My Life with Trains (Part 1) Stations

Train stations are interesting crossroads of people and artifacts of travel methods past. For many decades trains travel opened up destinations to vast amounts of people. In an era of unreliable automobiles and non-existent air travel, locomotives took people to faraway places and opened new possibilities and horizons. These journeys often started, or ended, in grand edifices that symbolized the importance of the undertaking. These structures have fallen on hard times and many have disappeared. Yet, those that remain give us a glimpse to the romantic world of train travel.

I remember my first trip on Amtrak, Louisville to Fort Lauderdale, but I do not remember the station in Louisville very well. But vaguely I remember my parents talking about the beauty of the train station and what a shame it was rarely used any more. Today, train stations have become a fascination. I am only sorry that we, as a country, do not get to utilize them much anymore. While there has been a decline in railroads, at least some of the old railroad stations have survived.

Grand Central (March 2014)

Grand Central Station in New York is iconic. One of my favorite photographs is of the station in 1954 with sunlight pouring into the station highlighting the smoke/smog and creating streams of light that shine upon the people congregating on the main floor. Once someone wrote that we have come to love and revere Grand Central Station because of the destruction of old Penn Station. Recently, we watched an American Experience documentary on Penn Station, which chronicled the engineering feat and architectural glory of the former station. The station itself, which was private property, was destroyed as the result of a business decision. Most people lament the loss of the great landmark. Today what serves as Penn Station, adjacent to Madison Square Garden, is an inelegant structure that many revile.

30th Street Station (April 2014)

The Angel of Resurrection (1952)

On the other hand, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia is a gorgeous structure. Built between 1927 and 1933, it was one of the last great train stations to be built. Despite its beautiful Art Deco décor, perhaps the most distinctive feature of the station is the memorial to those from the Pennsylvania Railroad who died during World War II, which is stunning. Prominently displayed at the 29th Street exit the sculpture is impossible to miss. Named “The Angel of Resurrection” (1952), by Walker Hancock, it depicts the Archangel Michael lifting a deceased soldier from the frames of war. As prominent as Hancock’s piece is, another work in the station is interesting as well. “Spirit of Transportation” (1895), by Karl Bitter, was originally placed at the Broad Street Station but moved to 30th Street in 1933.  One detail that is worthy of note is on the extreme right side of the sculpture a young boy holds a toy airship, foretelling the development and utilization of air transportation eight years prior to the successful flight of the Wright Brothers.

Union Station (April 2014)

For as often as I had visited Chicago, it was only recently that I toured Union Station. My recent visit coincided with the home opener of Wrigley Field on its 100th anniversary. Cubs fans poured into the station from surrounding suburbs and made their way to alternative transportation, usually CTA “L” Trains, to complete their trip. Rather than the bustling of Grand Station or the utilization of the waiting space in 30th Street, Union Station looks empty. There are eight wooden benches, four on either end of the great hall, with the center remarkably open. The light-colored marble floors and the incredibly high sky lights gives the impression of lightness and magnitude. With so few people, the space looks even more massive. I read that the station is anticipating a threefold increase in the coming years. It seems that the station is well suited to accommodate the increased passengers.

While many stations create a nostalgic feeling of early twentieth century, Union Station Chicago has a slightly more recent nostalgia, perhaps from the mid-twentieth century. For example, the Metro Deli is an old-style bar complete with vintage advertisements for color televisions and historic photographs lining the walls. It is a traditional oval bar with a number of televisions, plus a sandwich carving station. As I looked around, I imagined men who had worked in the city having a beer while waiting for a train home to the suburbs, watching the final innings of a Cubs game on WGN. In my mind, Harry Caray was bellowing across the bar, hoping against hope for a late inning rally from the Cubs.

Penn Station (March 2014)

Lamp at Union Station Chicago

"The Spirit of Transportation" (1895)