My Design for a central Atlanta station

[MattW]

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd230/Zatnikitelman/AtlantaStation.jpg

So that's what I've designed using Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Sketchup, and GIMP. I've tried to improve on stations that I've been to as much as I can. Some thing aren't clear from that image so I'll explain.

• The big blue rectangles going to the left are the platforms, 9 car lengths long located under where the Phillips Arena parking deck is now and roughly between the old Terminal and Union Station platforms.
  
• The headhouse would be at the bridge level of Spring and Forsyth Streets.
  
• The little rectangles and square on the Northern most platform is a pair of 48" wide escalators and an 8' wide Elevator.
  
• The platforms are about 25 feet wide.
  
• The room labeled baggage would not only be where people picked up their baggage, but would be where the desk agent passes it through a hole in the wall to the baggage crew who would use a not-shown elevator down to track level.
  
• The two smaller rectangles "behind" the two larger bathrooms are also bathrooms for the First Class Lounge passengers.
  
• The narrow rectangle in front of the bathrooms is simply a "foyer" of sorts partly to keep people from peeking into opposite-gendered bathrooms when the door is opened (if there is a door)
  
• The long narrow space on the north end of the station is an employee access hall.
  
• The part labeled garage was originally intended to be a true garage for "fleet" vehicles, but that's more my specific-daydreaming scenario
  
• Also, this area could be used for off-hours delivery to the vendors.
  
• The space with the label of "135 feet" is a service hallway doored at both ends for access to the vendor stalls.
  
• The little weird area south of the food court is an escalator/elevator combo to a (not shown) pedestrian bridge to the barely-pictured Five-Points MARTA station. I'm not sure how much room there is under that area, otherwise, I'd say use a tunnel.
  
• The ceilings would be very high ceilings.
  

My main goal was to have the station be as open and airy as possible hence the lack of walls around the outside and the low wall/railings around the food court and waiting areas. I've also tried to incorporate what I like about other large stations I've visited (admittedly only CHI and WAS at this point ) such as the low wall or railing.

 

[MrEd]

Thanks for adding a new first class lounge. Wonder what it will be called.

 

[dlagrua]

How about this. Old Atlanta station that fell to the wrecking ball. Now a parking lot.

This was one of the two magnificent railway stations that served Atlanta. Here is the other:

They really knew how to build stations back then. Sadly these architectural gems are now both gone.

 

[had8ley]

I love it Matt and I'm sure the 100 plus people that suffocate, on a twice daily basis, in the "cage" they call a station now would be forever beholding if it ever came to pass.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Intereting plans, Matt.

And thanks Diagrua for the photos. Even though I grew up in Chattanooga rather than Atlanta I knew the old stations well.

In my childhood there were four different railroads serving each station.

Matt, have you ever thought about retainng the present station and let it revert to it's oiginal status as suburban brief stop. That is, the trains on the Crescent's route would revert to the practice all through the years until about 1970 or so to pause at the small station then come on into town where the real work was done.

Should trains, say from Chicago to Miami, ever start running again of course they would use only your proposed station, not bother with the present small one.

 

[DET63]

Current Atlanta Amtrak station

Current Jacksonville Amshack

Aside from the height of the roof, they're not all that different, IMHO.

 

[PRR 60]

Current Jacksonville Amshack

That photo must be some other Amshack, or a photo of a prior Jacksonville station. Here are recent photos of the Jacksonville, Florida Amtrak station.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Looks like the Amshak in St. Louis that is now used as a crew building since the new Gateway Station opened! Of course lots of them look alike, so Im not positive?

 

[Eric S]

Looks like the Amshak in St. Louis that is now used as a crew building since the new Gateway Station opened! Of course lots of them look alike, so Im not positive?

I think you're right! I knew it looked familiar, and I've never been to Jacksonville. I've been to St. Louis quite a few times, when the old Amshack was in use, when that "upgraded" Amshack in the picture was in use as the station, and recently since Gateway Station opened.

 

[jphjaxfl]

The Amtrak Station in Jacksonville that is pictured is the same one that has been used since January, 1973. I passed through Jacksonville on a 12 hour late Floridian on the 3rd day the station was being used. They were still giving out compliamentary champaign to adult travelers in honor of the station's opening. It was one of the first stations built by Amtrak. At the time, the Floridian split at Jacksonville and I was in a 11 DBR sleeping car in the Miami Section. The other section went to Tampa and St. Pete. I had boarded the train Nashville at 10PM CST when it was due to depart at 11AM. The steamline broke in very cold weather in Indiana the night before and it took hours before it was repaired. They also had to set out the bad ordered Great Dome Lounge Car that was operating in the Floridian at the time.

 

[TVRM610]

I love it Matt and I'm sure the 100 plus people that suffocate, on a twice daily basis, in the "cage" they call a station now would be forever beholding if it ever came to pass.

I'd never think of the current Atlanta station as a "cage" - I rather love the "small depot" feel of it. The waiting room there is very nice. For the most part it works. Now sure Atlanta SHOULD need a larger station to accomodate the many more trains that Atlanta should be operating. But for its current operations... the depot does all-right.

Comparing it to an "amshack" is really not fair since it has so much charm and history. Also.. if you still complain about ATL.. try boarding the Crescent in Birmingham, now THAT will teach you. ha.

 

[dlagrua]

I love it Matt and I'm sure the 100 plus people that suffocate, on a twice daily basis, in the "cage" they call a station now would be forever beholding if it ever came to pass.

I'd never think of the current Atlanta station as a "cage" - I rather love the "small depot" feel of it. The waiting room there is very nice. For the most part it works. Now sure Atlanta SHOULD need a larger station to accomodate the many more trains that Atlanta should be operating. But for its current operations... the depot does all-right.

Comparing it to an "amshack" is really not fair since it has so much charm and history. Also.. if you still complain about ATL.. try boarding the Crescent in Birmingham, now THAT will teach you. ha.

Look at the pictures and links in this post of what magnificent train stations in Atlanta and Jacksonville were like and compare them to the chinzy stations that exist today. Rather criminal in putting those stations to the wrecking ball I would say. They could never be built again.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I love it Matt and I'm sure the 100 plus people that suffocate, on a twice daily basis, in the "cage" they call a station now would be forever beholding if it ever came to pass.

I'd never think of the current Atlanta station as a "cage" - I rather love the "small depot" feel of it. The waiting room there is very nice. For the most part it works. Now sure Atlanta SHOULD need a larger station to accomodate the many more trains that Atlanta should be operating. But for its current operations... the depot does all-right.

Comparing it to an "amshack" is really not fair since it has so much charm and history. Also.. if you still complain about ATL.. try boarding the Crescent in Birmingham, now THAT will teach you. ha.

Look at the pictures and links in this post of what magnificent train stations in Atlanta and Jacksonville were like and compare them to the chinzy stations that exist today. Rather criminal in putting those stations to the wrecking ball I would say. They could never be built again.

Yes, but do keep in mind that the little station which still exists in ATL today is from the same generation as the two big downtown stations.

It was built merely to be a helper, so to speak, a suburban stop for citizens north of town.

It is really, really hard to think of it as an amshack,knowing its place in early Atlanta history and that it was never meant to be a major station, even when rail traffic was at it's highest.

The trains on the Southern RR from NYC and WAS would pause there, then go on into town for the major work. In the mid 50's six trains a day one way,12 round trip stopped there. Apparently it was adequate for that, with most people boarding downtown, I am sure.

Kind of convenient how the last trains serving Atlanta were on that line, that made for a rather simple solution to what to use for the remaining trains.

No other line than Southern used that station. And Southern did not use it for it's Detroit to Florida trains.Just the trains on the Crescent route.

 

[Dovecote]

The picture of the Atlanta station brings back memories to 1974 when I first stepped into the station. I was attending college at UGA and was seeing my friends off north to NY who were visiting me. My first thought of the station was "is this it"? I guess being from NY my expectations of a train station was suppose to be like Penn Station. Through the years, I have traveled out of the Atlanta station numerous times. I have come to appreciate this little station and the history behind it. By the way, I will be traveling out of ATL this Wednesday. Save me a parking space :lol:

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

The picture of the Atlanta station brings back memories to 1974 when I first stepped into the station. I was attending college at UGA and was seeing my friends off north to NY who were visiting me. My first thought of the station was "is this it"? I guess being from NY my expectations of a train station was suppose to be like Penn Station. Through the years, I have traveled out of the Atlanta station numerous times. I have come to appreciate this little station and the history behind it. By the way, I will be traveling out of ATL this Wednesday. Save me a parking space :lol:

Dovecoat, I liked the honesty of your report.

Indeed it is small and one day it would be nice to have a large downtown station, with more trains.

But you also refer to the history.

Well said.

I googled Atlanta Railroad Stations and found that the old downtown Terminal Station was built in 1905. the Union Station downtown was built in 1930. Our little friend,today's Amtrak station, known in the past variously as the Brookwood Station and the Peachtree Station was built in either 1908 or 1918, two reports given.

Pretty hard to see how a solid brick structure, built that long ago, and with a half million dollar renovation for the 1996 Olympics would be considered by some to be an amshack.

It helps to understand why the station is so small by realizing it was never meant to be anything but a brief suburban stop. And was built that way in either 1908 or 1918.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Current Atlanta Amtrak station

Wow, this is what you all call a shack (aka Amshack)? :huh:

 

[orulz]

From what I've seen, the most recent discussion regarding the Atlanta MMPT seems to be trending towards making most of the platforms north-south which would push the whole station further west, actually closer to the CNN Center and Georgia Dome than the Five Points MARTA station. The exception would be that future trains towards Augusta would have to be on an east-west platform, and that would likely be closer to Five Points.

The change in plans results from completely abandoning the Decatur Belt for the Beltline.

 

[had8ley]

I love it Matt and I'm sure the 100 plus people that suffocate, on a twice daily basis, in the "cage" they call a station now would be forever beholding if it ever came to pass.

I'd never think of the current Atlanta station as a "cage" - I rather love the "small depot" feel of it. The waiting room there is very nice. For the most part it works. Now sure Atlanta SHOULD need a larger station to accomodate the many more trains that Atlanta should be operating. But for its current operations... the depot does all-right.

Comparing it to an "amshack" is really not fair since it has so much charm and history. Also.. if you still complain about ATL.. try boarding the Crescent in Birmingham, now THAT will teach you. ha.

Have you ever sat there, or stood, waiting on a very late Crescent when it was very cold or very hot outside with 100 plus people? Gives new meaning to the term love thy neighbor. People have had to wait outside for lack of room; that's when I call it quits as far as a functional depot. Looks nice on a post card but not when you're inside shoulder to shoulder ! At least in B'ham you can stand on the platform and watch the steam pour out of the unloading tank cars...