The last great arched trainshed in the US?

I have heard it alluded to by some local well traveled passenger train fans that all the great arched trainsheds in the US are all gone or not in railroad use any longer. Of the trainsheds in question ones like the Reading station in Philly may still stand (I have not actually seen it myself) but is not in train service. Other stations that are not arched but open space are stations like Main Street station in Richmond, Va. which was at one time a mall (when I was last in it) and now sees trains again, however trains stop on the outside and do not enter what I would call the shed.

I have not visited every corner of the Amtrak system so I am not certain of other stations that might qualify. I know stations like Penn and Grand Central have no big open space. West Coast stations are more of a mystery to me so I am looking for answers as to their style of currently in use stations.

Of all the stations still in use, the same group of fans I referenced above have concluded that the Amtk station at Harrisburg. Pa might qualify as the last in the US still in use. While not arched, it is open and has 2 big adjoining roofs.

Does this idea that Harrisburg is the last great open space station hold merit?

T2

Union Station in St. Louis comes to mind (As it was discussed in the previous thread about "heritage" stations) although operationaly capeable of handeling trains, I don't see this happening in the future with the opening of the new intermodal station.

Currently the space is being used as a mall/hotel.

That's something I'd like to see if I get out that way - is it within easy walking distance to the new intermodal station?

I can't think of many in-service sheds. In addition to St. Louis, there are surviving sheds at Montgomery, AL and at the MILW depot in Minneapolis, but neither of those facilities is used as a train station. Also, I believe there's a shed at the former CNJ station at Liberty State Park (near the Statue of Liberty). I think the shed at Nashville burned recently, IIRC. There is a large Bush-type shed (named after the man who designed it) at the NJT Terminal in Hoboken, NJ, but those type of sheds (there used to be one at Detroit's MC Station), are not arched. Harrisburg may be the largest (only?) arched shed in use. I'm afraid you'll have to go across the pond to see great trains sheds in use. I particularly recommend Paddington Station in London, and the station at York.

Mr. Johnson, yes, Union Station in St. Louis is within walking distance (or 1 stop on the Metrolink) from the new Gateway Station.

The CNJ Jersey City Terminal is not an arched structure. It is a Bush shed.

The Reading Terminal arched shed is now part of the convention complex and used for special events.

There's also a large shed at Indianapolis, but it's not arched. Also, only a couple of platforms still have active tracks. Several of the the other platforms house permanently moored Pullman sleeping cars that are part of a hotel in the headhouse building. The entire shed is, I think, bigger than Harrisburg, but the "active" portion is only a fraction of the whole.

While not a AAR/FRA railroad, one main arched trainshed in use is the new Coney Island Stillwell Terminal on the NYC Subway in Brooklyn, which opened in 2004. It may be the only active one with Harrisburg.

I realize this is not a train shed of the sort you are discussing, but I have always thought the former depot at Lexington, MA was beautiful. The station was on a relatively short single-track branch line from Boston, and trains ran through the depot rather than behind it. There is a picture at http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/294 ... 73.jpg?v=0 The picture is mostly of the front of the depot, but you can see the entrance trains used at the far right. I have often wondered how a wooden roof made out with cinder spewing steam engines in the old days.

You can see the interior of the Reading Terminal trainshed, however, without attending a convention event, and it's worth a look if you're ever in Market East station. Just take the escalator up from street level as though you're going to the Marriott Hotel, and you'll get a good view. There are also some interesting photos of the trainshed back in the day.

Aerie wrote:I realize this is not a train shed of the sort you are discussing, but I have always thought the former depot at Lexington, MA was beautiful. The station was on a relatively short single-track branch line from Boston, and trains ran through the depot rather than behind it. There is a picture at http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/294 ... 73.jpg?v=0 The picture is mostly of the front of the depot, but you can see the entrance trains used at the far right. I have often wondered how a wooden roof made out with cinder spewing steam engines in the old days.

If you zoom into Lexington on Google, then pull the streetview man out and place him on one of the single pics, there's one from maybe the 50s of a train under that roof.

The former reading arched shed is 100% indoors/enclosed, it's still quite a sight to behold. Did some wiring work for the light sculptures some years ago. I was told that the old new York terminal at exchange place in jersey city and broad street station in Philadelphia were also quite a sight to behold, sadly both a bit before my time.

Station Aficionado wrote:I can't think of many in-service sheds. In addition to St. Louis, there are surviving sheds at Montgomery, AL and at the MILW depot in Minneapolis, but neither of those facilities is used as a train station. Also, I believe there's a shed at the former CNJ station at Liberty State Park (near the Statue of Liberty). I think the shed at Nashville burned recently, IIRC. There is a large Bush-type shed (named after the man who designed it) at the NJT Terminal in Hoboken, NJ, but those type of sheds (there used to be one at Detroit's MC Station), are not arched. Harrisburg may be the largest (only?) arched shed in use. I'm afraid you'll have to go across the pond to see great trains sheds in use. I particularly recommend Paddington Station in London, and the station at York.

Mr. Johnson, yes, Union Station in St. Louis is within walking distance (or 1 stop on the Metrolink) from the new Gateway Station.

Union Station, Nashville is alive & well as a classy hotel. The shed had been used over a parking area for many years. Time took it's toll and the shed came down. I don't remember any fire but a small one may have been possible. Louisville also had a similar shed. AFAIK it exists only as a N or HO scale model by a scratch builder. Given the new laser etch process, it may be possible to find something as a kit in the future.

Here's some info I found on the Nashville shed: http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/DOE_dede ... 0Union.htm Apparently, there was a small fire, which led to the removal of the roof, which exposed the trusses to the elements. They naturally deteriorated, and the shed was eventually demolished. It was taken down in 2001, longer ago than I thought.

There was an issue of Trains mag a few years back with a new Australian trains station with a large shed. It's worth a look, it was really a cool article.

And I nominate Chicago for having the crappiest train sheds, especially considering the "railroad capital of the world" name. If you've ever seen pics of NW station, LaSalle, or Dearborn around 1970, you know what I mean.They were more awnings than train sheds, and really one giant billboard for tetanus. Central and Grand Central both had train sheds, but both were gone early in the game.

Okay, some nomenclature needs to be defined here. A "balloon" trainshed is a curved one, fashioned as a huge arch over the tracks. Balloon sheds were popular in the 1880s and 1890s since they allowed smoke from locomotives to escape while sheltering passengers from the weather. The longer trains of the early 20th Century made them obsolete, and they were largely replaced by Bush trainsheds or "butterfly" canopies. Earlier trainsheds tended to be angular, like Harrisburg. These were not balloon sheds. St. Louis is not a balloon shed either -- it's too low, relative to its width, although it's impressive in its own right.

The only balloon sheds I've ever seen are Grand Central Station in Chicago (which stood until Amtrak, and was demolished in late 1971), and the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia (which was in service as a train station until 1984, and can still be seen as the "Grand Hall" of the convention center).

Montgomery and Nashville were not balloon sheds, and Nashville is now gone. Harrisburg is not a balloon shed, neither is the C of G Savannah station (now the visitor center). Other balloon sheds included PRR Jersey City (long vanished) and Broad Street Philadelphia (gone since the 1940s), and Central Station in Chicago (don't know when it was demolished, but a long time ago).

So if you want to see a true balloon shed, much as it looked in rail service, you'll need to come to Philadelphia (where I live) and go to the old Reading Terminal headhouse, take the escalator to the second floor, and walk into the Grand Hall (which is usually open to visitors). That's the way they looked, guys. I've taken trains from under that shed.