05-02-2009, 11:52 AM
Along the Line: By Don Day < for June 07>Stations and depots.
There are very few vestiges left of railroading as it once was that we are allowed to see. Neglect, indifference, progress or the lack of the realization that once something is gone, it’s gone for good, all contribute to this unfortunate circumstance. This is most apparent with the one thing that we have long associated with the railroads, the passenger station. These once were the pride of the railroads and to the communities alike, a hub for travel; the interface with the rest of the world. There was a time that small towns fought for the privilege to have the railroad stop there, and every town along the way had a local station. The larger and more important the town was, the bigger and more ornate the station could be. The anatomy of a station is rather simple, a place for passengers to wait, a ticket counter, an area to get something to eat, someplace to hold freight and baggage and an area for the station master and dispatcher to work. Most frequently, there was an operator’s bay where they could have an unrestricted view of the rails. Lastly is the passenger and freight platform. As passenger service declined and the railroads has fewer and fewer stops, these stations, or depots, became a liability. Some were boarded up, some moved while others were torn down. The few that were left open went into disrepair.
A year ago, we spent a night in the La Posada hotel in Winslow, Arizona. The hotel is the largest of the remaining Harvey House Hotels built along the Santa Fe. It was built in 1929 and was considered a destination for vacationers. The adjacent Santa Fe station was alive with passengers heading to the Grand Canyon or other tourist spots; some were just passing through but stopped for a meal or an overnight rest. By 1957, the hotel closed to guests and the contents auctioned off. Both it and the depot fell victim to neglect. After serving as the operations center for the railroad for the next 20 years, the hotel was abandon and was to be torn down but it was eventually declared a historic site; so in 1997, restoration began and continues today. I hope it will eventually include the railroad depot, which is falling further into disrepair. The building itself is a solid as the day it was built, but that’s all. It is still in use, but the ticket counter is boarded up, two church benches are all there is in the waiting room, windows are broken and doors seem to hang by a thread. It looked like the last time the floors were cleaned is when a stiff wind blew through the open doors. At one time, this was the pride of the Santa Fe; today, it is the shame of our Amtrak system. Then there are those like the one here in Tehachapi, closed but begging for restoration. How long would it go on the way it was before it could not be saved? Fortunately, the effort to restore it is underway, but had it been a priority before this, maybe the restoration effort wouldn’t have been as extensive. Every year that work is delayed, things only deteriorate that much more. Be thankful that some people are trying to be good stewards of the legacy handed to them. It appears in this case, they arrived in time, but I suspect they could use your support to make that a sure thing.
The stations in Tehachapi and Winslow are not unique. Throughout the country, our national treasures are being dismantled and there is little effort to come to their rescue. Once they numbered in the thousands, now there are but a scant few left that are worth saving. They are, for the most part, in the way of progress and cost money to either restore or move to a safe location. Some are even being sacrificed for the sake of entertainment. I know of one station in a remote area that was used in a movie shoot years ago. The water tower was blown up during the shoot, but that footage never made it into the final cut of the picture. Now all that remains is the tower stand and an old decrepit station that will defy restoration even if it presented itself. That cannot be fair, so let’s err on the side of what’s right when it comes to preserving history, we won’t get another shot at this.
FOLLOW UP NOTE ON THIS ARTICLE.
It was mentioned when I wrote this that the depot in Tehachapi was being renovated. Well, renovation was well on its way when llast year it caught fire and burned to the ground. I believe it was kids playing with fireworks that did it in. The building was over 100 years old at the time.
There are very few vestiges left of railroading as it once was that we are allowed to see. Neglect, indifference, progress or the lack of the realization that once something is gone, it’s gone for good, all contribute to this unfortunate circumstance. This is most apparent with the one thing that we have long associated with the railroads, the passenger station. These once were the pride of the railroads and to the communities alike, a hub for travel; the interface with the rest of the world. There was a time that small towns fought for the privilege to have the railroad stop there, and every town along the way had a local station. The larger and more important the town was, the bigger and more ornate the station could be. The anatomy of a station is rather simple, a place for passengers to wait, a ticket counter, an area to get something to eat, someplace to hold freight and baggage and an area for the station master and dispatcher to work. Most frequently, there was an operator’s bay where they could have an unrestricted view of the rails. Lastly is the passenger and freight platform. As passenger service declined and the railroads has fewer and fewer stops, these stations, or depots, became a liability. Some were boarded up, some moved while others were torn down. The few that were left open went into disrepair.
A year ago, we spent a night in the La Posada hotel in Winslow, Arizona. The hotel is the largest of the remaining Harvey House Hotels built along the Santa Fe. It was built in 1929 and was considered a destination for vacationers. The adjacent Santa Fe station was alive with passengers heading to the Grand Canyon or other tourist spots; some were just passing through but stopped for a meal or an overnight rest. By 1957, the hotel closed to guests and the contents auctioned off. Both it and the depot fell victim to neglect. After serving as the operations center for the railroad for the next 20 years, the hotel was abandon and was to be torn down but it was eventually declared a historic site; so in 1997, restoration began and continues today. I hope it will eventually include the railroad depot, which is falling further into disrepair. The building itself is a solid as the day it was built, but that’s all. It is still in use, but the ticket counter is boarded up, two church benches are all there is in the waiting room, windows are broken and doors seem to hang by a thread. It looked like the last time the floors were cleaned is when a stiff wind blew through the open doors. At one time, this was the pride of the Santa Fe; today, it is the shame of our Amtrak system. Then there are those like the one here in Tehachapi, closed but begging for restoration. How long would it go on the way it was before it could not be saved? Fortunately, the effort to restore it is underway, but had it been a priority before this, maybe the restoration effort wouldn’t have been as extensive. Every year that work is delayed, things only deteriorate that much more. Be thankful that some people are trying to be good stewards of the legacy handed to them. It appears in this case, they arrived in time, but I suspect they could use your support to make that a sure thing.
The stations in Tehachapi and Winslow are not unique. Throughout the country, our national treasures are being dismantled and there is little effort to come to their rescue. Once they numbered in the thousands, now there are but a scant few left that are worth saving. They are, for the most part, in the way of progress and cost money to either restore or move to a safe location. Some are even being sacrificed for the sake of entertainment. I know of one station in a remote area that was used in a movie shoot years ago. The water tower was blown up during the shoot, but that footage never made it into the final cut of the picture. Now all that remains is the tower stand and an old decrepit station that will defy restoration even if it presented itself. That cannot be fair, so let’s err on the side of what’s right when it comes to preserving history, we won’t get another shot at this.
FOLLOW UP NOTE ON THIS ARTICLE.
It was mentioned when I wrote this that the depot in Tehachapi was being renovated. Well, renovation was well on its way when llast year it caught fire and burned to the ground. I believe it was kids playing with fireworks that did it in. The building was over 100 years old at the time.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD