Then and Now...

[e-paw]

I felt that this would be a good idea for new photo thread..It's a spot to show the changing times in railroading.. The idea is to post a picture of a railroad or rail related theme ( structure, loco, industry, or something of that has something to do with the hobby ) as it once was and how it is at present times. A short explanation of what has changed about it would be helpful to those of us not familiar with the subject. One picture can be a link from another source ( not all of us were around for the then picture ) but at least one of them should be from your own camera. I Idea is to get people out and explore the prototypes of our hobby.

I will start off with this one.
It's a pic of the CNJ's Broad street station In Newark, new Jersey. In this pic it is still in use, by not only the CNJ, but the Reading and the B&O also.

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Here it is today....


The RDG and B&O sign has been removed along with the Crr of NJ logo from when the Central was controlled by the Reading, and replaced with the companies independent name. The building is now no longer a station and will serve as an entrance to the Prudential center arena located behind the property. The new arena stands on top of where the yard and station tracks were. The Broad st station is now registered as a national historic site and protected by this status.

[ezdays]

Geeze, what memories these photos of this station brings back. I remember this station from back when I was a kid. I don't know if I ever took a train from there, but I used to go in and play a mechanical baseball game they had in the lobby. There were no video games back then, but this one had metal players that moved around and a ball that you could hit with a bat by pressing a button. For a couple of pennies you could play the game until you got three outs. In my mind, the station was a lot larger than it looks now, that's I guess, because I was a lot smaller back then.

Anyway, this is an interesting idea for a photo challenge, just everyone remember that the safest way to post "then" photos without violating copyrights is to post a link to the old photo if you find it on the Internet and give credit for the photo where credit is due.

[Running Bear]

I used to go in and play a mechanical baseball game they had in the lobby. There were no video games back then, but this one had metal players that moved around and a ball that you could hit with a bat by pressing a button.

Never been to that station or New Jersey for that matter but I remember playing a game just like that on when I was overseas. Video games were coming in then but had very bad graphics.

[ChuckC]

Lets try this: Grand Trunk & Western Brush St Station and Detroit Yard in the middle 1950's. Once a major passenger hub for GT&W and also a major hub yard for the thriving industries in a once hopping industry town. The Bing photo shows the site outlined in black which is now GM World HQ and a so called modern city depleted of it's industries with the down turn and loss of manufacturing to the auto industry as well as other businesses, such as meat packers, produce packers, steel, coal, cement, grain, the list goes on. Being born in Detroit and living in the area for 68 years, the demise of the railroad has almost left Detroit an industrial ghost town
    (Public domain photo from Wayne State Univ files) hope thats what I need to do.
    Photo shopped from Bing mapping

The large white building sitting behind the passenger station was the International flour Mill AKA Robin Hood Flour at one time. Grain came in by rail and lake carriers and finished product out by rail and truck

[jwb]

There have been almost constant changes on Cajon Pass since before World War II, when the southern part of the line was relocated from the east bank of Cajon Creek to the west due to the 1938 storms. But here's a snapshot, the CTC control point on the Santa Fe at Verdemont in 1992, when the line was double track:     And the same location 20 years later, under BNSF and triple track:    

[MasonJar]

Ottawa Grand Trunk (then Union) Station under construction in 1911. Opened in 1912. City of Ottawa Archives

   


Today it's the Government Conference Centre. Google Streetview

   


Andrew

[e-paw]

Very nice and interesting stuff gentlemen, Thanks for the replies.

[jwb]

Cajon station on Cajon Pass, about 1990:     Cajon station after triple-tracking: