Welcome to Vintage Railroad Postcards!

Thank you for stopping by! This is the blog for the Russell P. Panecki Collection of vintage railroad-related postcards. The entire collection consists of nearly one thousand so far with images dating from circa 1904 to the 1950s. To leave a comment, ask a question, to contribute or correct historical information, a comment box is located to the left for your convenience.

Each page, including this homepage, has an index located in the lower portion of the page. In addition to the index, posts were updated with historical information, new postcards added from storage files, while some posts were completely rewritten or edited for corrections. Three articles have been added and are worth reading. They include how vintage postcards were made, the history of Pennsylvania Station, and the history of Grand Central Terminal.

My apologies, but the postcards in my collection and on this blog are not available for sale, copying, or for contribution to projects. Please keep in mind that I reserve all rights to the images and content of this blog.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Chicago, Illinois Terminal, Chicago & Northwestern Railway

Completed in 1911, the Chicago & Northwestern Railway's Chicago passenger terminal was a grand symbol of the prosperous railroad. The train shed contained 16 tracks elevated above street level and connected to an interior concourse. In the period postcards below, published after the Renaissance Revival building's opening, show the interior of the train shed, street level lobby for commuters, and stately waiting room. The main waiting room alone measured 201 feet by 202 feet with a floor-to-ceiling height of 84 feet. The last card is of the interestingly tiled "tea room" with stylish wood furniture and large vases of flowers awaiting passengers ready for a break from their travels. Part of the terminal still stands today as the Ogilvie Transportation Center.




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