Every mug on the shelf traces back to Tom Davis. He opened The Station Inn in 1993, lived here on-site, and spent nearly three decades making it a home for people who love trains.
As most of you know, Tom passed away in 2021, and we bought the Inn from his family in 2022. Many guests still remember his original black coffee mugs, which he used to give away freely back in the day. Over the years, the mug designs evolved, and a few people (like me) used to try to collect them. Tom knew that we could dream of the big front porch (or the tavern in the basement) every time we sipped a coffee out of one at home.
The lore of the coffee mugs were part of our inspiration to make a custom mug for those who have helped us along the way. So, when we decided to create this mug club, we knew Tom’s mug would be first.
Opening Day: 1993
Tom was a school district administrator and guidance counselor in New Jersey in the 1980s, and was a prominent volunteer on the Black River & Western Railroad (where he was often found running their beloved steam locomotive, No. 60). Once Tom retired, he got the crazy idea to start a railfan bed & breakfast. He would describe seeing loads of railfans at different places, and wondered “Where do they sleep”? He figured that a railfan B&B could be a great way to create a community for railfans and allow them to not miss any train action along the way.
Tom began a great hunt across the northeast US for the perfect location, and as you could guess, found our location in the spring of 1993. We recently found some of Tom’s notes and files from his first month of being open.
Back then, the Inn only had the PRR and B&O rooms, and long-term tenants occupied the other rooms, with Tom continually expanding over the years.
Remembered on the Porch
Tom was keenly aware that the Inn was special, and I think he knew that a lot of great friendships were built and built upon here. Ask the “mug people on the shelf” about Tom, and the stories come quickly.
The Breakfast Table
When Collin Reinhart moved to Altoona for Penn State, Tom invited him to stop by on weekends, especially in winter. “We would talk shop at the breakfast table after most of the guests had checked out,” Collin remembers, while Sandy tidied up after another round of satisfied guests. Around 2012, Tom asked Collin to take on the Inn’s Facebook page, and Collin became part of the crew. Collin is also quick to point out that Tom used to have a few rules during breakfast – no scanners, no TV, and no baseball caps. While the classical music from Johnstown played on the stereo, Tom was known to walk over and remove an offending baseball hat from someone at breakfast!
The No Kids Rule
Tom also had a rule that children under a certain age couldn’t stay (that rule still holds, by the way!) In 2007, Robby Lefkowitz’s dad asked him to make an exception for his five-year-old son. Tom agreed, on one condition: if Robby misbehaved, he’d never be allowed back. Robby has come back every year since.
The Place He Built
“Tom Davis built the place,” says Bryan Eberly, who first stayed here in 1996. The cozy, laid-back feel that keeps people coming back is Tom’s. (And we’ve strived to keep it that way.)
A Toast
To this day, Collin’s first drink on every visit is on the porch, raised to Tom.
Ask the Regulars About
Tom’s red car · Conrail · Breakfast-table shop talk · The early years
