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Grand Central Terminal.
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Amtrak/Metro-North (Ex- NYC), Poughkeepsie, NY.
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Jamaica, Queens, NY: The major LIRR hub.
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LIRR Ronkonkoma, NY: Platforms and walkovers are an ugly concrete monstosity, but a beautiffull replica of the origional station house was constructed in the late 1990s.
I made a Photo Show on Train Station. The Web Site is;
//photoshow.comcast.net/richardtrains. Or email me at richardtrains@comcast.net
I have Shows on Diesels, Steam, Passenger Cars and Electrics
Although it is not the most beautiful of Briti***rain stations and never will be, I have to say that back in the 1970’s when I used to collect loco numbers, Birmingham New Street was the place. With it being served by trains from all over Britain and the variety of locos in use back then plus the fact that it has tunnels at either end, meant that you could never be sure what might turn up - particularly on a summer Saturday when extra trains to a variety of seaside destinations were still laid on.
Elsewhere in Britain, of the London termini Paddington is my favourite as it is where I travel home from if I’m visiting the capital. York is undeniably one of our finest stations, as is Glasgow Central.
I’ve not travelled outside Europe but other stations I’ve been impressed with include Amsterdam Central , Paris Gare du Nord, Hendaye on the Franco/Spanish border where the main station is mixed gauge (Spanish Railways are broad gauge (5’ 6") and is shared by the French (SNCF) and Spanish (RENFE) national railwaysbut there’s also across the car park a terminus of the branch of the metre gauge FEVE railway. This is an extensive network of metre gauge lines in Northern Spain that carries both passenger and freight trains. In the Northern Spanish city of Gijon there were until the 1980’s three stations side by side. As well as the Metre gauge FEVE and Broad Gauge RENFE the third terminus served an isolated 4’ 8.5" gauge line. This has now been taken over by the FEVE and converted to metre gauge. The redundant terminal building now houses the Astorian Regional Railway Museum whose collection includes locos and stock of at least 5 different gauges! There’s a short 2’ gauge line with some working steam locos and the staff are very friendly.
In Ireland my favourite station is Waterford which handles a variety of traffic and still has old fashioned semaphore signals and an impressive signal box on an overhead gantry.
Finally Great Malvern station which serves my home town is o
During the late forties and early fifties,my two favorite stations were The Michigan Central Terminal at 15th and Dazell Streets in Detroit,Michigan and a small Big Four railroad Depot in Urbana,Ohio which I assumed has been razed after all these many years. The Michigan Central Terminal I heard has been taken over by Detroit Police Department. I may be wrong about that,maybe someone in Detroit might want to confirm that. I left Detroit back in 1971 and only been back there once.
I can’t believe that in almost 5 pages of favorite stations, some of the entries being lists of favorite stations, that St. Louis Union station only got two votes (and in one of them it was no.2). More RRs than any other depot in the country. A layout that had trains pulling by and then backing in. B&O, PRR, NYC cheek by jowl with Burlington MP and Frisco. Jeeze!
First on my list is the Lehigh Valley station in Geneva New York. This was my favorite hang out during my summer vacations in the middle 1950’s. My relatives lived only a few blocks away and almost every day after dinner I’d go down to the station and await the arrival of the westbound Black Diamond.
Second is the depot in Durand Michigan. This is my current hang out on Saturday nights when I’m in a train watching mood. It still sees two Amtrak passenger trains every day but probably not for long.
Third is the Michigan Central Station in Detroit MI. This windowless hulk is reminder of passenger railroading’s better days. The mayor of Detroit wanted to use the building for police headquarters but recently it was announced that it wasn’t going to happen as it is economically unfeasible. I’ve been photographing trains for about ten years and I don’t recall seeing any windows in the structure during that time.
Fourth place goes to the MC/NYC station in Rochester Michigan. I grew up in Rochester and sometimes I’d walk down there and watch the southbound “Beeliner” on it’s afternoon run.