In the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries, travelling via the railway was the most comfortable and practical way of covering the often great distances between towns and cities. The first stations were built in the 1830s and by the end of the 1870s there were almost 700.

This beautiful stamp sheet, produced by the United States Postal Service, was issued in March 2023. It features five Historic Railway Stations, still in existence in the United States, on a sheet of 20 stamps. The designs were digitally painted with the aim of highlighting the deep history and complex architecture of each station. The company engaged by the USPS, Down The Street Designs, created the superb Art Deco-themed artwork for the stamps.

Th stamp at the top of the strip seen here shows San Bernardino station, officially opened on 15 July 1918. At that time, it was the largest railway station west of the Mississippi River.

Below is Tamaqua station in Pennsylvania. Built in 1874, more than 40 passenger trains stopped at the station daily during its peak years in the first half of the 20th century. The Tamaqua Railroad Station was added to the ‘National Register of Historic Places’ in 1980.

The station on the middle stamp has to be among the most beautiful in the world. The amazing Art Deco structure was completed in 1933 in Cincinnati, Ohio and known as Union Terminal. Follow this link to find out more about the Terminal: https://www.cincymuseum.org/union-terminal/.

Then we have the Point of Rocks station, built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1873. It is situated at the junction of the B&O Old Main Line (running to Baltimore) and the Metropolitan Branch (running to Washington D.C.). The Metropolitan Branch also opened in 1873 and became the principal route for passenger trains between Baltimore, Washington and points west.

The last stamp depicts Richmond Main Street Station, built in 1901. It is known by locally as The Clock Tower and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. 

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