Moller said people have been spotted at the station, and he was told the work being done was pre-demolition removal of items inside the building.
Calls to CSX were not returned before deadline on Thursday.
“If they demolish the historic depot without giving us some time to create a doable preservation plan to be accomplished within a reasonable period of time, it is a crime against history, the history of Hamilton and the history of this region,” Moeller said.
He hopes a preservation plan can be developed through a combined effort by CSX, the city, historical groups, and philanthropy groups.
He’s hoping to hold a meeting March 23, if not sooner, but needs to confirm historians and train experts will be able to attend before setting the meeting date and time.
“During a time frame when Hamilton is celebrating the possibility of Amtrak passenger rail stopping in our city, the spectre of a demolished historic train station will cause pain to Hamilton’s heritage,” Moeller said.
On the other hand, he added: “As we come out of a year long pandemic, preserving history seems to be an even more important goal. CSX could be a great partner in this goal.”
Hamilton, Oxford and Middletown are hoping to become stops on Amtrak routes if money is added through legislation expected to be introduced in Congress, as it was last session, through which Amtrak proposed adding five new rail routes in Ohio, including from Cincinnati to Indianapolis and Chicago. Another route would link Cincinnati, Dayton, Springfield, Columbus and Cleveland.
The station used to house an Amtrak until that ended in 2005. Amtrak trains still roll through Hamilton without stopping.
Railroad-expansion advocates say even if Hamilton were to get an Amtrak stop, that likely wouldn’t harm the chances for Oxford getting one. Oxford for years has worked to get one. Hamilton city officials recently have emphasized their desire to have stops on the Cincinnati-to-Chicago and Cincinnati-to-Cleveland routes.
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