THE SEARCH FOR A NEW STATION

The Union Station was designed when railroads were still in their infancy. Tefft gave Providence one of the grandest of early railroad stations but it was built when rail traffic was relatively light. The American Railway Guide for 1851 shows that the Providence & Worcester operated 22 trains in and out of the Union Station each day. By 1880 the number more than doubled to 45, most trains in both years being locals going no farther than seven miles. The Boston & Providence operated 8 trains in and out but by 1880 there were 23 trains. Therefore in 1880 there were 68 trains using the small number of tracks at the east end of the station. At the west end of the station there were 57 trains, mainly locals, in and out in 1880 in contrast to only 6 in 1851. Moreover, Providence's need for rail freight transportation had grown immensely and the Cove area provided little space for expansion.

The search for a solution to the station problem began in 1873 with the appointment of a commision to plan new facilities. The debate lasted nearly twenty years and centered on major differences of opinion regarding whether the Cove should be preserved, whether a new site should be found, whether the station should be stub-end or through, and whether it should be elevated. A good description of the many plans that were considered can be found in an article by George B. Francis in the May 1909 Journal of the Association of Engineering Societies. Included here are only three examples of what was considered.

THE DOYLE PLAN

In 1873, a commission appointed by Mayor Doyle proposed a stub-end terminal which preserved the Cove. P&W and B&P trains would have reached the station by way of Pleasant Valley to the west of the hill on which the State House would be built. All through trains would have to back either into or out of the terminal. Each of the four railroads would have their own freight station. The location of the Tefft Station is in the lower right corner.

THE GODDARD PLANS

In 1883, a commission led by William Goddard offered a plan which included this Gothic station designed by the firm of Stone, Carpenter & Willson.

In 1882, the Goddard Commission proposed to fill the Cove and build these facilities which included a through station directly behind the Tefft station. A year later the commission offered a nearly identical plan but the station was elevated above roadways.

THE EXPERT'S PLAN

In 1888, a commission of three "expert" engineers presented a plan which included this station designed by Joseph M. Wilson, one of the commission members. The Wilson Brothers of Philadelphia were then the most widely known railroad architects in the nation. The station sits on a bridge over the Woonasquatucket River.

The expert enginers proposed filling the cove and using it for park land. They located an elevated through station at the foot of Smith's Hill on which the State House would be built. The location is virtually the same as the location of the present Amtrak station which would be built a century later to the right of Francis Street in the above map.

The west end of the 1888 station design by James M. Wilson

The Wilson design of 1888 proposed a train shed 560 feet in length with a span of 110 feet. Two of the covered tracks were for through trains and three were for locals. The two outer tracks were for freight trains.