Branch line platforms

[Pennsy_I1]

Hello,

I would like to know what station platforms were like around the 1940s on rural branch lines in the midwest. I have seen photos of dirt, gravel, and wooden platforms, but this is hard to verify as most of these lines are abandoned and even the stations that remain no longer have platforms. I'm not asking about any specific road, only what general practice was.

Thanks,

 

 

Victoria Cyunczyk

[gmpullman]

General practice —

         Depends.

Some railroads liked to invest in paved brick or concrete platforms. Many were timber frames filled with compacted cinders. Some were planks like bridge or railroad crossing-type timbers.

Do you have some time on your hands? Here's over 9,000 photos of stations from all across North America and many from other parts of the world as well:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/albums/72157677655266106

They are "sort of" organized geographically, but I use the term loosely. Take a look and you'll see lots of variety.

Hope that helps, Ed

[BRAKIE]

Some branch line station was not very creature comfort so,a gravel area or plain dirt would suffice. Of course there was a small platform around the station its self.

Why go all out for a handful of passengers a year? REA and U.S.Mail was probably the only reason for that combine on the daily local. 

Did you know as the end was nearing for some of those branch lines what mail bags was left was carried in the caboose?

You could as still buy a ticket and ride in the caboose since passenger service was never formally dropped but,the ticket agents kept that a scecret as per a directive from the management..