admission is free, but they can use your donations to keep the museum open.  The museum is staffed by volunteers with no paid staff.  Although the train station is wheelchair accessible, the caboose is not.  You can read more into the history of the Chatham Train Station and get information on hours and directions at https://www.chathamrailroadmuseum.com/.

The U.S. state of Massachusetts is a state full of American history, a state of sports history, a state of natural beauty, historic sites, and an old railroad town called Chatham.  It is a town where you can enjoy a lobster roll with a little railroad history.

The Conway Scenic Railroad, North Conway, New Hampshire

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of New Hampshire is one of the six states that make up the region known as New England.  It is a state that has much natural beauty.  Its most famous site was a rock formation that, when seen from a particular direction, had the shape of an old man.  Sadly, the rock face eroded years ago, but you can still visit the site where the rock face once was.  Then you have the world famous Mount Washington, the highest point in the state and it known to have the world’s worst weather.  Another popular thing in the state happens to be… a train ride.

Welcome to the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America.  Why is it called the Conway Scenic Railroad?  As you drive to the town of North Conway, you will begin to see the answer to the question.  The scenery will amaze you, and you will be amazed as you see it from the seat of a train.

You arrive in the town of North Conway, and it is an impressive small town.  Then you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad, and you are totally amazed.  What is amazing you?  The first thing you see when you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad is the train station.  Yes.  Most train excursions leave from train stations, but the North Conway Train Station was built in 1874.  As you look at the old train station, you may find yourself in a different time.  You enter the ticket office to buy your tickets, and you walk through the small museum that tells the history of the railroad in the region and the gift shop.

The train station is amazing, but you did not come to the town of North Conway, New Hampshire to just see the old train station.  You came here to ride the train.  This is not just any train.  This is the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the nation.

The time has come.  The vintage train pulls into the station, and you board one of the vintage train cars.  From your seat, you are already seeing the beauty of New Hampshire.  The train begins to pull out of the station, and you are shortly out of the town.  You cross over rivers and streams and see fields and mountains to include the world famous Mount Washington.  You ride to the end, and you return to the station.

The Conway Scenic Railroad has numerous excursion routes.  This means that you will need to return again.  After your first train ride, you will want to come back to ride the other excursion trains.

The Conway Scenic Railroad is located in North Conway, New Hampshire at 30 Norcross Circle which is just off of U.S. Route 302 and New Hampshire Route 16.  Parking is on site.  Please note that due to the age of the facility and the trains, they are not wheelchair accessible, but they are happy to assist those with mobility issue in any way they can so that they can enjoy the ride.  Learn more about the excursions, the train schedules, buy tickets, and read more into the railroad at https://www.conwayscenic.com/.

Why is the Conway Scenic Railroad one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America?  The best way to answer this question is to make your way to the small New Hampshire town of North Conway and to ride the train.  Once you ride the train, your question will be answered.

West Virginia Northern Community College, Wheeling, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of West Virginia is a state that was once part of Virginia.  It is known as the Mountain State because the typography of the state is 100% mountains, and it is the only state with that kind of typography.  The state has no major cities although parts of the state are in the Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania metro areas.  It does have a few cities like Charleston, the state capital and largest city, Morgantown, the home of West Virginia University, and Huntington, the home of Marshall University where the movie We Are Marshall featured the tragedy of the university’s football team.  The state has many engineering feats like the New River Gorge Bridge.  What the state is really known for is its coal mines and its natural beauty.  One unpopular place in the state is the city of Wheeling.  Located in the northern panhandle region of the state nestled between the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, the city of Wheeling is located on the Ohio River and is on the National Road (present day U.S. Route 40).  If Wheeling, West Virginia is unpopular, why visit?  While in Wheeling, you can visit the West Virginia Northern Community College.  Located in the Downtown section of the city, West Virginia Northern Community College welcomes students from the region to get an education.  When in Wheeling, make a visit to the West Virginia Northern Community College.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice.  You know.  Wheeling, West Virginia has never been on my list of places to visit.  I either pass through on Interstate 70 or take the Interstate 470 bypass.  With Wheeling not being a railroad city, I will not be visiting Wheeling, and I will not be getting an education here.”

You do have a point.  Why visit the West Virginia Northern Community College?

The state of West Virginia has a lot of history, and it is a state that has many railroad sites and much railroad history.  In Cass, you will find the Cass Scenic Railroad and the Durbin Rocket.  You have the railroad town of Thurmond and Prince.  In Elkins, you have the Cheat Mountain Salamander, the Mountain Explorer, and the Tygart Flyer, and it is the home of the West Virginia Railroad Museum.  In Martinsburg, you have the oldest surviving steel truss roundhouse in the nation.  There are numerous rail trails throughout the state.  When it comes to the city of Wheeling, well, it is not a famous railroad city with many railroad sites.

So why visit Wheeling, West Virginia?

As mentioned, Wheeling, West Virginia is the home of the West Virginia Northern Community College.  What is so special about the West Virginia Northern Community College?  Well, before it was a college, it was a train station.  In the glory days of railroading, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built the terminal in 1907 to give passenger train service to the people of Wheeling, West Virginia and the surrounding region.  The four story brick and limestone train station welcomed passengers to the city as well as sent passengers to other parts of the nation.  Passenger service ceased in 1961.  The train station was remodeled and became the home of the West Virginia Northern Community College.  In 1996, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

West Virginia Northern Community College is located in Downtown Wheeling, West Virginia at the corner of Market Street, 16th Street, and Chapline Street.  Please note that the building is not open to the public but to college students and teachers only.

Next time you come upon the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, think of it as a city where you can see a train station that gives you an education.

The Lincoln Depot, Springfield, Illinois

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Illinois is commonly known as the ‘Land of Lincoln’.  Even though Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States of America, was not born in the state, (born in Kentucky) he spent much of his public life here as a lawyer and a politician.  In Springfield, the state capital of Illinois, you can visit and tour his home that is owned and operated by the National Park Service.  It is also where he is buried along with his wife and son in a tomb in a cemetery on the northwestern area of the city.  He is one of the most honored politicians in U.S. history, but when it comes to the railroad, most people would associate him with the railroad more than any other president.  Without Air Force One, the railroad was the fastest mode of travel in his day.

This brings us to an old train station in the capital city that is known as the Lincoln Depot.  Originally called the Great Western Depot, it was originally built in 1852, and it was repaired in 1857 after a fire destroyed parts of the station.  It was here on February 11, 1861, where Abraham Lincoln made what would be his final speech in the capital city before he departed on a train for another capital city, Washington D.C., to begin his life as the President of the United States of America.

Around 1900, passenger and freight service ceased.  The depot when through many ownerships before it was bought by a local group in 1960 to preserve the depot, and it was eventually made into a museum.  There was another fire in 1968.  (Arson was suspected but not proven.)  The museum was closed in 1977, but it was reopened as a museum in 1980 when a new owner took over.  The museum was closed in 2011, and it was sold again to be a law office, but the lawyer was a descendant of Abraham Lincoln’s law partner.  In 2014, it was a museum again, and it remains a museum today.

Today, the Lincoln Depot in Springfield, Illinois in on the National Register of Historical Places.  The trains that pass by the station are freight trains from the Norfolk Southern Railway.  (Amtrak service is in the center of the city just blocks from the State Capitol.)  It is open Monday to Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm.  Please note that only the first floor is open to the public, and admission is free.  It is also wheelchair accessible.  The museum does not have its own parking.  There is metered parking on the street or you can park at a parking garage.  You can get more information on the depot at https://www.lincolndepot.org/.  On the website, you read Abraham Lincoln’s farewell speech, read more into the history of the train depot including a timeline, and see photos of the depot.

When in Illinois, visit the capital city of Springfield.  Visit an old train depot where the journey of a man on his way to a house called the White House, began.