Wilkinsburg station

Pennsylvania Railroad Station-Wilkinsburg
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark
Location	Hay St. at Ross Ave., Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania
Area	0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built	1916
Architect	Cookson,Walter H.
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
NRHP reference No.	85001568
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 18, 1985
Designated PHLF	1976

The Pennsylvania Railroad Station-Wilkinsburg is located in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, on Hay St. at the foot of Ross Ave. The building was built in 1916 when the railroad embankment through town was elevated above street level. The two previous stations were located three blocks south at the intersection of Wood St. and Rebecca Ave. The 1916 station served two platforms situated between two pairs of main tracks (eastward and westward). Originally the platform surfaces were level with the floors of the railroad passenger cars, but they were later lowered to the level of the track, presumably to match the lower platform level of the other stations on the commuter route to avoid the inconvenience of the train crews' having to lower and raise trap doors over the commuter-car stairwells for this single station alone. Access to the platforms was available by stairways at the Penn Ave., South Ave., and Franklin Ave. underpasses, in addition to the station tunnel which also serves as the Ross Ave. pedestrian underpass. There was also a separate tunnel at the station to deliver mail, express, and baggage to the platforms. The building was conveyed to the Borough of Wilkinsburg around 1970 and used for public-works purposes. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 1985.

Following demolition of the nearby East Liberty station, the Wilkinsburg station was designated to assume its function as the satellite station for selected long-distance trains serving passengers in the East End of Pittsburgh. PRR commuter trains at Wilkinsburg were discontinued on Nov. 27, 1964. The Pennsylvania Railroad was merged into the Penn Central Transportation Company on Feb. 1, 1968. Its long-distance passenger service was assumed by Amtrak on May 1, 1971, at which time three of the four pairs of trains still making daily stops at the station were discontinued. The right of way was conveyed to Consolidated Rail Corp. on April 1, 1976. It was then conveyed to Norfolk Southern Railway on June 1, 1999. Passenger train service at Wilkinsburg ended on September 14, 1975 when Amtrak discontinued the stop, citing a total of 128 passengers boarding or alighting in the first six months of 1975, the lowest system-wide. The last train serving Wilkinsburg was the National Limited, which operated daily between New York City and Kansas City, Missouri. During the brief resumption of commuter service with Conrail's Parkway Limited in 1981, the platforms had been removed and the stairways were inaccessible, so these two pairs of trains made their Wilkinsburg stop about two blocks east of the station, nearer the location of the predecessor stations.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

References

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External links

• National Limited timetable