Long before Glenn Miller made the world-famous "Chattanooga Choo Choo" an American icon, Chattanooga was already a bustling railroad community. By the beginning of the 20th century, passenger trains overwhelmed Chattanooga's two railroad depots and a larger station was needed. The solution was Terminal Station, which rivaled most Southern depots in size, expense, and aesthetic beauty. Providing transportation to cities throughout the country, the terminal made its mark as the gateway for rail from the agricultural south to the industrial north. Following its closure, the terminal was reopened as a renowned hotel and entertainment complex in 1973, becoming one of Chattanooga's many exciting attractions. Images of Rail: Chattanooga's Terminal Station follows the history of this depot in both stories and photographs.
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Title: Aradia Publishing's Chattanooga's Terminal Station offers inspiration to all mainline passenger modelers
Publisher: O'Scale Trains
Date: 5/22/09
Justin W. Strickland's Chattanooga Terminal Station is not just a fine book about Chattanooga's Terminal Station. It's the photographic story of urban railroad passenger terminals throughout the United States during the height of passenger travel and the decline that occurred during the postwar years. In telling the story of Chattanooga's Terminal Station, the book casts light on the whole plight of railroad stations that served dozens of "second tier" cities and towns.
All too often, publishers re-tell the stories of big-city stations like New York City's Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station, but overlook the equally-compelling stories of joint terminal operations in secondary markets. And, as Chattanooga's Terminal Station proves, there's quite a story to be told.
Although may not think of Chattanooga's passenger train service in the same breath as Atlanta or Cincinnati, the Chattanooga Terminal Station was actually quite complex. As the track plan on page 24 shows, the station was a stub-end terminal located on a wye. Dozens of double-slip switches allowed trains from all directions to access any one of the station's 14 tracks and 7 umbrella platforms.
Like all Arcadia Publishing books, the story of Chattanooga's Terminal Station is told in photographs. However, what sets this book apart is David Steinberg's photography. David Steinberg was a teenager who chronicled the daily arrivals and departures throughout the postwar era and into the terminals renaissance as a hotel and conference center.
David was obviously a friend of the terminal's many employees as well as the trains. There are numerous sequences of photographs showing trains backing into the station and pulling away. There are also numerous photographs of the employees. As a habitue of the Bridgeport, Connecticut, railroad station during the 50's and later, I can identify and, therefore, appreciate Steinberg's attempts to document the station not as "art," but as "working portraits" of a busy working environment.
Following the departure of the last scheduled passenger train on August 11, 1970, Chattanooga's Terminal Station Steinberg documents the terminal's transformation into a hotel and conference center. In an attempt to avoid the negative publicity tht arose over the destruction of other no-longer-needed passenger stations, the president of the Southern Railway made the station's preservation a priority.
The station's huge domed-area was converted into a restaurant and meeting facilities, and passenger cars were restored and converted into guest lodging. Several tracks and platforms were removed and replaced with formal gardens; a short stretch of track was electrified as a tourist attraction. The development was renamed the Chattanooga Choo Choo, and a neon huge sign was put on the station's roof visible at night throughout the city.
The station may have been preserved, but, like many railroad station preservation efforts, those who appreciated the Chattanooga Terminal Station for what it was during the passenger years may feel slightly squeamish about certain aspects of the way a "serious" railroad facility was replaced with the superficiality and theme-park glitz of a tourist attraction.
Nevertheless, Chatanooga's Terminal Station is an important book worthy of the attention of a broad spectrum of railroad passenger service enthusiasts and modelers. It documents the historic economic, historical, political, and operating circumstances which lead to the creation of a major urban terminal. You get a feeling of being a participant in the terminal's day-to-day operations. There's even a chapter on some of the postwar "pie-in-the-sky" plans to replace the terminal with an even larger union station.
Chattanooga's Terminal Station, by Justin W. Strickland. Arcadia Publishing. Available at area bookstores and online booksellers and from the Publisher, Arcadia Publishing. $ 21.99. www.arcadiapublishing.com.
Publisher: O'Scale Trains
Date: 5/22/09
Justin W. Strickland's Chattanooga Terminal Station is not just a fine book about Chattanooga's Terminal Station. It's the photographic story of urban railroad passenger terminals throughout the United States during the height of passenger travel and the decline that occurred during the postwar years. In telling the story of Chattanooga's Terminal Station, the book casts light on the whole plight of railroad stations that served dozens of "second tier" cities and towns.
All too often, publishers re-tell the stories of big-city stations like New York City's Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station, but overlook the equally-compelling stories of joint terminal operations in secondary markets. And, as Chattanooga's Terminal Station proves, there's quite a story to be told.
Although may not think of Chattanooga's passenger train service in the same breath as Atlanta or Cincinnati, the Chattanooga Terminal Station was actually quite complex. As the track plan on page 24 shows, the station was a stub-end terminal located on a wye. Dozens of double-slip switches allowed trains from all directions to access any one of the station's 14 tracks and 7 umbrella platforms.
Like all Arcadia Publishing books, the story of Chattanooga's Terminal Station is told in photographs. However, what sets this book apart is David Steinberg's photography. David Steinberg was a teenager who chronicled the daily arrivals and departures throughout the postwar era and into the terminals renaissance as a hotel and conference center.
David was obviously a friend of the terminal's many employees as well as the trains. There are numerous sequences of photographs showing trains backing into the station and pulling away. There are also numerous photographs of the employees. As a habitue of the Bridgeport, Connecticut, railroad station during the 50's and later, I can identify and, therefore, appreciate Steinberg's attempts to document the station not as "art," but as "working portraits" of a busy working environment.
Following the departure of the last scheduled passenger train on August 11, 1970, Chattanooga's Terminal Station Steinberg documents the terminal's transformation into a hotel and conference center. In an attempt to avoid the negative publicity tht arose over the destruction of other no-longer-needed passenger stations, the president of the Southern Railway made the station's preservation a priority.
The station's huge domed-area was converted into a restaurant and meeting facilities, and passenger cars were restored and converted into guest lodging. Several tracks and platforms were removed and replaced with formal gardens; a short stretch of track was electrified as a tourist attraction. The development was renamed the Chattanooga Choo Choo, and a neon huge sign was put on the station's roof visible at night throughout the city.
The station may have been preserved, but, like many railroad station preservation efforts, those who appreciated the Chattanooga Terminal Station for what it was during the passenger years may feel slightly squeamish about certain aspects of the way a "serious" railroad facility was replaced with the superficiality and theme-park glitz of a tourist attraction.
Nevertheless, Chatanooga's Terminal Station is an important book worthy of the attention of a broad spectrum of railroad passenger service enthusiasts and modelers. It documents the historic economic, historical, political, and operating circumstances which lead to the creation of a major urban terminal. You get a feeling of being a participant in the terminal's day-to-day operations. There's even a chapter on some of the postwar "pie-in-the-sky" plans to replace the terminal with an even larger union station.
Chattanooga's Terminal Station, by Justin W. Strickland. Arcadia Publishing. Available at area bookstores and online booksellers and from the Publisher, Arcadia Publishing. $ 21.99. www.arcadiapublishing.com.
About the Author
Author Justin W. Strickland has over 10 years experience in the tourist, railroad, and hospitality industries. After moving to Chattanooga from Atlanta in 2006, Strickland gained knowledge through research on Terminal Station and local railroad history.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An informative and fascinating read!,
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This review is from: Chattanooga's Terminal Station (TN) (Images of Rail) (Paperback)
A very well-researched and well-written piece on the history of this well-known landmark. Includes the historical context of the station's construction, the history of the station through the years, and even the conversion of the building to its current use as a theme hotel and conference center. The author provides a wealth of photographs of the station through the years, including construction photos, photos of the structures demolished to make way for the station, and even historical photos of the long-gone stations in Chattanooga which preceeded Terminal Station. A must for any enthusiast with an interest in stations in general, or this great one in particular. Highly recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well researched book,
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This review is from: Chattanooga's Terminal Station (TN) (Images of Rail) (Paperback)
Justin Strickland's "Terminal Station" has just the right amount of text with a wonderful assortment of pictures documenting the history of Chattanooga's Terminal Station. I have read the entire book and it is most informative, well arranged, a fun book to read if you like railroads and architecture.
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