Railway Depots

Ride the rails with famed railroad historian, Brian Solomon, and learn about the incredible architecture and history of stations across America.

The tracks of the Norfolk and Western Railway snaked through Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and the coalfields of West Virginia. For nearly 100 years, the Norfolk and Western brought freight, passengers, and economic vitality to large cities and rural mining towns. At each stop was the depot or station; some stations were large, architecturally ornate structures that represented the muscular energy and romantic era of this great steam railway with its famed J-class engines. In other places there were small wooden depots that depicted the hard-scrabble life of the mining communities, tucked amid steep mountain valleys that were indelibly shaped by the railway's presence. Today some of those structures remain, while many disappeared when the railway ceased passenger or other service. The Norfolk and Western eventually merged with the Southern Railway, and though the trains of the Norfolk Southern still run along those same lines, they simply pass by where they used to stop many years ago.

Twelve railroad lines served west central Ohio around 1907 and were the lifeblood of the communities they ran through. Bellefontaine, Bradford, and Crestline became major terminals, and lesser known places like Dola, Ohio City, and Peoria also owe their existence to the iron horse. Around 300 depots served the west central region, with the earliest dating to the late 1840s. The depot was the center of activity in the smallest village to the largest city. Many of the depots no longer exist--victims of progress, nature, or neglect. Some survive as historical museums, various businesses, and residences; a few remain in railroad use. The proud history of railroading lives on in the restored depots at Bucyrus and Galion--two architectural gems of the Buckeye State. Railroad Depots of West Central Ohio shares a tale of the golden age of rail travel through vintage postcards and mid-20th-century photographs of selected depots and other railroad structures.

Railroads have served the northern counties of Central Florida since before the Civil War. Following the war, railroads expanded down the peninsula to bring transportation services to even more people and places throughout the region. By 1929, the railroad network in the state had reached its peak, with some communities being served by two or more railroad lines. Trains provided the means for growth and development, and the local depot was the focal point of every town throughout Florida's central region. Stretching across the middle section of the peninsula from coast to coast, the Central Florida area includes Levy, Gilchrist, Alachua, Putnam, and Volusia Counties to the north, while the counties of Sarasota, Desoto, Highland, Osceola, and Brevard define the southern boundary. Featuring depots of the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, Florida East Coast, and their predecessor railroads, the photographs used by the author were obtained from local historical groups, the Florida State Archives, and private collections.

By the mid-1850s, the railroad craze had hit central Ohio. Pioneer railroads that were to evolve into portions of the Baltimore and Ohio, New York Central, and Pennsylvania Railroads connected the state capital, Columbus, with the canals, Lake Erie, and the Ohio River. The region was crisscrossed by numerous other lines by 1880; Columbus became the main hub while other railroad centers included Circleville, Delaware, Mansfield, Mount Vernon, Newark, and Zanesville. Hundreds of depots were built throughout central Ohio to serve railroad passengers and to handle baggage, mail, and freight. Depots became the center of commerce and activity at communities--big and small. With the discontinuance of passenger trains across the Buckeye State, many depots disappeared from trackside--many simply demolished, others relocated for non-railroad uses. Railroad Depots of Central Ohio offers a pictorial history of selected depots, centering around Columbus and Franklin County, using old postcards and vintage photographs.

The first rail lines in northeast Ohio opened for business in July 1850, and by the 1890s, northeast Ohio was laced with railroad tracks. Cleveland was the hub of railroad activity, and important rail-served lake ports developed at Ashtabula, Conneaut, Fairport Harbor, Huron, and Lorain. Akron became a center of southerly east-west lines. Over 310 passenger and combination depots were established at various points along the railroads to serve the needs of passengers traveling throughout northeast Ohio. Depots were the focal point of communities--news arrived over their telegraphs, traveling salesmen gathered on the trackside platforms, depot staff maneuvered four-wheel wagons loaded with baggage, parcels, and milk cans, locals gathered to meet, greet, and send off family and friends. The depot was a veritable beehive of activity at train time. Railroad Depots of Northeast Ohio offers a glimpse into these golden years of train travel through the use of early postcards and photographs of selected depots and related structures.

Michigan has a rich railroad history, which began in November 1836, when the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad initiated service between Toledo, Ohio, and Adrian, Michigan. That first Erie and Kalamazoo train consisted of stagecoach-like vehicles linked together and pulled by horses. Steam locomotive-hauled trains were still eight months in the future. As these new transportation entities grew and prospered, they put in place more elaborate station buildings in the communities they served. By the end of the 19th century, some of the larger railroad stations being built in Michigan were works of art in their own right. But whatever size and form they took, railroad stations were uniquely styled buildings, and there was generally no mistaking them for anything else. This volume portrays some of Michigan's finest railroad stations during their heyday in the second decade of the 20th century.