Lewistown station

Lewistown, PA
General information
Location	150 Helen Street Lewistown, Pennsylvania United States
Coordinates	40°35′18″N 77°34′49″W / 40.5882°N 77.5803°W / 40.5882; -77.5803
Owned by	Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society
Line(s)	Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh Line (Keystone Corridor)
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: LEW
History
Opened	1849
Rebuilt	1985[1]–1999
Passengers
FY 2023	9,531[2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Huntingdon toward Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian Harrisburg toward New York
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Huntingdon toward Chicago Three Rivers 1995–2005 Harrisburg toward New York Broadway Limited Until 1995 Huntingdon toward Kansas City National Limited Harrisburg toward New York or Washington, D.C. Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Granville toward Chicago Main Line Shawnee toward New York or Exchange Place
Location

Lewistown station is an Amtrak railway station located about 60 miles northwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at PA 103 and Helen Street in Lewistown, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. The station is actually located across the Juniata River from Lewistown proper, a little less than one mile south of the center of the borough. It is currently only served by Amtrak's Pennsylvanian, which operates once per day in each direction, though until 2005, Lewistown was served by a second daily train, the Three Rivers (a replacement service for the legendary Broadway Limited), an extended version of the Pennsylvanian that terminated in Chicago. Upon its cancellation, the sole Pennsylvanian marked the first time in Lewistown's railway history that the town was served by just a single, daily passenger train.

A station building exists at the stop, which is open before and during train departure times. However, there is no ticket office at this station, as Amtrak closed the ticket office in 1977.^[3] The distance between Lewistown and the next station eastward, the Harrisburg Transportation Center, is the longest distance between stations (61 miles) anywhere along the route between Pittsburgh and New York.

The station house, according to volunteers that staff it, is the oldest structure built by the Pennsylvania Railroad which is still standing. The current passenger depot was constructed in 1849 as the freight station, while the Pennsylvania used a nearby three story hotel building as the passenger depot until 1868. Operations were moved into the freight station, while the old brick building became a hotel, restaurant, and a Railway Express Agency. That building was demolished in the 1950s,^[4] and currently sits as a small lot.^[5] "J" Tower, which was added in the 1870s as a two story-brick tower within the depot, was removed in the 1950s,^[3] During restoration of the depot, a replica of "J" Tower was installed into the building.^[1]

External audio
Devoted Volunteers Keep History Of Pennsylvania Rail Company On Track, NPR[6]

In December 2019, the Mifflin County Planning Commission announced a two-phase transportation study on the improvements needed to the station and infrastructure, and the transportation and traffic flow. This would be a first step toward possibly reopening Amtrak service to Lewistown on the Keystone Corridor.^[7]

Track numbers: 1 (Amtrak), 2 (Norfolk Southern)

• 
  The Illinois Terminal Railroad heritage unit, EMD SD70ACe #1072, leads an eastbound intermodal on track 2
• 
  The Virginian Railway heritage unit, EMD SD70ACe #1069, running in an intermodal train on track 2
• 
  A view of the eastern end of the platform circa 2013.
• 
  The Reading Railroad heritage unit, EMD SD70ACe #1078, leads an eastbound intermodal on track 2
• 
  GE AC44C6M #4046 leads a manifest on track 2, with the Central of Georgia Railway heritage unit, GE ES44AC #8101, trailing
• 
  The Three Rivers boards at Lewistown in 2002
• 
  Material handling cars on the westbound Three Rivers circa 2002
• 
  The Pennsylvania Railroad heritage unit, GE ES44AC #8102, leads an empty coal drag on track 1.

• Yanosey, Robert (2010). Pennsylvania Railroad Facilities in Color: Volume 8 Allegheny Division: Banks to Antis. Scotch Plains, NJ: Morning Sun Books. ISBN 978-1582482897.

• Media related to Lewistown (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Lewistown, PA – Amtrak
• Lewistown, PA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Lewistown Amtrak Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
• Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society (PRRT&HS)