Railroad Stations in Niles, Ohio
The Erie Railroad Station – Origin and Demise.
Headline in the Niles Daily News Tuesday May 26, 1914.

McKinley Memorial Birthplace Committee Secures a New Erie Depot
Conference last week in New York Brings about desired result.
Niles Man may be thanked for new improvement.
Harry M. Stevens of this city–the real promoter
Youngstown and Warren outdistanced in the securing of accommodations for traveling public–Site will soon be decided upon.

“It is given out today from an authentic source that Niles is to have a modern depot which will be the gift of the McKinley Memorial Association decided upon at a meeting held at the office of John G. Milburn in New York City last Friday.

During his last visit to his home in this city, Harry M. Stevens, while in conference with C.S. Thomas of the Board of Trade and W.A. Thomas of the McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association, divulged the plans which he had perfected whereby the city could procure a new Erie depot that would be in keeping with the progress of the city when the group plan of buildings around the Memorial is perfected. Messrs. Thomas were impressed with the solution offered by their fellow townsman and agreed to attend a meeting with Fred Underwood, President of the Erie, at any time Mr. Stevens would arrange. At this meeting, J.G. Butler, W.A. Thomas, Wade A. Taylor, Harry M. Stevens and Chas.S. Thomas were in attendance with Mr. Underwood, General Manager of the Erie and also Attorney Orcutt, head of the legal department.

During the meeting, which was held Friday, Mr. Underwood gave the Nilesites to understand that is was solely through the influence of his friend, Mr. Stevens, that he had accepted the offer of the Memorial Association and consented to the changes which will be necessitated by the acceptance of the proposal made by the Association.”

Erie Railroad Depot Demolished.

The last passenger train to board paying customers here was the Youngstown-Cleveland commuter service. It made its last runs on January 14, 1977. Prior to that, such Erie-Lackawanna passenger trains as the Lake Cities, Atlantic Express/Pacific Express and the Phoebe Snow called here. The last of those was the Lake Cities, which was discontinued in January 1970.

A wrecking crew made quick work of the old Erie Railroad Depot on Mahoning Avenue Monday morning, closing another chapter of Niles’ prosperous history. For many, the end of a familiar brick structure came as inevitable-not a pleasant thought but one that was bound to happen. “We realized it was going to go…but we didn’t know when,” explained Niles Historical Society President Nancy Sandin Monday afternoon.
“The society had at one time entertained the thought of moving the depot and restoring it to its former grandeur”, she said, “but in reality the project would have been too costly, among other factors”. The fact that the building was brick would have made moving it virtually impossible, unlike a wooden structure, and there would also have been the problem of where to put it.

Zoning inspector, Melvin Rose, who issued a demolition permit to Asphalt Specialists out of Girard last week, said that the building was in “fairly decent” shape and that it was structurily sound, however, “ there wasn’t much that could be done with it”, he said.

Its location, at the intersection of Mahoning Avenue and Pratt Street, was ideal during the railroad’s heyday but that any thoughts of restoring the building at its present location were slim. One discouraging factor was the lack of adequate parking space, but then the depot was built when trains were a popular means of travel.

The depot, which apparently was built in the early 1900s, was a source of pride for Niles in those early days. Local history books proclaim that during the heyday of passenger trains, the Erie station on Mahoning Avenue was the “most luxurious” in Niles and it was considered a fine example of 19th century (ed. Western Stick) architecture.

On behalf of the Niles Historical Society, Mrs. Sandin said, “The society feels very badly about it. It bothers me that we couldn’t do something,” referring to depots in other communities that have been restored into quaint restaurants and shops.
The depot was located on Conrail property and it was the railroad company’s decision that the structure be finally torn down. Conrail did not make public Monday the exact reasons why or future plans for the site, if any. The building inspector said the demolition by Conrail was done voluntarily.
Niles Daily Times........................................................................December 18, 1984
Robin West, Assistant City Editor

The Erie Depot had been boarded
up prior to its demolition in 1981.

PO1.1447

The American Railway Express operated at the Erie Railroad Depot on Mahoning Avenue in Niles, Ohio. Charles Robinson, carrying a pistol in a holster, is featured with his horse and delivery wagon. Goods that arrived at the station would be delivered throughout the city. PO1.2022

Steam locomotive and tender of the
Erie Rail Road as it crosses over
County Line Road in Mineral Ridge. P11.42

Erie Rail Road caboose as it crosses over County Line Road in Mineral Ridge. P11.41

1978 view of the Pennsylvania
Railroad passenger station. S11.178

Pennsylvania Railroad Station, 1974.
Abandoned Niles Firebrick buildings in background. S11.179