Dayton Union Station

Dayton Union Station
inter-city rail station
Dayton Union Station in 1904
General information
Location130 West 6th Street
Dayton, OH 45402
Coordinates39°45′17″N 84°11′38″W / 39.7548°N 84.1940°W / 39.7548; -84.1940
Elevation740 ft (230 m)
History
Opened1900
Closed1979
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Richmond National Limited Columbus
Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station
Whitfield
toward Cincinnati
Toledo Division Johnson
toward Detroit
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
West Carrollton
toward Cincinnati
CincinnatiCleveland Osborn
toward Cleveland
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Richmond
toward St. Louis
St. Louis – Pittsburgh
via Dayton
Alpha
toward Pittsburgh
National
toward Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway Terminus

Dayton Union Station was a railroad station serving Dayton, Ohio with daily passenger trains of several railroads. The station was located at 251 W. Sixth Street at the intersection of Ludlow Street, and it opened in 1900, replacing an earlier depot built in the mid-1850s. It was owned by the Dayton Union Railroad Co., which was owned by the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railway, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, and the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad.[1] Through a series of mergers over the years, it was ultimately owned by the New York Central Railroad, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and Pennsylvania Railroad.

Colloquially called the "Tower Depot," it included a seven-story clock tower.[2][3] In the first 30 years of operation, the station hosted as many as 66 passenger trains a day. In 1931 the station opened an elevated platform to alleviate congestion between trains, streetcars and automobiles.[2]

Famous people who stopped by the station included child actress Shirley Temple in 1944, President Harry S. Truman in 1948 and President Ronald Reagan in 1983, both of the latter two making campaign stops, Reagan making a whistle stop tour.[2]

  1. ^ "New Union Passenger Station at Dayton O." Engineering News and American Railway Journal. Vol. 46. Engineering News Publishing Company. 1901.
  2. ^ a b c Powell, Lisa (February 20, 2018). "In its day, Dayton's Union Station was a "handsome palace"". Dayton Daily News.
  3. ^ "Dayton's Passenger Stations of the Past". The Great Union Stations.