A lot has been written the past few weeks about Tom Davis, following his passing October 5, at age 91. Tom was the founder, owner, and innkeeper of the Station Inn rail fans bed and breakfast in Cresson, PA, just a few miles west of the Horseshoe Curve along the former Pennsylvania Railroad in the Allegheny Mountains. All of the heartfelt thoughts are justified, and more. I share with my friends their sense of loss, their grief, and their prayers for Tom.
Tom was a Ph.D. from Harvard (a fact known only by his diploma hanging on the wall in the ‘saloon’ in the basement of the B&B), set out from his native New Jersey-NYC area home around 1990 to establish a rail fans bed and breakfast along the Pennsylvania RR between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. As Tom told the story, he found the Cresson property early in his quest, but he and the owner were significantly apart on assessment of its worth. Tom continued the search, and a year or more later, went back to the Cresson location and this time they were able to reach agreement. The Station Inn took on its current role in mid-1993.
At the time, the large facility, which at times had served as a hotel since it’s beginning in 1884, was a rooming house with several - six or more - residents. Tom went to each resident and promised that none would be asked to move, that only when they left of their own volition, would he take over their room(s) and transition them into his dream. In fact, the last resident, Alice, did not leave until the early 2000’s.
Over its 28 years of existence, it has been the nexus for an eclectic collection of characters to become a special blend of friends … locomotive engineers, bridge engineers, ceramic engineers, firemen, state troopers, hospital administrators, dentists, property developers, undertakers, teachers, a Catholic priest, book sellers, a European air marshall, television managers, college professors, financial managers, and on occasion, even a few wives. All came with a common interest, watching, photographing, “chasing”, and learning about trains. The common denominator was Tom Davis. He made the Station Inn special with his knowledge, his caring, his willingness to share, his personality, his individualism, his insight.
One thing that may not be known by many is the origin of Oldtimers Weekend, now an annual staple of early February each year. It didn’t start that way. In the early days, Tom worked very diligently courting major eastern newspapers to visit and write about the B&B. One January, he heard from a travel writer for the NEW YORK TIMES, who wanted to visit in early February. Success … dream realized. Except, early February in the Allegheny Mountains is cold, really cold. Even the most ardent rail fans wait another month or so before venturing out. And a B&B with only one or two, or even four or five of its 26 beds filled, is not a good look. But Tom, ever the promoter, got on the phone to several of his most loyal guests and invited them for a free weekend. Result: a full house, a pleased reporter and great story in the Times, a thankful Tom Davis, happy guests, and the birth of Oldtimers Weekend.
Another quick story: when Ken Heyl’s wife passed away suddenly in 2003, I called Tom and said don’t be surprised if Kenny shows up seeking a few days of solace. Tom’s immediate response, “we’ll have a room for him.” And when Kenny remarried a few years later and decided that part of his Honeymoon would be spent at the Station Inn (friends of Kenny will understand) he and new bride Laura arrived to find the only room in the Inn with a double bed remade into a honeymoon suite, complete with flowers, chocolates, and champagne.
We were more than innkeeper and guests. We were friends who shared breakfasts and evening front porch conversations, celebrations and disappointments.
Tom, your B&B was, just as you were, unique. Yours is the touchstone by which all such establishments are judged. It may remain great, and I hope it does. But it will never be the same. I miss you, special friend. Rest In Peace.
