Passenger Trains > Amtrak's 30th Street Station Concourse - empty...

Ventured over to Amtrak's 30th Street Station last Saturday afternoon - just before 3 PM.

Enormous Art Deco chandeliers hang from the 95' high ceiling ceiling of Philadelphia's 30th Street Station supplementing the light from the five story high windows.  The ten chandeliers, on the afternoon of Saturday, March 21st, 2020 - amidst the COVID-19 pandemic - far outnumber the passengers occupying the 135ft by 290ft main concourse.  The station, which today serves Amtrak, albeit, a limited number of trains for the time being, was built for the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The 30th Street Station was built between 1929 and 1934 which, incidentally, was during the Great Depression.  It was likely a busier place, even back then. 

Stay safe....

/Mitch

 

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Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal looked about the same last Monday.

And folks were wondering why The Pensylvanian was scrubbed.

IMHO...the grandest active train station left in this country.

Very cool photo! I've never seen the "blues" accented as much like that in a picture. Just curious - was that color enhanced at all in the photo? Or did Amtrak add some light behind the blue color boards that are up in the station?

This is a nice station that thankfully hasn't been ruined by commercialism and retail for the most part. And of course my suggestion is - a nice restaurant in the station would be nice though! The Au Bu Pain actually was pretty nice, with sit down service. Wasn't a fan of its replacement. Didn't seem as fresh and nice. More of a grab and go! The employees in the building I think would of have preferred something a little more sit-down-ish. The outside area on the southside is nice in good weather. Even if they could pair an inside/outside restaurant there! 

jp1822 Wrote:
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> Very cool photo! I've never seen the "blues"
> accented as much like that in a picture. Just
> curious - was that color enhanced at all in the
> photo? Or did Amtrak add some light behind the
> blue color boards that are up in the station?

Thanks - as for the colors, I've been toying with
this shot for a while trying to get it to look nice. 
The station is a bit dark and shadowy in some
spots and way too bright in others.  What you are
seeing is admittedly a bit too much use of the
shadows and highlights resulting in a bit of
exageration of some of the colors.

Editng is like drinking... the more you do, the better
things look - until the next morning.

Here - truer to life:

/Mitch
 

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Second shot is perfect...ranks up there with Grand Central Terminal and Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal.

I've been in both and It's grand , but so is LAUPT in a different way...

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> I've been in both and It's grand , but so is LAUPT
> in a different way...

I was gonna go into Neoclassic vs Art Deco,  but the short version  is 30th st Phila is male, and LAUPT is female.

What I really appreciate is the use of either perspective correction, or of a wide lens with cropping of the image. Too many such interior photos lose impact with walls that lean in toward the top.

When small-sensor dSLRs became popular, 17mm ultrawides became about the same as 28mm in full 35mm frame. Ultrawides for the small sensors are expensive! Digitally manipulated perspective correction does work most of the time.

Nice, Mitch!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/20 07:47 by GenePoon.

Remarkable photo at this truly awesome station.

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MojaveBill Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I've been in both and It's grand , but so is
> LAUPT
> > in a different way...
>
> I was gonna go into Neoclassic vs Art Deco,  but
> the short version  is 30th st Phila is male, and
> LAUPT is female.

That's an astute assessment.  They're both beautiful, but different ways.  

Mitch, beautiful shots, in spite of those despicable banners hung on the sidewalls, desecrating one of the most beautiful stations in the country!  Only in Philadelphia..........
 

P.S.  Thanks for using the historically correct name, and not the politically correct one!
 

Waybiller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pdt Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > MojaveBill Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I've been in both and It's grand , but so is
> > LAUPT
> > > in a different way...
> >
> > I was gonna go into Neoclassic vs Art Deco, 
> but
> > the short version  is 30th st Phila is male,
> and
> > LAUPT is female.
>
> That's an astute assessment.  They're both
> beautiful, but different ways.  

I would agree but Grand Central would be in the running if it still had long distance trains. It loses something as a commuter only station. If they had not lost their grand concourses, Cincinnati and Chicago would be in the mix too. Washington is also an impressive station but seems more like a retail center. I hope its redesign brings ti back to mainly a transportation building.

This is a great photo, too bad the sad little Pennsylvanian is the only east=west train. Bring back the Broadway!

"Sad little Pennsylvanian" not presently running.  Cancelled with the big cut-back.
 

Philly is beautiful, but Cincy is my favorite

NY's GCT is a tourist mecca, especially weekends. Philly 30th Street station - not so much. 
 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> NY's GCT is a tourist mecca, especially weekends.
> Philly 30th Street station - not so much. 


Philadelphia 30th St is rather off the beaten tourist path, being not in the middle
of Center City.  There isn't as much to attract the tourists.  Certainly there would be
more near the former location of Broad Street Station which was across the street
from City Hall.   Suburban Station is physically close to that but is a collection of
underground tunnels and corridors, suitable as a commuter station but totally lacking
in any kind of style and grandeur.

The Suburban Station Office building ( 1617 JFK Blvd, former PRR HQ ) above Suburban Station concourse wasl restored and is well maintained and worth seeing.