Bristol station (locally known as Union Station and Bristol Train Station) is a historic
railroad station
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...
in
Bristol, Virginia
Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...
, USA, just north of the Tennessee state line. Built in 1902, the station was served by passenger trains until 1971. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
as Bristol Railroad Station in 1980.
History
![Bristol station white border postcard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Bristol_station_white_border_postcard.jpg)
Rail service first reached Bristol in 1856. A new station was built in 1902 by the
Norfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...
at a cost of $79,000 ().
It is a one- to two-story brick building consisting of a tower section; a long seven-bay, one-story midsection; and a six-bay, two-story east end. The tower has a hipped roof with deep overhanging eaves supported by long sawn brackets. Stylistically, the station fits into the pattern of early 20th-century American eclecticism, combining
Romanesque with various European vernacular modes. Associated with the station is a brick freight house constructed in 1883 and expanded in 1891.
''Accompanying four photos''
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Named trains and end of service
Several N&W trains served the station into the late 1960s:
*''Birmingham Special
The ''Birmingham Special'' was a passenger train operated by the Southern Railway, Norfolk and Western Railway, and Pennsylvania Railroad in the southeastern United States. The train began service in 1909 and continued, with alterations, after A ...
''—New York City to Birmingham, and branch to Memphis
*''Pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...
''—New York to New Orleans
*''Tennessean
Tennessean refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the state of Tennessee, including:
* ''The Tennessean'' newspaper
* Tennessean (train)
See also
* List of people from Tennessee
* Tennessine
Tennessine is a synthetic chemica ...
''—Washington to Memphis
Passenger service to Bristol station ended with the discontinuance of the ''Birmingham Special
The ''Birmingham Special'' was a passenger train operated by the Southern Railway, Norfolk and Western Railway, and Pennsylvania Railroad in the southeastern United States. The train began service in 1909 and continued, with alterations, after A ...
'' on April 30, 1971, when Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
assumed control for intercity passenger service in the United States. The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1980 as the Bristol Railroad Station.[ Around 2017, with Amtrak extending one daily '']Northeast Regional
The ''Northeast Regional'' is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the ''NortheastDirect'', ''Acela Regional'', or ''Regional''. It is Amtrak's busies ...
'' round trip to Roanoke, Bristol officials began advocating for a further extension to Bristol.
References
External links
History of the Bristol Train station
Bristol Train Station
Buildings and structures in Bristol, Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Bristol, Virginia
Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1902
Transportation in Bristol, Virginia
1902 establishments in Virginia
Former Norfolk and Western Railway stations
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