St. Paul Union Depot

[lattasnip9]

If current plans become realities, SPUD might once again see passenger trains.

But why was SPUD left behind and Great Northern Station in Minneapolis torn down in favor of Midway station in the first place?

[wjstix]

I suppose part of why GN depot was torn down was that nobody had any other use for it, but they had use for the land it was on. It was a very large depot to serve only two trains a day (the Empire Builder going east and west). SPUD was pretty much taken over by the US Post Office next door for storage and parking, although there was an attempt to turn it into a shopping center kinda like NP's Como Shops becoming "Bandana Square".

It's pretty far back, but also as I recall St.Paul people weren't very happy that the Amtrak EB stopped in Minneapolis and not in St.Paul too the way it had under GN. Building an Amshack in Midway at least put it a depot in somewhat neutral territory. People in the so called "Twin" Cities can be very territorial about things...I know some St.Paul people were OK with going out to Bloomington to watch the Twins or Vikings for example, but don't like going to DT Minneapolis to go to the Metrodome.

[nanaimo73]

There is a pretty good article on the Twin Cities in the October 1986 Trains magazine. It has this to say about the GN Depot-

"A development project was scheduled for the site, so Amtrak built at Midway and moved, and the GN building was razed."

[wjstix]

I believe it's where the Federal Reserve Bank building is now?? I remember Garrison Keillor broadcast live from the GN depot the last day it was open, broadcast the sound of the last eastbound Empire Builder leaving in the morning. (This was back when GK had a Mon-Fri morning drive-time radio show, besides the Saturday afternoon show. He also had a very thick black beard then too.)

[lattasnip9]

Haha yes, there has always been some sibling rivalry between the two.

Yea, the lot is the fed reserve bank now.

Too bad.  From the pictures it looked pretty cool.  A lot better than midway at least.

 

[wjstix]

From the pictures it looked pretty cool.  A lot better than midway at least.

 

Well ya, it's kinda like going from a palace to a shotgun shack.

I remember the GN depot, went with my Mom on the Badger from Minneapolis to Superior to visit my sister and her family there in 1969. Power was a GN E-unit but I don't know the number.