Prince station

Prince is an Amtrak station in Prince, West Virginia, served by the Cardinal. It serves as the main depot for the Beckley area because it is on the CSX (originally Chesapeake & Ohio Railway) mainline while Beckley itself is not.

Prince, WV
Eastbound Cardinal stopped at Prince Amtrak station
Location5034 Stanaford Road, Prince, West Virginia
Coordinates37°51′24″N 81°03′38″W
Owned byFayette County Commission
Line(s)CSX New River Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes
Disabled accessYes
Architectural styleArt Moderne[1]
Other information
StatusUnstaffed[2]
Station codePRC
History
Opened1886 (1886)
Rebuilt1946 (1946)[3]
Passengers
20172,988[4]  1.53%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Thurmond
toward Chicago
 Cardinal Hinton
toward New York
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Thurmond
toward Chicago
 James Whitcomb Riley
1974-1977
 Hinton
toward Washington, D.C.
Charleston
toward Chicago
 James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington
1971–1974
 Hinton
toward Washington, D.C. or Newport News
Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station
Thurmond
toward Cincinnati
 Main Line Quinnimont
toward Washington, D.C or Newport News

History

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway built the first facility in 1880 that was enlarged in 1891 to serve both freight and passengers.[5] In 1942, the C&O president, Robert R. Young, saw a need for "a stylish, streamlined, and efficient passenger rail system" that lead to the development of the current station.[5]

Design

The design of the Prince train station is Art Moderne, similar to Art Deco, with a horizontal design, emphasizing movement and sleekness.[1][6] Built in 1946, the architectural firm was Garfield, Harris, Robinson, & Schafer that was headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.[7] The main terminal building is 125 by 22 feet (38.1 m × 6.7 m) and the waiting area features tall ceilings and large windows, as well as a large wall mural depicting mining and the importance of coal.[5] The terrazzo floor has embedded in it the original C&O “Chessie” kitten logo.[1]

The depot has a minimum of ornamentation. Each end of the 500-foot (152 m) canopy is rounded and topped with Streamline Moderne stainless steel lettering spelling out "Prince".[8] The canopy is oriented so that the sun would warm waiting passengers in the winter time, while shading them in the summer.[5]

  • Front entrance
  • Passenger platform side

Future

With an upsurge in activities in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, and the development of the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve that is located 7 miles (11 km) from the station, plans are underway for improvements to the passenger facility as of late 2013.[9]

References
  1. Gresham, Caryn (June 27, 2020). "Notable structures reflect state's history". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  2. Gunnoe, Chase (April 22, 2016). "Prince, W.Va., loses Amtrak station agent". Trains Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  3. "Prince Played a Large Part in Beckley Area Development". The Raleigh Register. Beckley, West Virginia. May 5, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved January 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, State of West Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  5. "Prince, WV (PRC)". www.greatamericanstations.com. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  6. "Along the New River". Railfan & Railroad. 25: 5. 2006.
  7. Bittermann, Eleanor (1952). Art in modern architecture. Reinhold. p. 73.
  8. Chambers, S. Allen (2004). Buildings of West Virginia, Volume 9 of Buildings of the United States. Oxford University Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-0-19-516548-7.
  9. Porterfield, Mannix (7 August 2013). "Prince train depot likely to have enhanced role in future Boy Scout functions". Register-Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
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