Wilkinsburg's First & Second Railroad Stations

The first railroad station in Wilkinsburg was built here in 1860 and later burned down in 1883. A second railroad station was immediately erected on the same site in 1884, where the gazebo/pavilion is today. The second station served Wilkinsburg until 1916 when the tracks were elevated and a beautiful brick and limestone station was built alongside the tracks a few blocks down the rail line on Hay Street.

By 1870 twenty-eight local trains were running daily between Wilkinsburg, East Liberty and Pittsburgh. Wilkinsburg was at that time surrounded by a rich agricultural area, with market-gardening a leading activity. Coal mining had become important near the town, also, and over three hundred men were employed in the coal industry.

The railroad crossing at Rebecca and Wood was known as the "Bloody crossing". Children, older people, and horses were often badly hurt or killed.

Trains at the time of Wilkinsburg's early stations were designated either as Express or Accommodation, all depending on the number of stops. If one took an Express Train from Wilkinsburg to Pittsburgh, there was usually only one intermediate stop, that being East Liberty, and the trip was accomplished in 15 minutes. The Accommodatlon Train made the following stops from Wilkinsburg to downtown: Brushton, Homewood, Shadyside, Roup, Ben Venue and sometimes Twenty-eighth Street. Conductors walking through the cars always alerted passengers by calling the next stop

A terrible accident about 1910 at the multi-track Penn Avenue crossing was the decisive factor in elevating the tracks prior to World War I. In this fatal accident, five members of one family were struck by an oncoming train, leaving one survivor, a small girl.

More info in our digital archives!

Sources:

Stotler, I., & Anderson, J. (1972). The Pennsylvania Railroad, its stations and coach accommodations from Greensburg to Pittsburgh: 1866-1914. Wilkinsburg Historical Society. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jvxeCcNYbNMRg4wGyLNw-tKybtXS6coq/view?usp=sharing

The Railroad Comes to Pittsburgh. (1960). Western Penn. Historical Magazine, Unknown. https://drive.google.com/file/d/18ArkIaBRfv2pOx3l7RMFvnCJS5J_Sga8/view?usp=sharing

Wilkinsburg Historical Society, & Taylor, Jr., E. R. (1998). WILKINSBURG’S RAILROAD GRADE CROSSING ELIMINATION 1911 to the Celebration June 1916. https://drive.google.com/file/d/18ArkIaBRfv2pOx3l7RMFvnCJS5J_Sga8/view?usp=sharing