Rocky Mount station

Rocky Mount
Front entrance to Rocky Mount Station.
Location	101 Hammond Street Rocky Mount, NC
Coordinates	35°56′17″N 77°47′52″W / 35.9380°N 77.7977°WCoordinates: 35°56′17″N 77°47′52″W / 35.9380°N 77.7977°W
Owned by	City of Rocky Mount
Line(s)	Carolinian   Silver Meteor   Silver Star   Palmetto
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Greyhound Tar River Transit
Construction
Parking	Yes; free
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	RMT
History
Opened	1893
Rebuilt	1911-12, 1916, 1997-2000
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	52,631[1]  2.1%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Wilson toward Charlotte Carolinian Petersburg toward New York City Wilson toward Savannah Palmetto Fayetteville toward Miami Silver Meteor Raleigh toward Miami Silver Star   Former services   Atlantic Coast Line Railroad South Rocky Mount toward Tampa Union Station Main Line Battleboro toward Richmond Broad Street Station Nashville toward Lassiter Lassiter Branch Terminus Terminus Rocky Mount – Kinston Tarboro toward Kinston Terminus Norfolk Branch Tarboro toward Norfolk
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Official name	Atlantic Coastline Railroad Station
Designated	June 19, 1980
Part of	Rocky Mount Central City Historic District
Reference no.	80002826, 09000659[2]
Architectural style	None Specified

Helen P. Gay Rocky Mount Historic Train Station, often shortened to Rocky Mount, is an Amtrak train station in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It is served by four passenger trains, the Carolinian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, and Palmetto. The station is located just south of downtown Rocky Mount, and the street address is 101 Hammond Street. In 2010, it was named for Helen P. Gay, a 90-year-old former member of the Rocky Mount City Council who was instrumental in the station's most recent restoration project.^[3]

History

Rocky Mount Station was originally built in 1893 by the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. After the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad bought the W&WR, they rebuilt the station between 1911 and 1912, and again in 1916. During the 1960s ACL built a modern structure within the station to store switches and signal equipment before the railroad was merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Between 1997 and 2000 the station was restored to its early 20th century design features, with additional ADA-compliant platforms and other amenities.^[4] The former REA Express freight house is now the home of the Rocky Mount bus depot, which serves Greyhound and Tar River Transit. Two former ACL cars are on display at the freight house; "Stainless Whopper Hopper" #500,000, and the 1902-built "Office Car" #303.^[5]

The station is a contributing property to the Rocky Mount Central City Historic District.

Routes

• Carolinian
• Silver Meteor
• Silver Star
• Palmetto

Bus connections

• Greyhound Buses
• Tar River Transit; most routes

Image gallery

• 

  Northwest view of the station as seen from the platform.

• 

  Southbound platform view

• 

  The former REA Express freight house, now a bus station and restaurant.

References

1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of North Carolina" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
2. "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
3. "Community celebrates Helen Gay's birthday," by Geoffrey Cooper (Rocky Mount Telegram; Monday, March 22, 2010)
4. Rocky Mount Station Improvements (NCDOT Rail)
5. Pictures of ACL 303 (RR Picture Archives)

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Rocky Mount, NC
• Rocky Mount Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• Early 20th Century Post Card
• Rocky Mount (RMT) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)