Mystic (Amtrak station)

Mystic
File:Mystic depot south elevation.jpg Front view of Mystic Depot
Location	2 Roosevelt Avenue Mystic, CT 06355
Coordinates
Line(s)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Station code	MYS
History
Opened	1905
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	23,490  9.6%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station New London toward Norfolk, Newport News, or Lynchburg Northeast Regional Westerly toward Boston South Station

Mystic Depot is a train station in Mystic, Connecticut, located at 2 Roosevelt Avenue (US 1). It is served by Amtrak's Northeast Regional train, and about nine trains stop at the station each day.

The station was built in 1905 by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, and today also contains office space used by the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce and a tourist center.

Architecturally, the depot features Georgian Revival elements, such as Palladian windows on the east and west facades. The one-story building has a base of brown brick, above which rise wood-shingled walls which had come into vogue toward the end of the 19th century; they recalled early colonial structures at a time when interest in the nation’s origins was growing.

Trackside, a gabled canopy originally stretched out to shield passengers from rain and snow as they waited for the train. The two arms were destroyed in September 1938 by the 1938 New England hurricane. The eastern end of the building was devoted to passengers, while the western side of the depot was used as a baggage room.

The station was used as a model for the American Flyer toy train station in the mid-20th century.

The station was in disrepair by the late 1960s, and was generally closed. A group of concerned citizens led by local merchant Dorothea Macbeth gathered in 1976 to discuss how to save the building. The following year, a committee was formed to plan for a renovation. Amtrak and the state of Connecticut committed funds, and volunteers started a campaign to raise the remaining money. The rehabilitated depot reopened to the public in April 1978.

The station only has low platforms, unlike most Amtrak stations on the Northeast Corridor.

Gallery

• Mystic platforms.JPG

  Platforms on the east end of the station

• USS Connecticut (BB-18) bell.JPG

  Bell of the USS Connecticut (BB-18) inside the station building

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Mystic, CT
• Mystic Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• Mystic Depot Welcome Center (Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce)
• Railroad History Archive (University of Connecticut)

• Mystic (MYS)--Great American Stations (Amtrak)