Birmingham, AL: 1909-1969 Terminal Station

(Satellite, east of 26th St. and centered on 5th Ave. It was replaced by a highway and some trees.)

The original Union Station was built in 1887. When this station was built, all of the railroads moved to here except L&N. The 1887 station then became known as the L&N Station.

Flickr photo, library photo

Shady Flyer posted
Old Birmingham station. Have no idea of the year. Another loss of a beautiful terminal.
Jim Kelling shared
Birmingham Alabama (station gone)

Dennis DeBruler commented in Jim's share
It was east of 26th St. and centered on 5th Ave. It was replaced by a highway and some trees.
1959 Birmingham North Quad @ 24,000

reddit
"Terminal Station - Birmingham, Alabama. Built in 1909 to service passenger trains, it was the primary arrival point for out of town visitors. The building was torn down in 1969 after falling into disrepair once airplane and automobile travel became more popular."

The 5th Ave Tunnel that went under the station still exists.

Street View, Dec 2022

bhamwiki_integration, this image is used courtesy the Birmingham Public Library Archives
"Main (white) waiting room of the Terminal Station. The colored waiting room was a much smaller space in the south wing."
In 1955, the ICC banned segregation for interstate passengers. So the station then had a "Colored Intrastate Passengers Waiting Room" and a "Colored Intrastate Passengers Waiting Room." In 1956, when an African American couple with round-trip tickets to Milwaukee was arrested for setting in the main waiting room, they sued. That suit got dismissed because of a legal technicality. After more protests and court cases, on Apr 24, 1959, desegregation was ordered, and the signs were removed.
[This source specifies a desegregation year of 1961.]

 

bhamwiki_exterior, Public Domain

 

bhamwiki_exterior, Public Domain

 

Richard Crabtree posted and al.com

Frisco Racehorse at Birmingham

Here we see Frisco No. 2012 "Flying Ebony" EMD E8-A (1950) with her passenger train at Birmingham Terminal Station in 1962.

Photo by Dan Gray

Richard Crabtree shared

Jon Talton posted
A Frisco passenger train at Birmingham Terminal Station, probably sometime in the 1950s. The station was completed in 1909 and hosted six of the Alabama city's seven railroads. This magnificent station was demolished in 1969.

Tommy Thomason: What type of track arrangement did Birmingham Terminal Station have?

Atlanta Terminal Station (also designed by P. Thornton Marye) was an over-the-tracks depot with overhead concourse and stairs down to the trains. How did passengers access the trains at Birmingham?

Jason Parham: Tommy Thomason The main floor of the depot was at the same level as the 10 station tracks with a pedestrian subway right past the grand hall that went under the platforms.

Jim Conte: Birmingham; the Pittsburgh of the South !

cornell, Public Domain
Citation: "U.S. President's Railroad Commission Photographs #5003 P. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library"
Photo taken by L.A. Dubose in 1960
"Looking North at entrance end of terminal for all Southern, Seaboard, and Central of Georgia passenger trains They all enter from south of terminal. Frisco Lines and Illinois Central enter and depart from the opposite end for the north end. This series of tracks is known as Pullman Yard, consisting of about 5 short dead end tracks. From Terminal Building to right are ten receiving and departure tracks for the above mentioned railroads, and the entrances that are located at south and north ends are on curves. This photo is similar to O-11 and O-12 but shows more clearly the curvature of the depot tracks."
This photo is O-13

I found O-11 and O-12.

cornell, Public Domain, O-11
Citation: "U.S. President's Railroad Commission Photographs #5003 P. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library"
"This is a view of the Southern Railway passenger station at Birmingham, Alabama. The street at the bottom of the photo is 2nd Avenue North and is very heavily traveled by motorists and pedestrians. Considerable switching is carried out over this crossing and a lookout is necessary from both sides of the locomotive. The switches here are electronically controlled and many of the lights that govern the movement of the engine are on the left side. The fireman must therefore relay the signal to the engineer. The engine in the left center is working along the side of the platform where passengers get on and off trains. The engineer could not see if someone were to fall or step on the track from the left."

cornell, Public Domain, O-12
Citation: "U.S. President's Railroad Commission Photographs #5003 P. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library"
"This is also a view of the track approaching the Southern Railway Depot. Note the dwarf signal in the middle of the photo and curve of the track. The Frisco, the Seaboard, the Illinois Central and the Central of Georgia also use this depot. The west bound main track is to the left, east bound to the right."

EncyclopediaOfAlabama

"Terminal Station was Birmingham's main railroad station from 1909 until in 1969, when it was demolished. The Magic City sign greeted travelers as they entered the city.

"O.V. Hunt Photograph"

Talk about artistic license, the words got turned around.

aiabham

Marvin Clemons posted
This was the cover photo for the Birmingham Terminal Station Group, which has a lot more photos of the station.

Bonus

Alan Dismukes posted
Some scenes at the AB&C Elyton station in Birmingham.  Photographer unknown.