Passengers board Amtrak ’ s California Zephyr after the train backed into
Denver ’ s Union Station .
Most train buffs ’ passion for riding the rails is accompanied by a love of railway stations . Denver ’ s large three-story Neo-classic terminal was impressive to two small-town travelers during the long-ago visit . Three two-story semi-circular windows dominate the front entrance to the old granite building that once served as a way station for presidents , queens , movie stars , soldiers and hundreds of thousands of everyday travelers like us . Our excitement faded upon entering the terminal ’ s central waiting room . The once-glorious three-story hall had deteriorated to become a gloomy and mostly empty shell , much like the country ’ s long-distance passenger rail service . The terminal ’ s celebrated history had become a distant memory .
Like many major city rail terminals , Denver ’ s Union Station has experienced its ups and downs . To the disappointment of the city ’ s citizens , the U . S . Congress in the early 1860s chose to route the transcontinental railroad across Dakota Territory ( most of which would become Wyoming when it became a state in 1890 ) to avoid the rugged mountains west of Denver . With the city bypassed , a new railway company constructed tracks from Denver north to connect with the transcontinental route at Cheyenne . Other railroads including the Denver and Rio Grande subsequently added new routes until Denver was host to four rail stations that city leaders and railroad executives decided were three too many . This led to an
Amtrak employee Misty Martinez offers assistance to rail passengers at the Union Station ticket office .
October 2024 | Valdosta Scene 27