Spartanburg station

Spartanburg station is an Amtrak train station in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. It is located at 290 Magnolia Street, within walking distance of Wofford College, the Spartanburg County government administration building and the Donald S. Russell Federal Building, which includes the federal courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Spartanburg, SC
General information
Location	290 Magnolia Street Spartanburg, South Carolina United States
Coordinates	34°57′13″N 81°56′15″W / 34.9535°N 81.9375°W / 34.9535; -81.9375
Owned by	City of Spartanburg
Line(s)	Charlotte District
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	50 spaces; free
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Unstaffed
Station code	Amtrak: SPB
History
Opened	1904
Original company	Southern Railway
Passengers
FY 2022	2,699^[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Greenville toward New Orleans Crescent Gastonia toward New York
Former services Preceding station Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Following station Terminus Charleston and Western Carolina Railway Main Line Roebuck toward Port Royal Preceding station Southern Railway Following station Hayne toward Birmingham Main Line Converse toward Washington, D.C. Spartanburg Junction toward Asheville Asheville – Columbia Cedar Spring toward Columbia

History

 

1910s Spartanburg Union Station

Opened in 1904, the Spartanburg Union Depot (also referred to as Union Station) was built by Southern Railway and also served the Clinchfield Railroad and the Charleston & Western Carolina Railway. Nicknamed "Hub City," the two-story station had one side platform and two island platforms operating on five tracks. The building included waiting areas, baggage facilities, and offices. A few years later, the station was expanded to include a three-story tower in the center. In 1915, a separate building, located west adjacent to station, was built for the Southern Express Company (packaging services).^[2][3]

By 1940, the three-story tower had been removed from the station. Over the next three decades, the station was gradually scaled down as passenger rail service dropped. In 1973, the main station was razed while the former Southeastern Express building was converted into the current station. In 1996, the station was damaged by fire; however, instead of being demolished it was restored thanks to a 16-year-old who launched a crusade to save the station through letters, editorials and meetings with local politicians.^[4][5][6]

In mid-twentieth century the station was a hub for passenger eservices in different directions. In addition to serving the New Orleans-Washington-New York City corridor with six departures a day to Atlanta, the station hosted two trains a day on the Asheville to Columbia line with the (including the South Carolina section of the Carolina Special ran from Cincinnati to Knoxville, Asheville, Spartanburg, Columbia and finally to Charleston). The Skyland Special ran from Asheville to Jacksonville, Florida, having a cessation from 1942 to 1947, owing to World War II.^[7][8] The Skyland Special was discontinued in 1958.

Into the mid 1960s, the station continued to be rather busy. The Southern Railway continued to run several New York City to Atlanta trains, of which a few such as the Crescent continued to Birmingham and New Orleans. The Southern Railway lost the Carolina Special in 1968.

Services

The station, operated by Amtrak, provides inter-city rail service via the Crescent. The facility is open nightly at 11:00pm-6:00am, which includes the waiting area. No ticket sales office nor baggage services are available at this station.^[9]

Hub City Railroad Museum

Located inside the depot building, the museum showcases Spartanburg's railroads and two major industries, textiles and peaches. Open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, it is operated by the Greenville Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.^[10]

References

1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of South Carolina" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
2. Spartanburg, South Carolina, June 1908 (Map). New York, NY: Sanborn Map Company. June 1908. p. 13. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
3. Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1923 (Map). New York, NY: Sanborn Map Company. 1923. p. 3. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
4. Willis, Jeffrey (1999). Spartanburg, South Carolina. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0738502946.
5. "Spartanburg Union Station - Spartanburg, South Carolina". 22 December 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
6. "Spartanburg, SC (SPB) - Great American Stations". Retrieved May 10, 2018.
7. "Southern Railway System, Tables 1, 34". Official Guide of the Railways. 78 (12). National Railway Publication Company. May 1946.
8. "Southern Railway schedule" (PDF). 1952. p. 8, Table Q; p. 17, Tables 5, 5A.
9. "Spartanburg, South Carolina Train Station (SPB) - Amtrak". Retrieved May 10, 2018.
10. "Hub City Railroad Museum". Retrieved May 10, 2018.

External links

  Media related to Union Station (Spartanburg, South Carolina) at Wikimedia Commons

• Spartanburg, SC – Amtrak
• Spartanburg, SC – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Spartanburg Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)