A visitor center at Nicholson touting the area’s rich railroad heritage is nearing reality.
After seeing bids earlier this summer, PennDOT this week awarded a $1.15 million contract to Perry’s General Contracting of Dunmore.
The project includes site improvements for vehicle parking, pedestrian ramps and walks, reconfigured site utilities, and building interior and exterior renovations and improvements.
“This wasn’t an easy process, but we’re truly excited,” Nicholson Heritage Association grant manager Josh Stull said Friday.
In 2014, the association received a PennDOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant for the preservation and rehabilitation of the train station, which was built in 1849 when railroading was coming into its own.
Wyoming County Commissioner Tom Henry said PennDOT is funding the full cost, with the association planning to raise $100,000 to handle inspections.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to see the work finally being done on the historic DL&W Railroad Station,” said association Chairwoman Marion Sweet.
The county hopes Nicholson Tourism Center will revitalize the region by attracting tourists to the station within view of the mammoth Nicholson Bridge, also known as the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, Henry said.
From 1851 until 1915, the train station served both passengers and freight. With the completion of the largest reinforced concrete bridge in the world, however, a passenger station was created at the north end of the bridge, and the DL&W station became exclusively a freight station until 1971. The building was sold in 1983, and acquired by the NHA in 2012.
At the August NHA meeting, Sweet told members that a daughter of Don Clark — who once had a large model train layout at the Marketplace at Steamtown that included a scale replica of the big bridge — she was interested in donating the bridge portion to Nicholson.
Stull said there would be a pre-construction meeting in several weeks and people would soon see activity at the old station once again.
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