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(rshsdepot) San Bernardino, CA

From the Contra Costa Times.

 

Bernie Wagenblast

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Meet the guardians of San Bernardino history

November 3, 2008 

 

By Michel Nolan 

 

I had a glimpse of the real San Bernardino today. Not the city besieged by
crime and economic hardships, but the scrappy, bustling boomtown of opulence
and promise. 

 

A railroad town that in its glory days saw 13 inbound and 13 outbound trains
daily connecting San Bernardino with Chicago and elsewhere. 

 

I was treated to a tour of the San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum,
which has been restored to its former grandeur and filled with railroad
artifacts under the watchful eyes of San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer
Society President Steve Shaw, and Vice President Allen Bone. 

 

Together, they are a walking history book. 

 

Without the boring parts. 

 

In the depot`s heyday, about 1,600 people were employed here and in the
shops, Allen said. 

 

``This was a bustling place.`` 

 

People were awed by the beauty of San Bernardino. ``People would arrive
here, step off the train and see the snow-capped mountains, the palm trees.
They`d say they`d like to live here,`` said Steve, adding that President
Theodore Roosevelt was one of those people. 

 

A 1903 copy of The Daily Sun newspaper is on display with a huge headline
quoting Roosevelt as saying, ``I`d like to live in San Bernardino.`` 

 

Since completion of the station`s $13million restoration four years ago, the
1918 railroad depot is as elegant as ever. 

 

The waiting room is now open for Amtrak`s Southwest Chief service at
5:30a.m. and 8:30 p.m. each day. 

 

The museum occupies a former station baggage and mail room, about 5,000
square feet in all, and is home to antique train signaling devices, lights
and lanterns, bells and whistles, flashing RR crossing signs, an 1878
hand-drawn hose cart, and an 1890 horse-drawn hose wagon - two of the oldest
pieces of firefighting equipment in San Bernardino County. ``San Bernardino
was a railroad town. You could hear that whistle blow all over,`` Steve
said. ``It woke people up, told them when to eat lunch, when to go to
work.`` 

 

Encased in one glass cabinet is memorabilia from the Harvey House restaurant
chain, which had an outlet here. A menu features a 45-cent lunch. 

 

The display even includes the ship`s bell from the USS San Bernardino, a
tanker landing ship that was assigned to the Pacific Fleet in 1971 and
decommissioned in 1995. 

 

As curator of the collection, the historical society is responsible for
acquisitions and displays, according to Allen. 

 

One display notes a Hollywood connection. The depot was transformed into a
movie set in November 2007, when scenes from Clint Eastwood`s ``Changeling``
were filmed here. Opening this weekend, the film stars Angelina Jolie and
John Malkovich. 

 

``There was a big fire near here at the time - the skies were pretty smokey,
and it shows up in the picture,`` Steve said. 

 

The historical society is now working with Sanbag, property manager and main
tenant of the building, and the city of San Bernardino to expand museum
space to 10,000 square feet, doubling the display area, according to Steve. 

 

A gourmet coffee shop in the lobby is set to open before the holidays. 

 

Tours of the depot are conducted each Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.,
or by request, Allen said. 

 

Tours and admission are free. The depot is at 1170 W. Third St., San
Bernardino. For more information, call (909) 260-5745.


=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1799
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org