WE NEED TO FIX OUR RAILROAD STATION

[Ocklawaha]

Some years ago Nortonville, Kentucky was merely a railroad junction. It was a small station where the Illinois Central and the Louisville and Nashville railroads crossed, and the rivalry between these two roads at that time was so intense that the Illinois Central trains left five minutes before the L&N train arrived, and passengers had to wait there for eight hours or more.

The station at Nortonville was an uninviting structure and the waiting room held about a dozen people. Scores of people were compelled to sit on the platform and use their suitcases for seats. They dare not leave their seats for they would be minus their personal property (nice neighborhood). Nortonville was a horrible place and was known and dreaded by all who were compelled to go by that route to Louisville, Cincinnati, Nashville or St. Louis.

Jacksonville has a better station then Nortonville, but it fits the requirements of the city just about as much as the depot at Nortonville met the demands of the patrons of these two railroads.

The station at Jacksonville is a disgrace to this city, and to the railroad responsible for its condition.

It gives tourists a bad impression of the city and it shows that the comforts and convenience of the patrons are disregarded.

The space allotted for the people is provided with uncomfortable seats and in the present season, it is a very common thing to see one hundred men, women and children in bad weather walking up and down the sidewalks waiting for some belated train, and with no place provided where they can rest.

Jacksonville's station met the requirements when the business was one-tenth of what it is today, but as it now stands it is a disgrace. The people can't walk-they must ride and the transportation companies seem to care not for their comfort or convenience. The rates are high, the business remarkably good but everything is run in order to make the profits greater.

From the Jacksonville Dixie Newspaper, May 25, 1912.

WOW, JUST FREAKING WOW! 99 years later and we have managed to take our city right back to these conditions all over again. Deja vu!

OCKLAWAHA

[Jaxson]

History repeating itself!

[CS Foltz]

But hay............the Prime Osburn makes a really good Convention Center......right? Talk about a lack of vision......stupid City! The damn thing needs to become rail again...period! What is so difficult about the concept?

[mtraininjax]

But hay............the Prime Osburn makes a really good Convention Center......right? Talk about a lack of vision......stupid City! The damn thing needs to become rail again...period! What is so difficult about the concept?

Talk about a lack of vision, in 1985/6 when the people got together to save the Terminal, it could have just as easily been bulldozed. There wouldn't even be hot air about moving the train terminal back, had the citizens did what they did back in the mid 80s to save the facility.

[Ocklawaha]

But hay............the Prime Osburn makes a really good Convention Center......right? Talk about a lack of vision......stupid City! The damn thing needs to become rail again...period! What is so difficult about the concept?

Talk about a lack of vision, in 1985/6 when the people got together to save the Terminal, it could have just as easily been bulldozed. There wouldn't even be hot air about moving the train terminal back, had the citizens did what they did back in the mid 80s to save the facility.

By the same token, it could just as easily been converted into a Transportation Center right then and there. The concept was fairly new, but had been in use in New Orleans for years. Jacksonville likewise had the benefit of a Federal survey study of railroad stations that were convertible, and how many tracks they should have as Transportation Centers. Ours was in the study and RECOMMENDED as a transportation center before the citizens ever gathered in the building... and decided it should be a "detached" convention center. I already had a model of the station made (on the back of a "Haystack Mandarin" sign LOL) and had shown it to several city types including friends Eric Smith and Jim Wells - ironically the same design that I scribbled up for Lakelander's "planner guy" interpretation using the JTA designed elements. History again repeats itself.

Bottom line, whoever had the final say in moving the station to a single mainline in NW Jax. should serve a 1,000 year sentence in the clown wagon (caboose) behind a long train of black diamonds (coal)... At the end of that run I understand there are restaurants in Biloxi that STILL won't let you in!

OCKLAWAHA

[Timkin]

Tell em , Ock

[fsujax]

Considering back in 1985 there was no vision to convert it back to a transportation terminal, at least they saved it for some use. Now we have have the chance to bring it back to its glory days.

[Timkin]

yes, the very fact that it was not leveled with the rest of LaVilla is nothing short of amazing. We have the chance if we have leadership WHO WILL LISTEN to good reason and expertise (not that I am the expert, but Ock sure as heck is)

[BrSpiritus]

The old Union Station c.1910:

[mtraininjax]

History again repeats itself.

Yeah, and we could have saved the Saratoga or JFK for use downtown. So now we are looking to spend 6-8 million to bring another Navy ship downtown, when we could have had one all along.

I know, I know, what was Jacksonville thinking.....add this to the long list.

[Jaxson]

History again repeats itself.

Yeah, and we could have saved the Saratoga or JFK for use downtown. So now we are looking to spend 6-8 million to bring another Navy ship downtown, when we could have had one all along.

I know, I know, what was Jacksonville thinking.....add this to the long list.

Amen to our dogged pursuit of pipe dreams that never seem to take hold.  We are fickle and move on to our next big thing...  Don't forget the ampitheater!

[Dashing Dan]

Pending the relocation of Amtrak to the Jacksonville Terminal, does anybody care about the condition of the existing Amtrak station off of Kings Road?  Or is it okay for now?

[Timkin]

I would not spend a dime on the Amshack on Kings.  Seriously.

[Dashing Dan]

Thanks.

I don't have an opinion - I'm just wondering.

[Ocklawaha]

Pending the relocation of Amtrak to the Jacksonville Terminal, does anybody care about the condition of the existing Amtrak station off of Kings Road?  Or is it okay for now?

GOT MATCHES?

OCKLAWAHA