Hello All

Depressing news here. The former D&H station in Olyphant PA along the Delaware-Lackawanna RR was demolished sometime late last week. The simple, but decent size wood frame structure had long been a part of the "Brick City" home improvement yard.

What is especially sad about this is that Brick City offered the station for free to the City of Olyphant a few years ago, as long as the city could move it somewhere. I guess no suitable location was ever found for it.

Its really ironic, as there is going to me more passenger activity (Steamtown) along this line this summer since the D&H discontinued passenger service.

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

Dave,

Didn't Olyphant recently build a new "boarding platform" along the ex D&H?

How is the O&W depot in town doing? Last I saw it, it was a laundrymat I think.

Rob

> Hello All

> Depressing news here. The former D&H
> station in Olyphant PA along the
> Delaware-Lackawanna RR was demolished
> sometime late last week. The simple, but
> decent size wood frame structure had long
> been a part of the "Brick City"
> home improvement yard.

> What is especially sad about this is that
> Brick City offered the station for free to
> the City of Olyphant a few years ago, as
> long as the city could move it somewhere. I
> guess no suitable location was ever found
> for it.

> Its really ironic, as there is going to me
> more passenger activity (Steamtown) along
> this line this summer since the D&H
> discontinued passenger service.

> Dave Crosby


rdavis@rypn.org

Hello Rob

Yes the O&W station is doing just fine, as is the D&H freight house in Dickson City. Its funny, I was just up that way taking pictures of the remaining stations a few weeks ago. Goes to show you never can tell.

The small loading depot closer to town was one of several built along the line a few years ago (others are in Carbondale, Archbald and Jessup). I guess they were designed by someone who had their own ideas on what a depot should look like, because they look like nothing I've ever seen before.

Dave Crosby



bing@epix.net

> The small loading depot closer to town was
> one of several built along the line a few
> years ago (others are in Carbondale,
> Archbald and Jessup). I guess they were
> designed by someone who had their own ideas
> on what a depot should look like, because
> they look like nothing I've ever seen
> before.

If I can shed some light... In 1995, when the Springwood Group was hired by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority to develop train platforms for Olyphant and C-dale, Jim Kane presented a number of ideas of what they would look like. The public meetings had some positive and negative reaction, until the present platform idea came about. In frustration, when Tim McGrath called me asking about a certain Olyphant citizen, I asked why they didn't move Brick City's building to the location now occupied by the platform. He said federal and state regulations prevented the movement, since it would no longer be considered "historic" and not eligible for grants for improvements such as handicapped access and roof repairs if ever needed. That's why they went with the platform and ticket booth design, completed in 1996. Since Olyphant is in the center of town, it is well maintained, whereas Carbondale's station is not so obvious, it has been vandalized and spruced up only to be vandalized again. The same design is used in Archbald, and Mount Pocono. I don't know where Jessup got its desgn from.