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Jacek Wesołowski The Shed & the Cathedral © author, 1999-2010 
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 Ref.: O. Czerner, Lwów na dawnej rycinie i planie, Ossolineum, Wrocław, 1997 L'viv's (Lemberg's) first railway station (1860); shed not certain to have been built |
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Strangely enough the thing dealt with here has, with some notable exceptions, most precise name where it was the rarest thing under the sun. The Italians, Spanish and French don't seem to have a proper name for it. Am I right? Bahnhalle To add to confusion, terms like train shed or Bahnsteighalle happen to be used in reference to standard platform awnings (the former in North America especially). Moreover, train shed often means (outside Britain) a coach shed. | |
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It was always a great pleasure for me to observe the majestic railway stations of nearby Berlin. West European railway experience (and the West started just beyond the Oder) inevitably led to the question why, where and when train sheds were built (and even more perhaps why they weren't). Then came the problem of shape and quality of their construction. It all ended up on the essential problem of defining the 'train shed' - so many are the forms of genuine and quasi-track & platform roofing. Eventually the sheds became a sort of obsession: tracing the sheds, past and present, throughout Europe and the whole world is one of my favourite pastimes while travelling and a major magnet to reading rooms. The final score, whose small excerpt is enclosed here, is also a contribution of many individuals, whom I owe my warmest thanks. So what is a TRAINSHED? There are 'clear' cases and there are 'doubtful' cases. There could be quite a lot of definitions. I stand for the following: any building structure that contains tracks and platforms (or alighting area) and is covered by a roof - not a ceiling (the area shouldn't be usable on top). Only the roof can be a distinguishing feature - not walls. However there can be bare roof girders | |
| Stations at Banbury (Oxon., England) of Great Western Railway, left, and London & North Western Railway, right, shown on map from 1886. Both stations had trainsheds
Baymiller Street Station in Cincinnati (Ohio, USA)
Trainshed in some countries was nothing unusual, while in others could be a feature of a metropolitan station only. In Banbury, as in some other British towns, there were side by side two trainshed stations of two rival railway companies (in this case the Great Western and London & North-Western). In Russia there was virtually no trainshed at any provincial railway station, save in St Petersburg and Moscow. The MAP below is expected to show ALL THE PRESERVED AND NEW SHEDS still in original use, turned into circulation areas or not in station use at all, throughout our continent. It shows ANY FORM of solid construction (even just bare girders) extending over the tracks and platforms. Most of these are 'genuine sheds', some (c 10%) are not. Moreover, the map deals with sheds at ANY TYPE of railway, from 'heavy' national systems down to city trams. The cable railways, however, are excluded. I wouldn't be surprised to learn about sheds that I have omitted or about sheer mistakes. All the comments about the map and table are welcome. |
Other maps: past and present train shed stations
| Argen- tina & Chile c100 kB |
Brasil c140 kB |
The British Isles c400 kB |
China & Taiwan c270 kB |
Eastern & Northern Europe c170 kB |
France c200 kB |
The Germanic & Low Countries c460 kB |
The Iberian Countries c100 kB |
Italy c160 kB |
Japan & Korea
c170 kB Kansai Southern Kantō |
Java c70 kB |
US (North-East) & East Canada c230 kB Boston Chicago New Orleans New York Philadelphia |
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TABLE 1. Train sheds and overall roofs. Quantitative assessment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fortunately there are still quite many trainsheds left at stations, though, it should be remembered, they tend to have been decimated over the last half century or so in most countries. The one in London's Liverpool Street was spared from building over in the course of fierce battle in the early 1980s. The sheds used to be most numerous in Britain (c500 items) and it is still there that the remaining ones occur with greatest density. On the other hand, Italian modernists have been most successful in bringing new image to their railway architecture, which resulted in almost all the sheds being demolished (but they still have their amazing Milano Centrale, obviously to cheat the visitors). The European East is almost 'shed-free' and so it has always been, save some timber items of the late Danube Monarchy, gone at the turn of the 19th century.
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Outside Europe trainsheds and overall roofs were quite common in Eastern US, and, what is rather astonishing, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, where they were built also at minor stations (Argentinian railways, similarly built with strong British capital backing, did not use them so eagerly). In Dutch East Indies simple trainsheds were even more numerous than in The Netherlands; most of these belonging to mainline railways still remain on Java. The Japanese created their own way of overall roofing, somewhat patterned on Britain, too. Their roofs, being very numerous, are predominantly 'improper' structures of very moderate size, though.
Table 2 illustrates the role of station sheds in developing the long span construction over the 19C. It is a revised and extended version of some tables printed in various references. Around the mid-1800s the British proceeded with their crescent trusses. The French preferred the triangular truss theoretically elaborated by Camille Polonceau, while, somewhat later, the Germans perfected 3-pinned arches which stemmed from the structures of Johann W. Schwedler. These were followed by various latticed structures, horizontal or arched. The span race lasted till about 1890s, later the size diminished significantly, together with arrival of cheaper plate members which substituted the lattice ones. When Milano Centrale, the last giant, was built, the American record breakers were about to disappear. Return to long spans has just taken place, usually with construction of high-speed railways.
TABLE 2. Trainsheds. Longest roof spans.
NB: Preserved structures shown thus; Non-European structures shown thus. 'Rib' means an arched truss supported on floor level, 'Truss' or 'arch' mean a structural member supported on walls or posts.
| Station Name | Biggest Span | Construction Date see diagram | Demolition Date see diagram | Structural Engineer(s), Contractor | Construction Type | ||
| 1. | (Praha) Střížkov | 160 m | 2008 | P. Kotas (arch.), Hochtief VSB, OHL ŽS | overlapping longitudinal arched steel ribs; metro station |  J. Wesołowski | |
| 2. | Zaragoza Delicias | c150 m (nave: c110 m) | 2003 | J. Calvo, J. L. Bellod | skewed steel bowstring truss, lower chord prestressed |  Retama - WikiComm | |
| 3. | (北京)3号航站楼 (Běijīng) Terminal 3 | c120 m | 2008 | N. Foster (arch.) | solid arched ribs |  snowyowls - WikiComm | |
| 4. | 济南 Jǐnán | c112 m | <2007 | ?? | solid segmental arched girders on posts |  vfowler - Flickr | |
| 5. | 武汉 Wǔhàn | c100 m | 2010 | AREP, MaP3, 4th Survey Institute of the China Railway | curvilinear space frame on arches |  chinnian-Flickr | |
| 6. | Philadelphia Broad Street (or Philadelphia Penn. Sta.) | 91.4 m | 1893 | 1923 | Wilson Bros. & Co. | 3-pinned latticed arched rib |  Meeks, Rly Station... |
| 7. | 北京北
Běijīng Běi | c81 m | 2008 | ?? | flat arched tied latticed truss, spatial |  Dominic - WikiComm | |
| 8. | Jersey City Penn. Sta. (or Jersey City Exchange Place) | 78.9 m | 1888 | 1923 | C.C. Schneider, Pencoyd Bridge & Construction Co. | 3-pinned latticed arched rib |  Rails & Trails |
| Philadelphia Reading (now convention centre) | 78.9 m | 1893 | Wilson Bros. & Co. | 3-pinned latticed arched rib |  LoC, HABS | ||
| 10. | London St Pancras | 74 m | 1865 | W. H. Barlow, R. M. Ordish, Butterley Co. | latticed arched rib |  D.Vigar | |
| 11. | Pittsburgh Union (later Pittsburgh Penn. Sta.) | 73 m | 1901 | 1947 | J. F. Wallace | latticed arched rib |  LoC - Detroit Publ. |
| 12. | Hamburg Hauptbahnhof | 73 m | 1906 | E. Moeller | 3-pinned latticed 'Tudor'-arched rib |  Schmitt, Empfangs... | |
| Liège-Guillemins | 73 m | 2002-06 | S. Calatrava (arch.) | solid longitudinal arch |  SNCB/NMBS | ||
| 14. | 광명 / 光明 Gwangmyeong | c72 m | 2004 | AREP, Mooyoung | 3-pinned latticed arch on posts |  J. Wesołowski | |
| 15. | Milano Centrale (2nd) | 71.9 m | 1925-31 | A. Fava, Officina di Savigliano | 3-pinned latticed arched rib |  G.dall'Orto - WikiComm | |
| 16. | München Hauptbahnhof | 2 x c70 m | 1958-60 | F. Hart; Krupp AG | V-shaped plate girder |  J.Wesołowski | |
| Atlanta Terminal | c70 m? | 1905 | 1925 | P. Thornton Marye (arch.) | arched truss |  LoC, Panoramic Maps | |
| 北京南 Běijīng Nán | c70 m | 2008 | T. Farrell & Partn. (arch.), Arup, Tianjin Design Institute | latticed arch, inverted |  pamhule - Flickr | ||
| 19. | Boston South | 69.5 m | 1899 | 1931 | Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge | arched latticed continuous truss |  Schmitt, Empfangs... |
| 20. | 广州南 Guǎngzhōu Nán | c69 m | 2010 | Terry Farrell & Partners | bowstring truss with prestressed tie; triangular section |  Baycrest - WikiComm | |
| 21. | (Edinburgh) Leith Central | 67 m | 1903 | >1985 | Blyth & Cunningham | flat latticed truss |  ctsy of D. Panton, 1985 |
| 22. | Liverpool Lime Street | 66.1 m | 1867 | W. Baker | crescent truss |  J.Wesołowski | |
| 23. | 拉萨 Lāsà | c66 m | 2005 | ?? | flat girder |  Naus - WikiComm | |
| 24. | Berlin Hauptbahnhof (2nd) | max 65.8 m | 2002-07 | J. Schlaich, H. Schober, S. Justiz | perforated arched rib, tied below and above |  Schlaich, Entwurf... | |
| 25. | Lille-Flandres | c65 m | 1889-92 | S. Dunnett, Fives-Lille | spandrel arched latticed rib |  R.Tomasik | |
| 北戴河 Běidàihé | c65 m | c2007 | ?? | latticed multi-centred arched rib |  | ||
| 27. | Glasgow Central | 64.9 m | 1879 | Blyth & Cunningham, Motherwell Bridge & Engineering Co. | flat latticed truss |  A.McMillan-WikiComm | |
| 28. | Birmingham New Street | 64.6 m | 1854 | 1940s | W. Baker; Fox, Henderson & Co. | crescent truss |  virtualbrum |
| Antwerpen Centraal | 64.6 m | 1905 | C. Van Bogaert; Compagnie Centrale de Construction SA | 3-pinned arched plate rib |  J.Wesołowski | ||
| 30. | Manchester Central (now exhibition centre) | 64 m | 1879 | L. H. Moorsom; Handyside & Co. | latticed arched rib |  J.Wesołowski | |
| 沈阳北 Shěnyáng Běi | c64 m | c2007 | ?? | latticed segmental arched truss, triangular section |  Christian - WikiComm | ||
| 32. | Köln Hauptbahnhof | 63.9 m | 1894 | Dortmunder Union AG | pinned latticed arched rib |  Berger, Historische... | |
| 33. | Chicago La Salle (1st) | 63 m | 1903 | 1934 | Frost, Granger | crescent truss? |  ctsy of J.Dent, RSHS |
| 福州南 Fúzhōu Nán | c63 m | c2010 | ?? | doubled segmental arched truss, fishbone tied |  | ||
| 35. | Berlin Anhalter Bhf. | 62.5 m | 1880 | 1950s | Seidel, Gutehoffnungshütte | tied latticed arch |  H.Rückwardt - WikiComm |
| 36. | New York Grand Central | 61 m | 1870 | 1903 | J. Duclos, R. G. Hatfield | latticed arched rib |  Sheppard, Railway... |
| Nashville Union | 61 m | 1900 | 2001 | J. Weness | latticed 'boomerang' truss |  LoC, HAER | |
| 38. | Glasgow St Enoch | 60.4 m | 1879 | 1975 | Sir J. Fowler (?), James F. Blair, William Crouch; Handyside & Co. | latticed arched rib |  Biddle, Great... |
| 39. | Bremen Hauptbahnhof | 60.2 m | 1891 | Dortmunder Union AG | pinned latticed arched rib |  J.Wesołowski | |
| 40. | Dresden Hauptbahnhof | 59 m | 1898 | Giese & Weidner, Rossbach | 3-pinned latticed arched rib |  J.Wesołowski | |
| 41. | London Cannon Street | 57.9 m | 1866 | 1958 | Sir J. Hawkshaw, Lucas Bros. | crescent truss |  Where Thames... |
| St Paul Union (1st) | 57.9 m | 1881 | <<1903? | ?? | triangular latticed truss? |  LoC, Panoramic Maps | |
| 43. | Bordeaux-St-Jean | 57.6 m | 1902 | M. Denis; Daydé & Pillé | tied latticed arch |  J.Wesołowski | |
| 咸宁北 Xiánníng Běi | c57 m | 2009 | ?? | flat latticed arched truss, triangular section |  | ||
| 45. | Frankfurt (M) Hauptbahnhof | 3 x 56 m | 1888 | J. W. Schwedler | 3-pinned latticed arched rib |  DBZ 1888 | |
| 46. | (武汉)武昌 (Wǔhàn) Wǔchāng | c56 m | 2008 | ?? | continuous latticed truss, wave-shaped |  湖北省 | |
| 47. | Edinburgh Princes Street | 55.9 m | 1894 | 1970 | Blyth & Westland | flat latticed truss |  The Engineer, 1908 |
| 48. | Cleveland Union (2nd) | 54.9 m | 1866 | 1914 | ?? | iron latticed arched truss, straight on sides, double tied |  Engineering News, 1914 |
| 49. | Paris-St-Lazare | 54.6 m | 1889 | Clerc, Morlière (?) | rigid Polonceau truss |  J.Wesołowski | |
| 50. | Berlin Schlesischer Bhf. (now Berlin Ostbahnhof 2nd) | 54.3 m | 1880 | 1937 | J. W. Schwedler (?) | tied 3-pinned arched latticed rib |  J.Wesołowski |
| 1937 | tied 3-pinned arched plate rib | ||||||
| 常州 Chángzhōu | c54 m | 2010 | ?? | sinusoidal latticed beam, continuous; triangular section |  | ||
| 郴州西 Chēnzhōu Xī | c54 m | 2009 | ?? | flat latticed arched truss; triangular section |  | ||
| 53. | (Boston) Sullivan Square (1st) | 53.3 m | 1901 | 1975 | A. W. Longfellow Jr. (arch.) | latticed arch |  MBTA |
| Indianapolis Traction Terminal | 53.3 m | 1904 | 1968 | ?? | latticed spandrel arched truss |  Trolley Stop | |
| 55. | Marseille-St-Charles | 53 m | 1894 | J. Bouvard (arch.); Gustave Eiffel & Cie. | 3-strut Polonceau truss, latticed rafters |  R.Tomasik | |
| الإسكندرية مصر Alexandria Misr | c53 m | c1900 | ?? | 3-pinned latticed portal frame |  Argenberg - Flickr | ||
| 57. | Paris-Orléans (now Paris-Austerlitz) | 52.6 m | 1866 | Schneider & Cie. | 3-strut Polonceau truss, latticed rafters |  Inst.of Civil Eng. | |
| 58. | Leuven | c52 m | 2006-09 | P.Samyn & Partn. (arch.), Van Laere-Anmeco | twinned latticed arch, longitudinal |  BertBeckers-Flickr | |
| 上海西 Shànghǎi Xī | c52 m | 2010? | ?? | flat latticed arched truss; triangular section |  | ||
| 昆山南 Kūnshān Nán | c52 m | 2010? | ?? | flat latticed arched rib with apex support; triangular section |  ROSS HONG KONG - Flickr | ||
| 62. | Glasgow Queen Street | 51.8 m | 1880 | J. Carswell | tied latticed arch |  Asta - WikiComm | |
| 63. | Chicago Illinois Central (1st) | 50.6 m | 1856 | 1871? | O. Matz | iron latticed arch (tied?) |  Chicago Public Lib. |
| 64. | London Charing Cross (SER) | 50 m | 1863 | 1905 | Sir J. Hawkshaw, Lucas Bros. | crescent truss |  Mills, Rly Constr. |
| (Buenos Aires) Retiro Mitre | 50 m | 1915 | R. Reynolds, F. Merton & Co. Ltd. | 3-pinned latticed arched rib |  J.Wesołowski | ||
| London Waterloo International | max 50 m | 1993 | D. Kirkland, N. Grimshaw | 3-pinned arch with triangular section, tubular profiles |  Willkm - WikiComm | ||
| 67. | Liverpool Central (High Level) | 49.2 m | 1874 | 1972 | Sir J. Fowler, Handyside & Co. | latticed segmental arch, tied |  Berndt, Bahnhofs- anlagen, 1899 |
| 68. | Karl-Marx-Stadt Hauptbahnhof (now Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof) | c49 m | 1975 | VEB Stahlbau Dessau | V-shaped plate girder |  J. Wesołowski |
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Long spans is not the only aspect of size of overall roofing at railway stations. The other is the sole area covered. It happened very often that relatively modest structures extended over the plethora of tracks and platforms, contributing to the 19th century notion of a big railway station. The overall roofing tends to cover not only them, but also circulating areas, carriageways and, even, buildings. Although trainsheds are, or were perceived as the feature of the past, there are very few cases where the maximum area covered was reached long ago and since diminished. In overwhelming number of cases the record brakers are most recent development. This begins to be true in case of spans as well, and this is how the railway architecture has changed since 1957, when Carroll Meeks published the renowned sythesis on railway stations.
TABLE 3. Trainsheds and overall roofs. Biggest area covered.
Anyway, recent two decades brought along the sort of new fashion: big roof seems to be praised again. The fabulous old St Pancras has become the new London terminus of Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Berlin has opened its 'shed in building' brand new Hauptbahnhof. Also numerous stops of city railways in less known centres have sheds (or shed-like structures), as at Oberhausen in Ruhrgebiet (tram), Medellín in Colombia (metro). It is at the city railway stations that trainsheds are now mostly built: Mexico City, Manila, Kuala Lumpur or Shanghai. It is at Metro station in Prague that the longest span of roof bearing arch ever applied to station has recently been built. Even the Americans seem to favour the long-established form of architecture which they have so mercilessly got rid of (e.g. a few modern 'L' stations in Chicago). But the Chinese have recently built big trainsheds over mainline stations in Peking, Wuhan and Nanking which seem to be the biggest station roofs ever constructed. Do they plan to keep the railway's leading role in their vast country? Is trainshed a tool to make transport more sustainable, or just to show the power? In the world of overall roofing the most recent mingles with the authentic from the past glory of railway travel, the most celebrated with the dreary and decrepit. It is this variety makes it all so exciting. Bon voyage... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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