Cataloging the R5 Paoli Line Stations

I posted this in another forum but thought it was appropriate here. I've photographed some of the more interesting stations around home.

Photos from Sunday, August 8, 2004.

Berwyn
"Frame Station" custom framing shop. This station was renovated a few years ago and has short high-level platforms for wheelchair access to the trains.






Devon
A separate "baggage shed" that stood next to the station was in worse shape than the main station building and was demolished last year.




Strafford
This station has a cafe and ticket office open in the mornings. The station building itself came from the 1876 centenial exposition and was recently renovated after a fire gutted the basement.






Wayne
"Station Cafe & Juice Bar." This place has live jazz on some Friday nights. During the day, it functions as a cafe, ticket office, and waiting room. The renovation of the first floor was completed last year, and the rest of the station and platforms will be renovated this year.






St Davids (skipped)

Radnor
Another recently renovated station. A small part of the station building is a ticket office and small waiting room, while the rest looks like a private residence.








Villanova (skipped)

Rosemont
This station is now a Realtor's office.

I spent a few days in the Paoli area this past week and rode the R5 into Center City from Daylesford Station. First time on the R5. How did it happen that some of the stations on that line are interesting old buildings like in your photos and others like Paoli are so decrepit? That place is a disgrace! Also why is Paoli such a plain jane building compared to the others? Did it replace an older station? Who pays for the renovations to these structuress? Must be some local municipalities, huh? I guess the local govt. wasn't interested in improving the Paoli Station........ .

nice pictures

Nice pictures! Just a footnote to the Devon Station, it has seen some work in the past few weeks, and looks "significantly" better. The peeling paint has been scraped and mostly repainted (though they ignored the attached passenger shelter and outbound shed) I'm not sure where they picked the color scheme, as it's different from other main line stations.

It's not the full-blown restoration the station needs, but it's a necessary step in the right direction. This station ought be restored the same way strafford and overbrook stations were. Those contractors did a very nice job, incidentally.

Guys: Good Pictures! the Paoli line has some really classic station buildings. I like what was done to Strafford-Good move,SEPTA! The station buildings at PAOLI and ARDMORE are late 50s style utilitarian buildings built by the PRR. PAO comes off as being somewhat rundown-note the conditions of the east end of both platforms and the remnants of the old PRR long-distance platforms and shelters. At ARD I seem to remember there was talk of replacing the station building. The most important thing,however is the renovation of the track-#1 track between PAO and BMR seems to be getting worse-the roughest-riding track on the entire SEPTA RRD-and track improvments need in my opinion to be top priority. MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:the Paoli line has some really classic station buildings. I like what was done to Strafford-Good move,SEPTA!

I agree. They've done a nice job on those renovations: balancing the need for updated passenger facilities and the fact that the railroad doesn't have lots of employees at each station with the desire to preserve the most historic and attractive parts of the stations.

The station buildings at PAOLI and ARDMORE are late 50s style utilitarian buildings built by the PRR. PAO comes off as being somewhat rundown-note the conditions of the east end of both platforms and the remnants of the old PRR long-distance platforms and shelters.

Both stations are going to be replaced with new intermodal facilities. Ardmore's is the subject of controversy (people opposed to replacing the run-down buildings east of the station on Lancaster Ave because it would require moving the businesses that presently occupy them), but it'll eventually go through.

Paoli will be going ahead soon now that the old shop site is cleared and toxic wastes have been removed.

That said, I think it would be worth preserving at least one example of that era's PRR/PC architecture. I always think of Aberdeen as the example.

The most important thing,however is the renovation of the track-#1 track between PAO and BMR seems to be getting worse-the roughest-riding track on the entire SEPTA RRD-and track improvments need in my opinion to be top priority.

Yep. It's all pretty rough, not just 1 track. Not a real comfortable place to try and get some work done on the train.

The problem with the Paoli line is that it's Amtrak property, not SEPTA's, and it is definitely a stepsister in the Amtrak family, compared to the NEC main. So the project was subject to Amtrak's financial constraints until PennDOT came in with $130 million or so in funding to get the whole line to Harrisburg back into decent shape.

Work is going on right now out past Parkesburg (I rode the line yesterday and saw the track laying machine out there), and when they're done there, they'll work on the SEPTA commuter territory. Rail has already been dropped on some sections.

I noticed that rough track on my trip too. I assume track-1 is the inbound, local track, right? The ride was terrible; I assume it's old jointed rail, huh? The return ride was a lot better on the outbound, local track. I'd never ridden that line before and the difference was distinctive.

Re: the 1950's style stations. It's amazing to me how everything built in the '50's was strictly functional, box shaped construction. It partly reflected the World War II military style construction. That thinking continued for at least 15 years after WW II 'til the '60's.

Glad to hear progress is being made. I'll have to go back and visit Paoli again in 5 or 10 years and see the new intermodal center.

I heard something 3rd hand from a little birdie in the State planning office that the last 2 at-grade crossings between harrisburg and philly are soon to be eliminated, clearing the way for the capitol corridor project.

In some of the planning documents, it was mentioned that Ardmores station is considered a temprorary structure. Unfortunately, they passed up a great oppoprtunity when they built that new building on the outbound side of the tracks, its second floor could have become an excellent station. Instead the outbound side has only the newer style green bus shelter.

An Amtrak official told me months ago that a major hurdle was that Amtrak was seeking high-level platforms, and septa did not want to spring for their share of those, as it would require widening and reconfiguring the row.

There's some planning documents online for both the Ardmore "New Urbanism" redevelopment and Paoli Transportation Center. Ardmore's station building was indeed to be a temporary structure built because the original station burned down. The new building at Ardmore is part of the Suburban Square shopping mall. The most recent plans I've seen for Ardmore don't involve as much demolition as the first plans which generated a lot of protest.

A few of the recently renovated stations including Radnor and Strafford have space for mini-high platforms for wheelchair access. Wayne is scheduled for platform and canopy work over the next year.

I'll have to stop by Devon and some other stations to get some more photos.