| Railroad Stations become the Center of the New Towns
Each small town along a rail line had a railroad station or depot. A typical small town depot paralleled the railroad tracks. At one end was the freight room, which had a pair of scales on wheels for weighing whatever needed to be shipped: dairy cream in heavy cans, crated animals, baled hides, furniture, machinery. At the other end was a waiting room for passengers, usually with a big pot-bellied, coal-burning stove for heat. Toilets, however, were outhouses, about 25 yards from the depot, with a quarter moon cut in the door. In the United States, a station is technically distinguished from a depot in that a station is a designated stop, with or without a depot. Trains routinely stopped at larger stations, however, in small rural and remote communities passengers wanting to board the train had to flag the train down in order for it to stop. Such stations were known as "Flag stops" or "Flag stations". Santa Fe Perris Depot, located at 4th Street in downtown Perris, is a Victorian era combination depot building which served both passengers and freight customers. It was completed in 1892. Santa Fe La Grande Station opened on July 29, 1893. The station was unique for Southern California in its Moorish-inspired architecture. Damage from the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 forced its closure.
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Railroad
stations served the railroad as a telegraph and train order office, many
had a siding for trains to pass and a water tower to refill a steam locomotive
tender with water. Most passenger
stations included a ticket counter, baggage office, express office
and post office. Railroad stations also served the developing western
communities as a center for news, transportation and commerce. A railroad
station often reflected the stature of the community it served. Larger stations
also included waiting rooms for travelers waiting to board trains, some
also included restaurants, news stands and convenience shops.
Most towns had a station agent or agent-telegrapher. The depot office
was located next to the passenger waiting room. In this office the station
agent typically served as the telegrapher, freight and passenger agent
for the railroad and agent for the Railway Express and The Western Union.
He also handled the mail for the United States Post Office. Some stations
had a telegrapher on each shift around the clock.
Oil Junction Station train order office is from the joint Southern Pacific and Santa Fe Oil City Branch north of Bakersfield, it was used for communications and control of trackage.