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I was in the northeast the past few days and attended part of the B&O Historical Society Convention. The highlight for my brief stay was a bus tour of the old B&O (now CSX) mainline between Baltimore and Wilmington.
The former Wilmington B&O freight station (next to the Amtrak station) has been renovated to the tune of $4M, thanks to local funding and big time contribution by ING, a Dutch company with their subsidiary, ING Direct HQ in Wilm. Renovation was done to honor the the architect, Frank Furness. Furness also designed Amtrak's station and the nearby PRR office building. The presentation from the group behind the makeover of the B&O station was less than enthusiastic about Amtrak's plans for the interior of their station. While the exterior has maintained the integrity of the original design, the interior is Amtrak's 'vision'. According to Preservation magazine, "Amtrak also plans to "modernize" the traditional-looking concourse with stainless steel, glass, and terrazzo floors." Supposedly this is to reflect the modern spirit of the Acela.
Sadly B&O's passenger station in Wilmington (also designed by Furness) was demolished not long after passenger service ended in 1958. A few remnants of the platform remain. In the 50's the B&O operated as many as 9 passenger trains each way.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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From the Wilmington News Journal on line edition , Amtrak's Wilmington, DE station will reopen on schedule following renovations.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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