I spent my lunch hour the other day looking up more train history. This time the destination was Logan’s Trading Company near Peace College in downtown. Logan’s occupies an unusual property for a nursery: Raleigh’s old Seaboard Train Station.
I’ve always heard about the station but for one reason or another never bothered to track it down until the other day. I wasn’t disappointed: aside from a few changes to support the nursery, the building looks much like it did when the last passenger train rumbled through it in 1986. Its dominating feature is the covered platforms which spread like wings to either side. These roofs which once shielded thousands of pasengers now shield plants from the rain and sun. Those plant-covered carts once pushed luggage. Walking on the middle walkway, you can imagine yourself as a train on the tracks.
The station building itself is a grand old building, brick and columns. Some accounts say its a 1940’s era building, but I found plates in the ground nearby which date to 1927. Inside, it appears crowded, even for a train station. There are of course plants and gardening tools everywhere, which are quite out of character for the usual look of the building. Still, its easy to squint and see it filled with travelers, not trowels.
Theres an addition on the track side which is obviously newer than the others, likely dating from the Amtrak days: its a big covered room tacked right on to the original building. Skylights provide light to the space.
Amtrak moved its service from the Seaboard station to the current Southern station in 1986. I can’t understand why they left this beautiful building for the smaller Southern one, especially considering the Seaboard station has two tracks to Southern’s one. Then again, I don’t know why Amtrak does a lot of the things it does. I suppose it comes down to the government not knowing how to run a railroad. Anyhow, the station was more or less dormant until 1991, when Logan’s opened. Thankfully, Logan’s has taken good care of it.
I also spotted a rare sight: a Pullman sleeper parked nearby! It is a privately-owned car being restored by some local residents. It apparently dates back to 1911, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at it: its in great shape!
I hope to get back to take pictures at some point.
World War II killed the railroads, starving them of much-needed equipment and supplies. Steel, especially. Kind of ironic that today’s “war on terror” will kill off today’s equivalent, the airlines, by driving its passengers away.
But what does that leave us? Will we once again travel through stations like this one?
