Historic Niles Train Station Still in Use as Amtrak Station

August 6, 2023

On July 24th (Monday), Bruce drove the truck to Taqueria Don Chepe for lunch. I ordered a wet burrito, which was delicious. Bruce ordered his usual Carne Asada. He was delighted with how good it was.

After eating, we decided to check out Niles a bit. Bruce drove downtown and we came to the Amtrak station. Since it was such a beautiful building, we decided to stop and take a look. We parked in the back of the lot and looked around the outside first.

The Niles Garden Club keeps the station gardens up.

We walked into the station. It was like walking back in time.

After we enjoyed viewing the station, we spoke to the lady behind the ticket counter. She wanted to make sure we were being helped. We explained that we saw the beautiful station from the street and wanted to take a look. She was very proud of the station and knew at lot of the history of the building.

After the station was built, it was landscaped with trees, flowers, and ponds with fountains. The station’s landscaping was so beautiful, Niles was given the nickname “Garden City.”

The lady behind the counter pointed to historical pictures of the station’s gardens taken in their full glory.

At one time, the station had a vegetarian restaurant. All the food served was grown on the grounds of the station. The restaurant was world renowned and people came from all over to eat there. It burned down in 1908. I may not have the date right, but it was earlier than 1910.

Three different movies used the station: The Continental Divide, Midnight Run, and Only the Lonely. Apparently, Only the Lonely, started a new Christmas tradition. At Christmas, the station is now lit up for the annual “Hometown Christmas” celebration.

We enjoyed our stop at the Niles Station and even checked to see the train routes.