Americans have long fancied the romance of travel by train. Historic depots remind us of simpler times, whether we lived through them ourselves or just grew up hearing tales from our parents or grandparents. Perhaps that’s why it’s so hard for people to watch train stations fade into history as rail travel is replaced by jets and automobiles.

Pennsylvania is home to many such historic stations. Pennsylvania Train Stations - Restored and Revitalized spotlights a handful of dedicated folks who refuse to let history’s architecture crumble away. Research stations, private homes, museums, restaurants, and small businesses have sprung from the ghosts of old travel hubs.

There’s DiSalvo’s Station Restaurant, located in Latrobe, PA. The Italian eatery was born when the DiSalvo family purchased the bankrupt depot in 1989. The restoration process involved blending European design elements with the existing Gilded Age architecture. In California, PA, an archaic station was converted into a public library in the 1950s. Connellsville, PA is home to Youghiogheny Glass, where spectacular glass pieces are blown, cut, and sold.

At the start of each segment, a town and county are identified on a map. A shot of speeding train wheels then leads us into the new location and tale. The map is a good way of providing orientation for those not familiar with Pennsylvania’s landscape. It also gives a sense of just how widespread these stations were; indeed, it seems, people really could get “anywhere by train.”

While the station saviors all had different plans in mind when they made their purchases, there are common elements to their stories. Many of the owners speak of the beauty of the buildings as well as their historical significance. They are passionate about restoring the structures; they have to be, in order to lay out the time and money it takes to complete such projects. One family even had their station uprooted and moved to a different location. Many of the people interviewed took on a lot of the tedious work themselves.

Old photographs presented throughout the film provide a pleasant contrast to the images of the stations’ modern incarnations. There are a lot of nice shots of the details of the restored buildings. However, as someone interested in the restoration process itself, I would like to have seen more footage of the different stages of development.

Pennsylvania Train Stations - Restored and Revitalized, which originally aired on public television, is a charming film. It brings attention to something quintessentially, if not exclusively, American, and to the people who love the history enough to keep it alive.