Railroad Stations

This photograph shows a passenger train leaving the La Grande Station about 1896. The station served as the main passenger terminal for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in Los Angeles, California, until the 1930s.

In the late nineteenth century, railroads brought tourists escaping the bustle of New York City to popular destinations in the Catskill Mountains. This Detroit Publishing Company photograph shows a conductor, engineers, and waiting passengers at Haines Corners Station. Now named Haines Falls, the town was a busy junction conveniently positioned near lodging and several natural attractions.

The arrival of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad transformed the Pocono Mountains from a secluded wilderness into a scenic vacation destination. Once New Yorkers and Philadelphians found they could easily make the trip there in about two hours, Mount Pocono became the site of numerous boarding houses, hotels, and resorts. This train station was constructed in 1886.

From 1895 to 1924, the Detroit Publishing Company was one of the world's major image publishers. It had a wide-ranging stock of original photographs, including this image of the Northern Pacific Railway's depot at Gardiner, Montana. Gardiner was a gateway to Yellowstone Park. From the railroad station, workers assisted visiting tourists through the park's north entrance.

Boston's North Station, opened in 1893, served commuter and long-distance trains entering the city from the north and west. The building is a hub of activity in this photo with electric streetcars, horse-drawn wagons and people all moving near it. The station was replaced with a new structure in 1927.

Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway passenger trains sit at Petoskey's suburban station in this photograph. The short suburban trains accommodated tourists during the busy summer season. These trains made frequent daily trips between Petoskey and the resort communities of Harbor Springs or Alanson to the north, and Walloon Lake to the south.

From 1895 to 1924, the Detroit Publishing Company was one of the major image publishers in the world. It had a wide-ranging stock of original photographs. Here, the driver of a Packard automobile has left his duster on the seat and gone -- perhaps to meet the train, or to send a telegram or make a telephone call from the station.

Men and women rush up the stairs at the Illinois Central Railroad Station in Chicago, Illinois. This photograph was taken about 1896.

Cheyenne's Union Pacific depot is a city landmark. Built in 1886, the Richardson Romanesque building was renovated in 1922 and redecorated in 1929. When the railroad moved out in 1990, Union Pacific transferred the depot to the city. After further renovations from 2001-2006, the depot became a museum and community center.

Washington's Union Station was opened by the Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroads in 1907. The monumental building -- well suited to a city of monuments -- was part of a larger project to beautify the nation's capital in the early 1900s. Removal of the Pennsylvania Railroad's previous station, located directly on the National Mall, was a major component of the plan.

In 1913, the Michigan Central Railroad moved its Detroit operations to a new facility on the city's west side. The $2.5 million complex included a grand Beaux-Arts station, inspired by ancient Roman baths, and an adjoining 18-story office tower. Following World War II, the station's fortunes declined in tandem with those of the passenger train. It hosted its last train in 1988.

The railroad station always drew a crowd, making it the perfect place for a lunch wagon operator to set up shop -- especially if the depot had no lunch counter or restaurant of its own. This wagon is ready to serve hungry passengers at the Boston & Maine Railroad's depot in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

This photo illustrates transportation's changing face as a Model T waits for a passenger train. The train, consisting of a baggage and express car and a single coach, probably provided local service, stopping at every station along the way to handle passengers and packages. Local trains were the first to be eliminated as passengers turned to automobiles for short trips.