Remember When: 4 Tarentum railroad stations have been in operation over the years

The clamor of trains chugging through Tarentum — and perhaps the inconvenience of getting stuck at one of its crossings — is a daily reminder of the role locomotives play in the borough.

While the route is no longer used for passengers, that wasn’t the case in the early days.

There have been four Tarentum railroad stations over the years.

The first was located in Lower Burrell. The Allegheny Valley Railroad on the Lower Burrell side of the Allegheny River was built before the West Penn Railroad on the Tarentum side of the river.

In the mid-1800s, Craigdell Road, which is behind the Giant Eagle on Tarentum Bridge Road, extended all the way down to the river. In 1856, the Allegheny Valley Railroad completed its tracks between Pittsburgh and Kittanning. That same year, the company opened a station at the base of Craigdell Road and named it Tarentum Station.

This was because passengers wishing to travel to Tarentum would exit the train and take a ferry across the river to Tarentum. Passengers crossing the river would board a ferry and travel to Hairs Island in the middle of the river.

Then they would walk across the island to board a second ferry to take them from the island to Tarentum. At that time, the water downstream from Hairs Island was too shallow to make it practical for a single ferry to go around the tip of the island.

Around 1900, Hairs Island was removed by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. for its sand, which was used to make glass.

The station at the base of Craigdell continued to be called Tarentum Station for many years, even after 1866 when the West Penn Railroad began operating trains on the Tarentum side of the river. For a time, there were two Tarentum Stations, one on each side of the river.

Later, the station on the Lower Burrell side was renamed Craigdell Station. In the 1920s, it again was renamed as Renoulf’s Beach Station after the immensely popular swimming area adjacent to it.

The West Penn Railroad operated along the north side of the Allegheny River. The company purchased the old canal rights of way and built its tracks on top of the old canal bed.

On Oct.12, 1866, the first train passed through Tarentum. It was decorated with red, white and blue bunting and had 100 dignitaries as passengers, including senators, congressmen and other state officials.

The second Tarentum Station was built about 1870 near the site of the present JG’s Tarentum Station Grille restaurant.

A third, larger Tarentum Station was constructed near Lock Street in 1892. It was a one-story wood frame structure.

After the flood of 1913, the railroad decided to raise the tracks and station 3 feet. In 1915, the station was moved and redesigned. A two-story addition was added to its center, and the wood structure was overlayed with brick. The station reopened in late 1916.

In 1964, the last passenger train passed through Tarentum. The abandoned railroad station was sold to the parking authority in 1981. The building was renovated and reopened in November 1983 as the Tarentum Station Restaurant and Lounge. It remained in business until 2007.

After extensive remodeling, the train station restaurant reopened as JG’s Tarentum Station Grille in January 2008 under the new ownership of John Greco.

In August 2014, Tarentum Council sold the historic train station to John Greco for $150,000 at a public auction. The borough continues to own the parking lots surrounding the station. These lots generate the bulk of the meter revenue the borough collects each year.