Prince station

Prince station is an Amtrak station in Prince, West Virginia, served by the Cardinal. It serves as the main depot for the Beckley area because it is on the CSX (originally Chesapeake & Ohio Railway) mainline while Beckley itself is not.

Prince, WV
Eastbound Cardinal stopped at Prince station in 2009
General information
Location	5034 Stanaford Road (WV 41) Prince, West Virginia United States
Coordinates	37°51′24″N 81°03′38″W
Owned by	Fayette County Commission
Line(s)	CSX New River Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Architectural style	Art Moderne[1]
Other information
Status	Unstaffed[2]
Station code	Amtrak: PRC
History
Opened	1886; 138 years ago (1886)
Rebuilt	1946[3]
Passengers
FY 2023	1,507[4] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Thurmond toward Chicago Cardinal Hinton toward New York
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Thurmond toward Chicago James Whitcomb Riley 1974–1977 Hinton toward Washington, D.C. Charleston toward Chicago James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington 1971–1974 Hinton toward Washington, D.C. or Newport News Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station Thurmond toward Cincinnati Main Line Quinnimont toward Washington, D.C. or Old Point Comfort Wright toward Lester Lester – Prince Terminus
Location

History

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway built the first facility in 1880 that was enlarged in 1891 to serve both freight and passengers.^[5] In 1942, the C&O president, Robert R. Young, saw a need for "a stylish, streamlined, and efficient passenger rail system" that led to the development of the current station.^[5]

Design

The design of the Prince train station is Art Moderne, similar to Art Deco,^[6] with a horizontal design, emphasizing movement and sleekness.^[1][7] Built in 1946, the architectural firm was Garfield, Harris, Robinson, & Schafer that was headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.^[8] The main terminal building is 125 by 22 feet (38.1 m × 6.7 m) and the waiting area features tall ceilings and large windows, as well as a large wall mural depicting mining and the importance of coal.^[5] The terrazzo floor has embedded in it the original C&O “Chessie” kitten logo.^[1]

The depot has a minimum of ornamentation. Each end of the 500-foot (152 m) canopy is rounded and topped with Streamline Moderne stainless steel lettering spelling out "Prince".^[9] The canopy is oriented so that the sun would warm waiting passengers in the winter time, while shading them in the summer.^[5]

• 
  Building overview in 2022
• 
  Front entrance in 2022
• 
  Passenger platform side in 2022
• 
  Interior in 2022

Future

With an upsurge in activities in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, and the development of the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve that is located 7 miles (11 km) from the station, plans were underway for improvements to the passenger facility as of late 2013.^[10]

References

1. Gresham, Caryn (June 27, 2020). "Notable structures reflect state's history". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
2. Gunnoe, Chase (April 22, 2016). "Prince, W.Va., loses Amtrak station agent". Trains Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
3. "Prince Played a Large Part in Beckley Area Development". The Raleigh Register. Beckley, West Virginia. May 5, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved January 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of West Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
5. "Prince, WV (PRC)". www.greatamericanstations.com. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
6. Castro, James E. (2006). The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Arcadia Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 9780738543345.
7. "Along the New River". Railfan & Railroad. 25: 5. 2006.
8. Bittermann, Eleanor (1952). Art in modern architecture. Reinhold. p. 73.
9. Chambers, S. Allen (2004). Buildings of West Virginia, Volume 9 of Buildings of the United States. Oxford University Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-0-19-516548-7.
10. Porterfield, Mannix (7 August 2013). "Prince train depot likely to have enhanced role in future Boy Scout functions". Register-Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2014.

External links

• Prince, WV – Amtrak
• Prince, WV – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Prince Amtrak Station – USA Rail Guide (TrainWeb)