Wayne Train Station

In 1832, the first tracks of the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad were laid, giving new importance to an area which had up to that time been only agricultural. This Railroad meandered around the Lancaster Turnpike through Lower Merion Township, and entered Radnor Township at Morgan's Corners. Where the two thin tracks crossed streets there were grade crossings instead of bridges. Just a couple miles west of Morgan's Corners was the Cleaver Farm, a dairy farm not close to anything else but other farms. The farm had a house which was built in 1775, and was situated along the Lancaster Turnpike. Because of its border to the north with the railroad, the farm became a milk stop on the railroad.

Thus "Cleaver's Landing," sometimes called "Cleaver's Gate" was born. The first "station" ever at Wayne has been described as a "large square wooden pillar laid on its side." It was located to the rear of the Cleaver property, which is now about where the Wayne Nursing Home operates. Cans of milk, as well as passengers, waited on this platform for coming trains until it was replaced by an old wagon bed. The wagon bed was used until one Fourth of July, when it somehow burned to the ground.

On April 22, 1865, Wayne became the 99th city out of 445 to be passed by the funeral train of President Abraham Lincoln. The train began its journey in Washington D.C. and continued north to Baltimore, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, New York, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago and finally, to Lincoln's hometown of Springfield, IL.

Shortly after this incident, the milk stop was removed. The growth of this town's population including the arrival of J. Henry Askin convinced the railroad to make this place, now called "Wayne," a more prominent stop . . .

The Cleaver Farm, home of the first Wayne station.
From "Radnor: A Pictorial History"

Wayne's first real passenger station came in the middle of the development of Main Line stations, which went from 1858 (Overbrook Station) to 1877 (Paoli Station). The station, a small one room structure, was built sometime around 1870. It was placed in the middle of a cornfield, so train riders could always tell they were at Wayne by the cornfield.

Although this picture is a fake, and a vintage one at that, it is perhaps the only accurate representation of the station’s appearance before the cottage was added. The photo is a modification of the one seen below.
Radnor Historical Society Collection

b. Shack plus Stationmaster's Cottage

In 1872 the station was enlarged with a new three story stationmaster's cottage. The much-published photo of that station has been used for many applications. In a photo portfolio documenting the new Louella estate, this photo was altered to show what it looked like before the cottage was built. Both the original and the variant are seen above and below.

Within a few years the railroad was moved slightly north, and surprisingly the cottage was left standing. The building was situated somewhere behind the Wayne Presbyterian Church and the Waynewood Hotel. It became a dormitory for waiters who worked at the Hotel and was even used as a small private school for some time. It was demolished in the early 1950's, probably to make room for the expansion of the Presbyterian Church.

In the 1870's, the small waiting room of this station became inadequate. The Centennial Exposition of 1876 provided a new chance for Wayne to expand its railroad prominence . . .

The original Wayne Station, with stationmasters cottage at left.
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Radnor Historical Society Collection

At the close of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, 1876, many of the structures used in that fair were auctioned off. One of these was the Catalogue Building, which, according to legend, was bought by the Pennsylvania Railroad and was transported by rail 14 miles west to Wayne, where it served as a flag depot for a decade. There has been debate over the years about several aspects of this account: Emma Patterson wrote in her Suburban column "Your Town and My Town" that this station was in fact part of the Japanese Pavilion at the Exposition, yet when she published an engraving of that building a few years later, it was immediately apparent that this was not the case (though she did not admit it at the time). All the ornamentation was definitely part of the original design; it was not typical of the Railroad to add such detailed elements. It is therefore most likely that the building is actually the Catalogue Building #2, the building where visitors bought official catalogues of the fair, which makes sense because of its close proximity to the railroad on old maps. Another point of contention is how long this station was in Wayne. Many sources say it was there for a decade, which is inconsistent with the building of the next station in 1882. However, since the next station was built on the new right of way north of where the Centennial Station stood, it is possible that the older building sat idle until moved to Strafford. The station is one of the most mysterious elements of Wayne history.

An account of the station was written in the 1893 "Buildings and Structures of American Railroads. It reads as follows:

In fact, Wayne was never on the Germantown & Chestnut Hill Branch, and there is no known record of the town ever being known as "Wayne Station, PA," (similar to "Merion Station, PA") but the reference is intriguing.

The Centennial station was moved to Strafford from Wayne on the back of a rail car around 1887. Since the tracks at Strafford were elevated, a ground floor was built there for the new station at the town of Eagle. The PRR named the station Strafford, and the town eventually adopted the name as well. Before this move to Strafford, George W. Childs and Anthony Drexel requested that a new station be built to better match their new development of Wayne . . .

This is the only known existing photo of the Strafford Station building in Wayne. One can tell that this is in Wayne and not Strafford because of the ground’s level elevation, the old station / cottage to the building’s left, and the top of the Louella Mansion tower in the upper left.
From "Train Shed Cyclopedia #24"

The request of Drexel and Childs was granted sometime in between 1882 and 1885. The new Pennsylvania Railroad station at Wayne was designed by the Wilson Bros. Architects, who designed a number of other stations, notably the main PRR Centennial Station in 1876. Not much is known about the original design, although a few photographs do exist, and the original blueprints will eventually be displayed inside the station.

A train departing from Wayne Station, at right. Note the stairs leading from the platform to lead travelers under the bridge.
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Radnor Historical Society Collection

This George Shultz photo provides perhaps the only glimpse of the station's east side before the addition.
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Radnor Historical Society Collection

An official PRR photograph of the station in the 1890s. Note the old waiting shed at extreme left.
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Radnor Historical Society Collection

The station during a snowstorm. Here you can see two windows on the second floor which were eventually removed. The waiting shed on the right is the original; a chimney is visible protruding from the roof.
Radnor Historical Society Collection

A freight train passing Wayne. The well maintained grounds are crowned with the ornate newsstand.
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Radnor Historical Society Collection

The station received its first major alteration around 1903. The ticket agent's apartment, originally two stories, was eliminated to raise the ceiling of the waiting area, now expanded to the entire first floor. The east end of the building was also expanded about 30 feet, copying the design of the west side exactly. With the removal of the apartment, the chimney on the west end was also removed.

At the turn of the century eight people were employed to work at the station, to handle baggage, sell tickets, etc. Two freight storage buildings were constructed, one to the stations' east and another to the west of the shed across the tracks. Another detached building was a very small, very ornamental newsstand. Some photographs show that it had stained glass windows and was octagonal in shape.

The westbound waiting shed has seen two incarnations. The original apparently had some kind of enclosed shelter, for in one photograph (above) a small chimney can be seen coming from the roof. Shortly after, possibly at the time of the station's addition, a new shed was built with no enclosed shelter, and this structure is what serves SEPTA today.

The station after additions. The second chimney is now gone.
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Radnor Historical Society Collection

A vintage postcard of Wayne Station
Radnor Historical Society Collection

A color postcard of the station. These colors are probably accurate.
GP Collection

A freight train passing Wayne, 1936.
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Radnor Historical Society Collection

The station in the 1940s. The freight building was still standing at this time.
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Radnor Historical Society Collection

Over the years, the building fell into disrepair. Paint started to peel, windows had to be boarded up, and the station became an eyesore to the community. In 1996, the Wayne Station Historic Preservation Association was founded, headed by James C. Higgins. The Association raised awareness in the community about the state of the station, and how they could help save it. The Association started by selling small ceramic replicas of the station (which are still available from Amtrak’s website, see the link below) and other items. On June 21, 1999, the station was finally recognized as a national historic landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and therefore received new funds for further restoration.

Today, all of the windows have been replaced, as well as doors and much of the siding. The monumental restoration effort has been taken over by SEPTA, with completion slated as sometime in late 2004.