Train station canopy work taking shape

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Work to restore the canopy at the century-old historic Wilson Train Station is ahead of schedule.

“It has gone really well. We are a little over halfway at this point, and we are hoping to be finished by the third week in August, so we are in front of our timeline,” said Bankston Lewis, a co-owner of Wilson-based MidSouth Roofing and Construction.

The company has a $750,000 contract with the city of Wilson to restore the 378-foot-long canopy.

Passengers waiting for Amtrak train departures will often stand or sit underneath the shade of the canopy waiting for trains to arrive.

“We have already completed the first section that we started which is 150 to 175 foot,” Lewis said. “The only thing we have left on that section is a little bit of punch list items. That section has already been painted. The copper gutters have been put back on, and the slate has been reinstalled.”

Lewis said the structural pieces of the canopy are in better shape than was expected.

“There is certainly some age that shows, but that is kind of the characteristic of the canopy itself,” Lewis said. “It is not supposed to look brand new. It is supposed to look like it is old and if you can leave some of those structural members that show the age, how it has weathered over time, how many coats of paint it has had on it over time.”

Last week, workers were reinstalling the new decking system and replacing copper gutters.

“Stephenson Millwork provided all of the wood for the project, all the two-by-fours, all the fascia material and all the tongue-and-groove, so we are really thankful for all of the people at Stephenson Millwork,” Lewis said. “We had it milled in the same way that the original tongue and groove was milled. I could have gone somewhere else, but why would I go get wood for our hometown train station from another millwork?”

Lewis said it is important to him that local Wilson companies have a hand in work on the historic Wilson Train Station, which was built in 1924 by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

The restored section of the canopy shines with brilliant white paint over purple stanchions.

The purple paint is a historic Atlantic Coastline color.

It is a stark contrast to the remaining un-restored center third of the canopy where peeling paint and rotten wood welcomed disembarking passengers to Wilson for many years.

The new section “looks really good.”

“That’s where it really shines,” Lewis said. “I am just grateful to be able to have the chance to do it.”

Lewis said he is proud that his company had to opportunity to bring this highly visible part of the historic station back to brilliance in his home town.

“To me, that is a feather-in-the-cap situation,” Lewis said.

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