030911 Southbound Amtrak "Carolinian" arriving at the Burlington, N.C., station, which, in July of 2003 was both North Carolina's newest railroad station and one of its oldest railroad structures.

The apparent contradiction is due to the fact that the new station was built within the shell of the old North Carolina Railroad engine house, dating to 1868 (one year before completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad). Though extensively modified for its present use--the interior now consists of two floors, rather than one large open space--the exterior still contains the archways where three tracks once led into the building. Of course, today's much larger rolling stock would not have fit through those openings.

The building contains a waiting area on the lower floor; several units of the Burrington Police Dept. occupy the upper floor. A large central lobby is ultimately intended to house historical exhibits relating to both the railroad and the town of Burlington.

Ironically, Burlington's previous passenger station (prior to a temporary modular station used for several years while the old engine house was being rebuilt) rests in a shopping center about a block away. That station was moved during a road re-alignment at a time when Burlington had no passenger train service (The platform in the foreground served the temporary modular station.)

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