A strange request I know, but for those in the know, what would you consider the best preserved depot interior that you know of? This isn't necessarly a museum exhibit question --- there may one out there that isn't a museum that fits the bill.

In addition, do you know of any particularly good vintage images of agents bays/ waiting rooms? Ultimately, I'd also like to find some period small town depot interior shots --- I'm partial to Michigan and Ohio shots, but anything that give a good sense of a typical operators bay and/or the waiting room area. I'm looking for authentic here ---- dust on the desk, dirt in the corner, coat thrown on the back of the chair kind of stuff. Where you can literally hear the telegraph in the background.


TJ Gaffney

My personal favorite is the C. 1965 Norfok & Western station at 143rd st. in Orland Park. It followed a pattern standard pattern for contemporary freight stations across their system - (eg: there is a very similar one now serving as a fish store in Champaign, IL). The waiting room was incorporated into the station, and was adequate for the one-train each way Cannonball commuter service. However, as RTA's 20 year campaign to expand and improve this service has proven quite successful - and its replacement is almost finished.

It has wood benches coated in many layers of paint, as well as fake wood paneling and wood-pattern linoelium akin to that found in a C. 1980 kitchen. However, it is real.

Tom Cornillie

Stwartstown, PA on the Stewartstown Railroad. Never passed out of railroad hands, never changed, updated or modified. Last I saw it a decade ago it was exactly what you are looking for.

It may have suffered water damage since, though I never heard a report from anyone who had personally seen what or how much.

Phil Hastings.

Who has his collection - Mid-Continent? Or contact Kalmbach.

JAC

I went to my personal library and found five books on railroad stations.
1) Down at the Depot, by E.P. Alexander
2) The Country Railroad Station in America, by Roger Grant and Charles Bohi
3) New England Country Depots, by Ed Lewis
4) Country Depots in the Connecticut Hills, by Robert Lord
5) Reading's Victorian Stations, by Ed Lewis

A quick flip-thru of the pages of the first four books listed above revealed no period interior shots of the smaller stations. I guess the early-day cameras of the common folk were not suited to interior shots and the exterior shots seemed to be for company record purposes most likely.

However, Ed lewis' book on the Reading's victorian stations had about a half-dozen nice photos of Reading RR period station interiors

Thanks!

Neither, it is at the Calfirnia State Railroad Museum. From the Museum's website comes the following information:


California State Railroad Museum

CSRM Library

Though not "perfectly" preserved, the Orbisonia/Rockhill Furnace depot of the East Broad Top deserves examination. I suspect it could be perfectly back-dated with original details in only an hour or three. Anyone look at the Robertsdale EBT depot, which is now (as I understand it) under Friends of the EBT control/ownership? Probably another time capsule, albeit tiny.......

I second Stewartstown, although the water damage is probably getting far worse as of late.

Muddy Creek Forks, Pa. has a joint Ma & Pa station and general store, which when acquired by the Ma & Pa Preservation Society was intact but fairly empty; the MPA group has back-dated it considerably with as much authentic material as possible, but it's still a ticket-selling general store and not your stereotypical depot/station.

Unfortunately not, or not yet. Robertsdale was converted into a convenience store between railroad use and the FEBT lease. FEBT restoration has reversed most of the serious structural changes, but it is nevertheless still far from a time capsule inside.

I agree with Sandy, though, Orbisonia is good too--nearly as good as Stewartstown.

Thanks.

TJ, if you have access to a copy of "The Mohawk That Refused To Abdicate" or the L&RP issue (one of the first, if not the very first) that featured "OS Bradford," take a look and see if Hastings' work fits your needs. He really had an eye for interior shots.

And of course, there is Winston Link's work - he has several fine interior views, though I don't know if any of them are sold as prints/posters.

JAC

Have you looked ouside of the US? I wouldn't be surprised if there may be something in rural Canada that has escaped a lot of attention.

dave

Interesting thread.

Locally, the old Southern Railway depot in Scottsboro, AL, has remained largely untouched since it was bought by the city for preservation years ago. Other than putting a new roof on the building, it has yet to undergo restoration or "adaptive reuse", although I think train crews were not kind to the interior after the agency was abolished.

EBT is a good choice and obvious favorite. Even better is the railroad's office on the second floor, which unfortunately is not accessible by the public.

If I remember correctly, TVRM has a replica agent/operator's bay at the Grand Junction depot; strictly a display as tickets are sold out of the gift shop.

Mid-Continent goes out of their way to preserve the historic ambience of their depot. And by the way, my thanks and gratitude to the those folks for their hospitality when I visited last month.

The Camp 5 Museum's ex-Soo depot in Laona, WI, also had a heavy dose of old time atmosphere.

Although I haven't been inside for years, I suspect the Knox & Kane's Marienville, PA, depot is not significantly altered from its B&O days. The K&K used it as a ticket office and waiting room until ceasing excursions.

Stewartstown sounds like a good nomination, not unlike the Middletown & New Jersey's depot/office in Middletown, NY, which was one of those time capsules that held every piece of paper and obsolete tariff that the company ever possessed. Unfortunately it has been cleaned out recently following the railroad's sale to new owners.

Alan Maples

Bradley Woodworks (disclaimer: in which I have no vested/financial interest) has a website that has several "vintage" depot interior photos. Looks like they make a nice replica clock, too!

http://www.bradleywoodworks.com/#Top

sc 'doc' lewis