Nostalgia & History > Akron Union Depot -- Dec 75

Some shots of the abandoned Akron Union Depot (Ohio).
The pictures were taken in December 1975 and March 1976.
The University of Akron purchased the station and later remodeled it.

Gary

(1-3) The station was built in 1950 to replace a late 1800's era station about a mile away.
The B&O and PRR used the station but the Erie decided to build their own nearby.

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(4) As an EL train pulls cars from the nearby yard, missing trackage area can be seen at the
depot.
The Erie station was just to the left - B&O and Penn Central tracks to the right.
Union Depot trackage was controlled from JO Tower.
The walkway across the tracks led to a bus station. Buses can be seen to the left.

(5) It had been a few years since express trucks used the station.

(6) 4 1/2 years since the station was open.

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(7) An eastbound EL freight tried to sneak by as I was taking station pictures.

(8) Actually it was a nice station.

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(9-10) Looking east, most of the platform survived till recently.
The last train to stop at the depot was the B&O Capital Limited in 1971.

(11) The EL main is to the left

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(12) Just across the way was the remnants of the Erie station.

Pictures of the station are nice but even better when it was open --

Bob (refarkas) has posted many fine pictures of the station when it was open.
Here are links to a couple shots he took on the platform in the late 60's (no broken windows in the walkway).

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4166135,4166135#msg-4166135

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4165310,4165383#msg-4165383

Here is a great shot of Union Depot with a couple of passenger trains --

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3657750,3658026#msg-3658026

Marty Bernard posted some B&O shots by Roger Puta including one at the Akron platform --

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4052996,4053020#msg-4053020

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Thank you!
What memories and smiles these bring back!!! That hillside in number two was one of the best railfanning spots in Northeast Ohio. Not only was there the B&O station, but the EL station was just a few hundred feet south. The mainlines of the EL and B&O plus a PRR branch line all passed through this little area.
Bob

Always great to have someone record history.
Not only are the stations gone,but also the trains.
I rode the short lived Amtrak train through there
back few years ago.Can't remember the name.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.

Thanks very much for posting these photos. They provide a very comprehensive view of the depot complex.
ALLEN

Nice looking complex--and I bet was really nice during the days of operation. Thanks for including all the history notes.
Brian Stevens

retcsxcfm Wrote:
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> Always great to have someone record history.
> Not only are the stations gone,but also the
> trains.
> I rode the short lived Amtrak train through there
> back few years ago.Can't remember the name.
>
> Uncle Joe
> Seffner,Fl.

That was an earlier routing of the Capitol Limited under Amtrak. I recall riding it myself a number of times. Initially, the westbound train backed out of PGH about 2 miles and onto the B&O tracks it left 10-20 minutes earlier. It then traveled via the B&O all the way to Pine Jct in Gary IN where it crossed over to former NYC rails that soon became PRR rails at Whiting IN. After several years, the slowness of the route out of PGH as cited as the cause for Amtrak to build a connection (I forgot the name) from the former PRR to the B&O about 30-40 miles north of PGH. So, the train then left PGH on former PRR rails to that connecting track to regain B&O rails. Trains Magazine even had an article about the new connection shortly after it was operational. That lasted perhaps 5-6 years and the Capitol was routed PRR all the way to Cleveland and thence to former NYC rails...today they're NS rails.

Fine photos. Great looking depot - it would be a great subject for a model RR with a big time appearance and a smaller footprint. Thanks for posting these gems.

Amtrak's Three Rivers, train 40 and 41, served Akron for a few years in the late 1990s/early 2000s.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/17 10:39 by railfan400.

The connection between Conrail and CSX (former PRR and B&O lines) was at New Castle, PA, in the southwest part of that city, known as Mahoningtown. The Amtrak trains used Conrail from Pittsburgh to Mahoningtown. This eliminated the backup move between the Amtrak station and the former B&O main in Pittsburgh. At Mahoningtown, the PRR's New Castle Branch went under the B&O's Chicago main line. I don't think there was ever a connection here until this connection was built for Amtrak. Don't know if anything uses this connection today.

railfan400 Wrote:
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> Amtrak's Three Rivers, train 40 and 41, served
> Akron for a few years in the late 1990s/early
> 2000s.

I rode those trains a couple times just to ride through Akron again.
They didn't use Union Depot but Amtrak had a small station nearby at Quaker Square.
Gary

What a shame all these gems fading into history!

And even greater shame is that Ohio allows political jackasses to lead us. We have only cars. Trains are illegal. 1000 Ohioans die each year on the highways here.

MEKoch Wrote:
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> And even greater shame is that Ohio allows
> political jackasses to lead us. We have only
> cars. Trains are illegal. 1000 Ohioans die each
> year on the highways here.

VOTE! Early and often.

Posted from Android

BRAtkinson Wrote:
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>
> That was an earlier routing of the Capitol Limited
> under Amtrak. I recall riding it myself a number
> of times. Initially, the westbound train backed
> out of PGH about 2 miles and onto the B&O tracks
> it left 10-20 minutes earlier. It then traveled
> via the B&O all the way to Pine Jct in Gary IN
> where it crossed over to former NYC rails that
> soon became PRR rails at Whiting IN. After
> several years, the slowness of the route out of
> PGH as cited as the cause for Amtrak to build a
> connection (I forgot the name) from the former PRR
> to the B&O about 30-40 miles north of PGH. So,
> the train then left PGH on former PRR rails to
> that connecting track to regain B&O rails. Trains
> Magazine even had an article about the new
> connection shortly after it was operational. That
> lasted perhaps 5-6 years and the Capitol was
> routed PRR all the way to Cleveland and thence to
> former NYC rails...today they're NS rails.

It was Amtrak's Broadway Limited, never the Capitol Limited, that traversed the route you describe starting in 1990.

Posted from iPhone

gcm Wrote:

> (12) Just across the way was the remnants of the
> Erie station.

Also visible just to the left of the passenger station on the other side of the overpass is the Erie freight house. Looks like the freight house survived until fairly recently, but it's gone now, too.

First time I've ever seen a street side posting of the Akron station. There have been plenty of trackside shots.
Thanks for posting.
gonut