America's coolest train stations?

[zephyr17]

That's a helpful description, thank you.

So, even if where a train stops regularly is just a piece of dirt would that be termed a station as I think I saw something like that in Montana. There was somewhere to park a few cars next to the track but didn't see any form of building, maybe I missed it but don't think so.

The discussion was about Essex MT which has a regular platform but not much else, in the UK we'd call that a station or a halt depending possibly? on the amount of usage

Yes, if the train has a scheduled stop at a location to board and deboard passengers, that would be commonly called a station in North America. Whether there was a large building with ticket and baggage services, or a 10 foot long strip of asphalt beside the track by a dirt road in a forest (thinking Williams Jct here), that's the station. No further qualification or other term required.

 

[Barb Stout]

Okay, I'll bite. My nominee uncool station:

Benson, AZ
http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/benson02.jpg

Used to be the Beaumont, TX slab would have been the hands down winner, but they built a nice depot looking shelter there.

It would definitely be uncool in the summer.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Since they tore down the Old SP Station, Sanderson,TX is my nominee for Worst Station List.

Its basically a decaying strip of Gravel with Zero Facilities.

Taylor, TX is a (Dis) Honorable Mention with its Picnic Table " Station" next to a fairly Nice UP Headquarters Building that used to be the Mopac Station back in Pre-Amtrak days.

 

[Rasputin]

I can't say that I have seen it first hand but isn't Elko pretty bad? Is there any shelter there at all? Aren't there actually two "stations" one for eastbound and one for westbound.

 

[Maglev]

I was going to nominate Connellsville, PA, as a minimal station, since this is how I remember it

But apparently there is a new waiting area, and it looks quite nice:

As far as nice stations go, I haven't heard much mention of San Jose. Although somewhat small, it still has the original waiting area benches (many of the original benches are missing from King Street Station).

 

[trainman74]

The Gandy Dancer restaurant opened in 1969, and the new station was built in 1983. I'm not sure where passengers waited in the meantime.

A little research shows that there was a small waiting room/ticket office in the freight building next to the old station. (Thus, the new station was seen as an improvement because it was bigger.)

 

[dogbert617]

I can't say that I have seen it first hand but isn't Elko pretty bad? Is there any shelter there at all? Aren't there actually two "stations" one for eastbound and one for westbound.

I agree, on Elko, NV being a little eh. Since both platforms are fenced up and only opened once train 5 or 6 arrives, and you have to do a little bit of a walk to a nearby road to switch between platforms so that you aren't waiting on the wrong side of the tracks for your train. Still though from pics I'd seen of other Amtrak stations online, I'd say a few are worse(i.e. Benson, AZ, Sanderson, TX).

Not the worst station I've seen pics of or seen in person from a passing Amtrak station, but Elyria, OH(Lake Shore/Capitol) and Crawfordsville, IN(Cardinal/RIP Hoosier State, and btw I've seen Elyria and Crawfordsville from being inside a passing Amtrak train) have outdated shelters with older seats, which IMO could be updated. Still with how bad Sanderson and Benson look per online pics I've seen of those 2, at least those 2 shelters do have seats inside, and a door that closes up. Along with lights, inside those 2 shelters. And I imagine Elyria and Crawfordsville are the same shelter design, and age.

Buffalo Central Terminal.

Ah yes, that's the name of the former Buffalo station, before Amtrak constructed a new one at Depew. Thanks for refreshing my memory, on its original name.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

http://subwaynut.com/amtrak/

 

[dogbert617]

http://subwaynut.com/amtrak/

I also like this site, a lot for photos on various Amtrak stations throughout the US: http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/stationlist3.htm

I remember once looking at that page on subwaynut, and thought that site wasn't bad. However, I remember the page on trainweb that I linked to, had more Amtrak stations photographed there.

 

[NorthShore]

If we're looking at stations of an earlier era which no longer serve traina, I'd nominate the original grand Indianapolis, which is now a hotel or convention space or something, and Minneapolis, which has offered a very nice tribute to its railroad history.

St. Paul accomplised a very nice renovation, returning the station to railroad use while adding transit, light rail, and bus improvements.

As for smaller stations, I've long been a fan of Lawrence, Kansas. I love the neon and unique style, which I understsnd dates from the Santa Fe era.

Niles, Michigan has some interesting history relating to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

Toledo is cool for its classic art deco design and crazy amount of tracks, an echo to the bygone era of classic rail travel.

Underutilized gems include Kansas City and Cincinnati. Walk outside the gorgeous station in the latter city, see the landscape all around you. It just shouts out, "Welcome to Cincinnati!" Now, that's the sort of statement which tells you that this is the right way to make an entrance.

 

[dogbert617]

If we're looking at stations of an earlier era which no longer serve traina, I'd nominate the original grand Indianapolis, which is now a hotel or convention space or something, and Minneapolis, which has offered a very nice tribute to its railroad history.

St. Paul accomplised a very nice renovation, returning the station to railroad use while adding transit, light rail, and bus improvements.

As for smaller stations, I've long been a fan of Lawrence, Kansas. I love the neon and unique style, which I understsnd dates from the Santa Fe era.

Niles, Michigan has some interesting history relating to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

Toledo is cool for its classic art deco design and crazy amount of tracks, an echo to the bygone era of classic rail travel.

Underutilized gems include Kansas City and Cincinnati. Walk outside the gorgeous station in the latter city, see the landscape all around you. It just shouts out, "Welcome to Cincinnati!" Now, that's the sort of statement which tells you that this is the right way to make an entrance.

Hadn't yet ridden the SW Chief, but I remember noticing in online pics that Lawrence's station had a neon sign that spells out Lawrence. In I think blue letters? I'm sure that station would be cool to see either in person, or from the windows of that train in passing. I think earlier I mentioned Toledo, and yep I always loved its art deco design, and ditto with the fact that I find interesting how many side tracks you see there that sadly are no longer in use for passenger train service. And to a MUCH lesser extent, noticed this for the stations in Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh.

Besides Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, I'd also have to say St. Louis' former station is in the same breath and conversation as these other 3. It's interesting to walk on the former platforms and tracks there, and imagine how once very busy Saint Louis' former Union Station had to have once been like! And of course, seeing the lobby of the St. Louis Union Station(has transitioned from a bunch of various hotel brands, and most recently now it's Curio Collection by Hilton) is a must, as well. I am sure btw that they don't care if you aren't a guest(as I visited the inside no problem a few years ago, despite not staying there and took a bunch of pics of the inside), and just want to admire the beauty of that hotel's lobby briefly.

Not an Amtrak station, but in case I didn't mention it earlier, Beverly Shores on the South Shore Line I definitely need to mention in this thread. That station was beautifully restored and has a nice inside waiting room, a town museum on the side part of that building open for limited hours, and a working neon sign that lights up in red at night and says Beverly Shores(in cursive letters) at night.

 

[Lana J C]

Hello train enthusiasts!

I'm a travel reporter doing a post on America's coolest train stations. Being a (somewhat but not really) train nerd, I know of the country's grandest stations:

Grand Central
Portland Union Staton
LA Union
St Louis Union
Nashville Union
Denver Union
Union DC

But I have a question for everyone - have you ever been in any really cool or unique stations in America? For example, back when I was living overseas I'd travel through small town train stations that were gorgeous. They weren't big, but they had character - some had little outdoor cafes built into them, beautiful planters all around, and old ornately carved wooden buildings that made me feel like I was some 1800's prospector. Do you know of any stations like that in America? I'd love to feature some in my article, thanks!

 

[Twin Star Rocket]

Some of the coolest train stations are no longer served by trains unfortunately.
Here are a few west of the Mississippi:
Douglas AZ (EP&SW)
Tucson AZ (EP&SW)
Tucumcari NM (SP & RI)
Boise ID (UP)
Cheyenne WY (UP)
Oklahoma City (RI & Frisco)
Tulsa OK (Union Depot)
SP depots in the Rio Grande Valley TX : Brownsville, McAllen, Edinburg
San Antonio TX (I&GN/MP)
Galveston TX (Union Depot)
Omaha NE (Union Depot)
Pueblo CO (Union Depot)
Montana has more than a few depots of note (ex-GN, NP, and Milw) in the major towns.
I'll add the art deco T&P depot in Ft. Worth though it is served by Trinity Rail Express
commuter trains.

 

[Notelvis]

I would like to add three to the list of 'really cool' stations and they could all be checked out within a couple of days since they are fairly close together. All are historic. All were lovingly restored by the North Carolina DOT within the last 10-15 years, and all are still active as Amtrak stations. There original charm was retained.

For your consideration, I suggest -

Hamlet, NC
High Point, NC
Rocky Mount, NC

 

[dogbert617]

Some of the coolest train stations are no longer served by trains unfortunately.
Here are a few west of the Mississippi:
Douglas AZ (EP&SW)
Tucson AZ (EP&SW)
Tucumcari NM (SP & RI)
Boise ID (UP)
Cheyenne WY (UP)
Oklahoma City (RI & Frisco)
Tulsa OK (Union Depot)
SP depots in the Rio Grande Valley TX : Brownsville, McAllen, Edinburg
San Antonio TX (I&GN/MP)
Galveston TX (Union Depot)
Omaha NE (Union Depot)
Pueblo CO (Union Depot)
Montana has more than a few depots of note (ex-GN, NP, and Milw) in the major towns.
I'll add the art deco T&P depot in Ft. Worth though it is served by Trinity Rail Express
commuter trains.

Richmond, IN has a former depot that was once used for Amtrak service. But when the train that today is now called the Cardinal was routed onto its current route (Lafayette-Crawfordsville-Indy-Connersville-Cincy, and it still runs through Hamilton but no longer stops there), the Richmond stop ceased to be a functional station. BTW if you ever are doing a road trip through Richmond, IN by that old station and want to take a closer look, Little Sheba's is a great place for lunch. There's also a neat furniture and antiques store (Richmond Furniture Gallery), that's fun to go inside of for a look. I just really wish that Richmond station could be restored to any new purpose(even say an office for some local company), since as I remember it was so depressing to be boarded up.

And on the note of former Amtrak stations when I was looking on Google Street view, it was funny to me how similar the station in Willmar, MN was in design, to the one in Havre, MT. I like how in Fort Benton, MT (between Havre and Great Falls), how that town converted that former station into a town history museum. Miles City, MT has an interesting former station( https://goo.gl/maps/9WGp3KCN1WXzyY6fA , edited 7/11/19) when looking on street view that lasted through 1979 for the now discontinued Amtrak North Coast Hiawatha, and now sadly is boarded up and decaying. I wish some local group could restore that building in Miles City, myself!

Speaking of old train stations, if you ever watch the 1950s movie Appointment With Danger, in one scene in the middle of the movie, you can see how nice the downtown Gary, IN station used to look like. That Gary station still stands today, but of course decades ago sadly stopped being a functional train station. And today is popular with urbexers exploring abandoned buildings there, plus murals have been painted on one side of that building. Also I do have to give credit to a local Gary group, that 2 years ago a nice garden was added in front of that station.

 

[NorthShore]

Some of the coolest train stations are no longer served by trains unfortunately.
Here are a few west of the Mississippi:
Douglas AZ (EP&SW)
Tucson AZ (EP&SW)
Tucumcari NM (SP & RI)
Boise ID (UP)
Cheyenne WY (UP)
Oklahoma City (RI & Frisco)
Tulsa OK (Union Depot)
SP depots in the Rio Grande Valley TX : Brownsville, McAllen, Edinburg
San Antonio TX (I&GN/MP)
Galveston TX (Union Depot)
Omaha NE (Union Depot)
Pueblo CO (Union Depot)
Montana has more than a few depots of note (ex-GN, NP, and Milw) in the major towns.
I'll add the art deco T&P depot in Ft. Worth though it is served by Trinity Rail Express
commuter trains.

Louisville

 

[dogbert617]

Louisville

Nashville still has a great former train station building, that today operates as a hotel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Nashville)

When I looked up Bowling Green, KY's former station(also an Amtrak Floridian/South Wind station stop), it looks like a museum uses that building today. And I see that Historic Railpark and Train Museum uses it, today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Railpark_and_Train_Museum