This is the former Lehigh Valley Railroad Depot in Ithaca New York. It was built in 1898 in the classical revival style with a bit of a Romanesque feel. Note the great old 4-sided clock. For 40 years, the building was utilized as the Station Restaurant. Now it’s been converted and its being used as the Chemung Canal Bank.
There are 5 pieces of rolling stock permanently in place beside the old Lehigh Valley Railroad depot. This is an Alco Cooke 0-4-0T locomotive built in 1928 for the Solvay Process Company. This company was an early US chemical firm that produced soda ash for industry. At one point, the Solvay Process Company was a major employer in central New York State.
This postcard shows how the depot appeared early in the 20th century. With the exception of the rails that the 5 pieces of rolling stock sits on, the track has been removed and the area around the station has been completely built up. For some really great photos of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station and additional detail about the rolling stock on static display, go to http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=128&t=66280&p=731909.
This former depot is also located in Ithaca. It belonged to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. Passenger service to Ithaca ended in 1942 and the last steam locomotive came through town in 1951. The last train leaving town was a 7 car freight train that departed at 4:20 PM on December 5, 1956.
The good news is that this depot has been repurposed. It now serves as a bus terminal for Greyhound, New York Trailways and Shortline (Coach USA). From what I read on-line, the interior of this depot has not been well maintained and there also seems to be a personnel issue. (Warning – Troll on Duty!)
Just a side note or two… Ithaca is the home of Cornell University. It is also the North American seat of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dali Lama. Famous citizens/residents include or have included Paul Wolfowitz, E. B. White, Alex Haley, Vladimir Nabokov and Carl Sagan.
Just click on any photo to enlarge it…
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Truth be told, the four-sided clock really intrigues me. Is is still working? there is a jewelry store on canal Street in N.O. (Adler's) that has a very similar if not the exact same clock. A company I worked for in N.O. did a lot of maintenance work for Adler's and I remember hearing what a nighmare it was getting parts for the clock when it needed to be repaired. A lot of parts had to be special ordered and crafted in Germany. Job one was to keep that clock running.
ReplyDeleteDear Dave, The trains used to be so elegant and beautiful. It is a bit of history that we are loosing. Blessings, Cathrine
ReplyDeleteJuly 2018
ReplyDeleteDear Dave,
No longer to be a bus station! Save the old depot Dave!!!!
I hope Ithacans rally to make it an historic site.
LW