All images © 2008 by Robert E. Pence
I traveled to Toledo to attend the regional meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), hosted by All Aboard Ohio. I had contemplated doing a photo tour of the city afterward, and maybe staying overnight to see more, but the weather turned dreary during the day. Few cities embrace a dreary day as do those around Lake Erie, so I decided to return later after the weather warms up.
A look at the surroundings.
I didn't realize until I got home that I had shot this with the lens hood knocked askew. I can't bring myself to delete it because I like everything else about it -- the light, the perspective, etc. -- so maybe I'll fix it up in photoshop later.
I first went into the Amtrak passenger station on the ground floor, but found out that they had no access to the third floor concourse, so I had to go back out and drive around to the top of the ramp and use the entrance there.
The current station is on the first story at track level. This area formerly was the baggage-handling area. It's one of the most striking renovations I've seen in an Amtrak station. The stylish benches aren't all that comfortable, but that wouldn't be a big deal if people didn't have to wait for hours for the trains.
Plaza at the third floor main concourse entrance level.
There's not much I could say that would do justice to the main concourse. The track concourse was used for offices during the Conrail era, and then allowed to deteriorate; the restoration is pretty amazing.
The early part of the day held a promise of a little sun, but by afternoon the promise was thoroughly broken. No rain, just gray.
Please excuse the glass reflections.
Each platform has both a stairway and a ramp. The strongest recollection I have of arriving in Toledo from Detroit in the eary 1980s is climbing those long, steep stairs with a crowd of other passengers.
I skipped lunch to go outside and explore the platforms. I'm impressed by what a good job they do of keeping the area free of graffiti and other vandalism.
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