Union Train Station - Ellwood City PA

In July 1891 the Ellwood Short Line, a railroad bypass built through the heart of the new settlement of Ellwood City, was opened for service. The Pittsburgh & Western Railroad (P&W), under the control of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), soon opened a wooden frame passenger station (shown above) in Ellwood City at Fifth Street. Clearly visible on the west end of the building is the high platform used to handle freight. (c1900) Full Size

The P&W train station in Ellwood City, at the northwest corner of Fifth Street & Beaver Avenue, had a waiting room on the eastern side. An eastbound P&W train is about to pull into the station. (c1905) Full Size

Inside the ticket office of the P&W station in Ellwood City. (Jul 1909) Full Size

In late 1911 the B&O decided to construct a new passenger station in Ellwood City in conjunction with the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE). Work commenced in December 1911 as the old P&W/B&O station was torn down. The new depot, a sturdy brick structure, was built at the same location as the old station and had two waiting rooms. At the same time a railroad bridge (“the Subway”) was constructed to carry the tracks across Fifth Street. The new Union Station (shown above) opened for business on Tuesday, October 15, 1912, while some of the related track work continued. While Union Station was under construction I believe the old P&LE freight station on Sixth Street – which was also replaced with a new brick building – was utilized as a passenger station. (c1913) Full Size

The new Union Station of the B&O/P&LE sits on the left. To the right is the Park Hotel and a streetcar of the Harmony Line passes along Fifth Street near “the Subway” – which carries the trains of the B&O and P&LE overhead. The railroad bridge was completed on Saturday, October 12, 1912, and the first train crossed over it the next day. Union Station was in operation until a decline in passenger service saw it shutdown in the mid-1950’s. The station was torn down in late August 1956 and the site was converted to a public parking lot. The old tracks are still in use by the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR). (c1915) Full Size

The train station was shut down sometime in about 1954-1955 and it didn’t sit vacant for long. The razing of the building (shown above) began on Monday, August 20, 1956, and was completed within a few weeks. Fred W. Foster of Tarentum PA, whose wrecking company also tore down the old West End School the year prior, handled the demolition of the train station. I believe Walter Smith of New Castle soon leased the property and opened a public parking lot. (Aug 1956) Full Size