Throughout the years, this area has changed considerably. The current waiting room was originally the Men's Waiting Room, while the Ladies had a separate, more elegant Waiting Room through the door to the west of this area. Inside the Men's Waiting Room there was a newstand. In 1959, upon the closure of the Hotel, the Newstand was turned into the General Agent and Chief Clerks Office and later into the VIA ticket office. Also in 1959, the 
Telegraph offices and its four operators were moved from the second floor into the old ticket office to receive and send train orders. The last day of operation for the Telegraph Office was January 1, 1971.
Located in the west end of the Station, the Lunch Counter was one of the last rooms to be opened and also one of the last rooms to be closed. Added with the west end addition in 1911, the Lunch Counter was used to serve light meals and snacks for hundreds of passengers daily on brief layovers. During the heyday of the Station, staff of the Lunch Counter had to be prepared to serve breakfast to upwards of 1,200 passengers arriving mainly from Boston and Montreal. Fed at the Lunch Counter as well, during the First and Second World Wars, were the many soldiers who would pass through on the troop trains headed to the coast. But no matter who 
you were, if you were passing through McAdam Junction you would order a slice of one of the 10 different kinds of "Railroad Pie", which this station was famous for. The "Lunch" sign, which is still visible on the outside of the Station, has not been lit since April 15, 1976, when proprietress Theda Boone locked the door for the last time.
On to the Hotel/Dining Room
All pictures on this page are © McAdam Historical Restoration Commission and may not be used with out permission.
Page last updated August 25, 2005