Athens, OH: B&O, NYC, and Hocking Valley Depot

While driving West on Union Street, my wife spotted a building that looked like a depot. So I went around the block and checked it out.

20170417 8557

They have done a nice job of preserving some of the details of the interior.

The older lady working in the depot explained that they used one of the former freight doors to provide an ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) access.





When I struggled to get a shot of this print they had hanging in the station without getting a glare off the glass, she went into the old agent's office and brought out an historical photo.

When I heard the shutter, I checked the speed: 1/20, ISO 400. I'm impressed I held the camera steady enough to work at 1/20 since the photo was on the floor, and I was facing the camera straight down.

1/125 ISO 3200 This exposure looks "washed out" to me so I'm glad I held the 1/20 exposure steady.

Note the B&O water tower, streamlined engine, and caboose.

She explained that the B&O tracks ran past the south side of the depot. The New York Central ran tracks down from their mainline, which passed Athens to the west. Those tracks ended just beyond the photo. The 2005 SPV Map and the C&O caboose in the color print indicate that Hocking Valley shared this stub. This HV and NYC branch started at Armitage Junction. The HockHocking Adena Bikeway uses the abandoned HV RoW in this area. This spur probably built the bridge that allows the trail to cross the Hocking River. The trail leaves the HV+NYC RoW south of the river and follows the river because the RoW has been redeveloped in town. And the river is better scenery for the bike riders.

A view of the B&O side.

Another view of the HV+NYC side.


Athens has gone from three railroads to zero.