Nevers Station

In the 1800s new railroads demanded a new kind of building: the railroad station. Gare de Nevers, a modest station in a provincial area, exemplifies the glass-and-iron building type that French architects and engineers developed in response to this need. Combining a train shed and a passenger building, the railroad station had to provide an area wide enough to accommodate parallel tracks and tall enough to diffuse smoke and steam from the train's engine. This station's shed is so large that the engine waiting beneath it looks miniature. Beside the shed, doors lead to the passenger building, where people could purchase tickets, dispose of luggage, await departure or arrival, and generally make the jolting transition between the familiar urban world and the realm of steam and speed.