posted
In the category of "bad stations Amtrak used to stop at but thankfully doesn't anymore..."
1) Thompson, UT (Route of 5 and 6) (Falling down white clapboard shack, and a Flagstop, to boot.)
2) Borie, WY (When 5 and 6 ran across Wyoming) (Concrete platform, openly exposed to -20 below in winter) --The stop for Cheyenne--
Posts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
On an auto trip during 2K, I stopped off at the Green River UT station that is located well to the West of a rather desolate town. Suffice to say "not overly impressed".
However, I think that station did have a pay phone as all Amtrak stops had such back then. Obviously that requirement has been forgotten about nowadays (there used to be two of such at our METRA station - not anymore).
But guess what, I DO have a cell phone that was last used March 5 for both an incoming and outgoing call. This was because I dropped it and I wanted to see if it survived (it did). Otherwise, it is just a $13.73 "tax" (Verizon's minimum charge for no usage) that shows up each month and has to be paid.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by sfthunderchief: Williams Junction? Slab with light pole.
Yeah that's a bad one.
But it is really all they need since the Grand Canyon bus serves as the waiting room.
Not worth the expense to build a station there.
The original Santa Fe depot at Williams Junction was a very unique and modern building for the line. It was built in the early 1960s and eventually torn down in the mid 1980s. I've seen a photo of it before, and I wish there was an online photo I could share, but I can't find any.
The location is a real good one for railfanning high speed freights.
-------------------- Matt Visit gallery for photos of our train layouts Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
The worst big city station: Birmingham, AL. A tiny waiting room that looks like the entrance to a storage room under the railroad viaduct. Shared parking lot with trucks being filled with some kind of liquid from tank cars parked on the viaduct above. The old L&N station stood dormant for years a couple hundred feet away but has since been demolished. Shameful for such a big city.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I had always hoped that Birmingham would eventually ressurect the L&N station.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Was there another station built at Williams Junction? Would it have been in the middle of nowhere like the slab is now?
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: On an auto trip during 2K, I stopped off at the Green River UT station that is located well to the West of a rather desolate town. Suffice to say "not overly impressed".
However, I think that station did have a pay phone as all Amtrak stops had such back then. Obviously that requirement has been forgotten about nowadays (there used to be two of such at our METRA station - not anymore).
But guess what, I DO have a cell phone that was last used March 5 for both an incoming and outgoing call. This was because I dropped it and I wanted to see if it survived (it did). Otherwise, it is just a $13.73 "tax" (Verizon's minimum charge for no usage) that shows up each month and has to be paid.
****************************** Mr. Norman: If memory serves me (and it probably doesn't) I thought there is or once was a pay phone in the parlour car of the Coast Starlight. Maybe it is no longer there...due to the fact so many people have cell phones. Are there pay telephones on any of the other Amtrak trains?
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
First, Richard, I was addressing a plain old land line pay phone, but to address your extension of the topic to include on-board public phones, it appears that Railfone is gone, gone gone (so is for that matter AirFone).
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: First, Richard, I was addressing a plain old land line pay phone, but to address your extension of the topic to include on-board public phones, it appears that Railfone is gone, gone gone (so is for that matter AirFone).
*********** I know you were talking about a land-line pay phone. However, I think it might have been a good idea to keep the "railphone" on board. Not all people remember or think of taking a cell phone with them. Not everyone has a cell phone (I reisisted for a long time). For emergencies or semi-emergencies I think it would be nice to have a pay cell phone service on board).
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Was there another station built at Williams Junction? Would it have been in the middle of nowhere like the slab is now?
That's the Williams depot, actually in the city of Williams. It's still there and used for the Grand Canyon Railway.
The Williams Junction depot was in the middle of nowhere exactly where the present day slab is now. I've explored the area and there are, or were, still some remnants of the original slab...although that could be gone now.
Doing some more digging I found out that the Glendale, Arizona depot was similar to the Williams Junction depot. And yes from the photo I saw of the Williams Junction depot I would agree that they are somewhat similar. Here is a link to the brief write up about it:
Here is what the Glendale one currently looks like:
-------------------- Matt Visit gallery for photos of our train layouts Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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