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What is that old depot in your town used for today?

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  • From: chapmanville west virginia
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Posted by mltoth30 on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 9:57 PM

the old passenger station in logan wv. is now city hall. just a few years ago they tore out the concrete platform between the tracks to replace the ties.

mike t.

mike t.
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Posted by PA&ERR on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 3:37 PM

I was born in Oxford PA. The last I heard the depot there was being used as the city offices.

When I was 5, my family moved to suburban Phila. No train station nearby, however, the train station I remember most from that era is still doing what it was built to do.

Paoli was where my mom and I boarded the Paoli Local for many exciting trips into center city Phila! Great Times!

-George

"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."

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Posted by scottychaos on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 2:05 PM

A few of my favorite depots from my hometowns: 

Sayre, PA -originally Lehigh Valley Railroad, today houses the museum of the Sayre Historical Society..tracks outside still see NS trains:

http://www.sayrehistoricalsociety.org/

 

Rochester, NY - originally Lehigh Valley Railroad, today houses the Dinosaur BBQ Resturant. No tracks outside:

http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/rochesterIndex.php

 

 

Rochester, NY - originally Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad, then B&O. today houses "Nick Tahou's Hots" resturant. Tracks outside still in use by Rochester & Southern railroad:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/99/280962152_3afbf9ade7.jpg?v=0

(thats the largest surviving Rochester train station..although New York Central had much larger ones..but sadly, not surviving today.)

Scot

 

 

 

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Posted by Rockin' chair 0-2-0 on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:34 PM

In Collinwood Tn. the re-built station is a public library.

In Jackson Tn. it is a RR musuem, very worth seeing!

 

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Posted by E-L man tom on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:33 PM

The old UP depot here in Boise, ID is now owned by the city. It has been kept in good shape and it sees a limited amount of activity as it can be used for meetings and various activities. I went to a wedding reception there about a year ago. Most of the original decor on both the inside and out are still intact. It's a beautiful 2 story brick structure with spanish tile roofing. I hear that the City of Boise is trying to get Amtrack service restored there; it has been probably five years since the last train stopped there.

On a side note; the back of the station in the parking lot is is the site where Sen. Larry Craig gave his "I'm not gay" speech when that scandal broke a number of months ago.

Tom Modeling the free-lanced Toledo Erie Central switching layout.
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Posted by Medina1128 on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:07 PM

I live in Clinton, MO, and the passenger depot used to be located in what is now the parking lot of our library. I believe it was served by the Frisco Lines. It has since been relocated to its present location and is now the Chamber of Commerce. In order, they are of the Clinton depot circa 1908, after its 1944 renovation and shortly before its demolition.

 

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Posted by Packer on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:00 PM
There isn't one around here, there is one in a town about 45 minutes to the northwest and it's used as a railroad museum and a hobby shop.

Vincent

Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....

2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.

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Posted by Train 284 on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:52 PM
Our depot in Redding, Ca is still doing what it was built to do. It serves as a waiting room for Amtrak passengers waiting for the Coast Starlight. The other half is used by UP employees.
Matt Cool Espee Forever! Modeling the Modoc Northern Railroad in HO scale Brakeman/Conductor/Fireman on the Yreka Western Railroad Member of Rouge Valley Model RR Club
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Posted by R. T. POTEET on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:35 PM
Old bums!

From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet

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Posted by Rotorranch on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:29 PM

The old depot in Jonesboro, GA is home for the local welcome center/historical society/Gone With the Wind museum.

Some of you may have seen this station before.

Rotor

 Jake: How often does the train go by? Elwood: So often you won't even notice ...

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Posted by n2mopac on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:20 PM

Now for the depots. First, the old D&RGW depot in Durango, CO is now the depot and gift shop for the Durango & Silverton. It sits right across the tracks from the roundhouse, pictured above.

Next, the beautiful old stone Cheyenne, WY depot is home to a very nice restaraunt, gift shop, museum, and visitor center. It, too, sits right across the tracks from the old Cheyenne roundhouse above.

Finally, the old depot in Manhattan, KS has been renovated into the home of the local Chamber of Commerce.

I saw many other old depots out west, but was not able to get as many pics of them as I would have liked. For those of you, like me, who love this thread because you love old stations, I hope you enjoy these.

Ron

Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado. 

Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy

Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings

 

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Posted by n2mopac on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:06 PM

Just got back from a vacation out west and have some new stations and roundhouse pics. First, 3 roundhouses. The first is the old D&RGW roundhouse in Durango, CO. 1/2 is still used as a roundhouse for the steam locos that pull the Durango & Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad excursions to Silverton and back. The other 1/2 is a museum. An employee told me that when they bought the property in 1989 only 2 walls of the roundhouse were left standing, but they have done a beautiful job of rebuilding it to match historical photos. Here is a pic of it, thought not a great one, with K-36 no 486 pulling in after a hard day's work.

Second is the old Cheyenne roundhouse in Cheyenne, WY. It too is still a roundhouse, home to UP's 2 in service steam locomotives, Challenger no. 3986 and Northern no. 844. They keep this place looking pristine as it is quite visible from the old depot and visitor center (pictured below in next post).

Finally, the old Midland Terminal Railroad roundhouse and shops in Colorado Springs, CO is today home to a pottery shop, though the building is for sale. This is a beautiful old stone roundhouse that served several railroads hauling timber, gold, and other ores out of the mountains in the late 19th and early 20th centurys.

Ron

Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado. 

Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy

Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings

 

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Posted by Musepro on Saturday, May 31, 2008 1:04 AM
The Marion Union Station is undergoing restoration. The main waiting/ticket area is a railroad museum.
One of the buildings is a meeting room where the association and model railroad club meet and is available
for rent to other groups. The old baggage building houses The Marion Model Railroad Club, a historic, 58 year
old HO scale model railroad club.

There are about 100 trains daily the pound the 8 diamonds that surround the station.

Visit www.marionmodelrailroadclub.org for more station, club and railfan info and pics!

jt burke

Marion, OH

C&O and Chessie System Modeler

www.marionmodelrailroadclub.org

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Posted by Bobster on Friday, May 30, 2008 9:32 PM

  My first train ride, in the mid 1960's, the Peoria Rocket to Chicago....The old Rock Island Station in Peoria, Illinois still stands.  It has been used as the River Station Restaraunt.  I read recently that there had been a fire but only minor damage.  The newer RI station on Morton street was closed and the only thing left of the facilities was a turntable.  Peoria seems to be using the old RI right of way for a riverfront park where Iowa Interstate has a single track along its edge. My hometown of Peoria Heights had no station but was served by RI freights daily to a Pabst brewery, now gone too.  Now there is a bitter rail/trail battle going on there.

  I visited Illinois in 2006 and noted the following: The next RI stop upline at Chillicothe, Illinois was a museum, even though on the forner Rock Island it had a Santa Fe Caboose.  I was there late in the day and it was closed.  I believe BNSF still uses the station in North Chillicothe for crews. The awing up the walkway to the waiting room was gone.  Rode coach on the Super Chief Chillicothe to Chicago with my family and the El Capitan back a couple days later. Probably 1967 or 68.   RI  Bureau  Junction station I think was still there,  The RI DePue Station was boarded up. Quite a ways up line the Utica, Illinois Rock Island station was very badly damaged by a tornado, several years ago. It was in sad shape when I saw it in 2006.   Rock Island's Ottawa Station was being used by CSX.  Rock Island's LaSalle-Peru Station looked like a hardware store.  The old Illinois Traction / Illinois Terminal in Peoria, was still part of the Peoria Police Station.

  My "new" town of Gastonia, NC has a microscopic brick Amtrack station.  There is an abandononed station inside a fence that the Southern Railway probably once used near the west edge of the downtown area.  It was probably made unuseable when the whole line was put into a trench on the north edge of of downtown Gastonia.  There is a tiny station used as a photo shop along the NS spur to South Gastonia. on Garrison Blvd.  I think this was originally Carolina and Western Track.  I believe the next SR station west,  Kings Mountain, NC is  pretty much intact and used for a senior center.   The next station east,  downtown, Belmont, NC was a museum but it went under.  The current owner (?) would like to base a dinner train there, maybe run it on the old Piedmont and Northern.  It is to early to tell but there was a New Haven dining car there two weeks ago.  More details as available.  I have heard that Cherryville, NC has a CSX station used by an HO scale group.

 OK I did a little more than my hometown station.  My apologies, but I enjoyed it.

Thanks,

Bob Lipka 

 

Modeling in N scale: Rock Island freight and passenger, with a touch of  the following;  Wabash Cannon Ball,  CB&Q passenger, and ATSF freight and passenger.   I played in Peoria (Heights).

 

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  • From: Holland, MI
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Posted by gentletaz on Friday, May 30, 2008 7:09 PM

The old depot here in Holland, MI has been here for many years. AFIK, it was originally built for the Pere Marquette RR, which was eventually absorbed into C & O. I remember as a kid, riding the C&O to Chicago on a school field trip, three cars drawn by what I believe was an E-8.

When Amtrak took over passenger rail, our rail passenger service disappeared and the C&O(later CSX) let the building deteriorate for many years, using the freighthouse portion for storage. Over the years, the city talked to CSX about buying the building, but the price was always too high. In the meantime, Amtrak came to town and erected a tiny "Amshack" for shelter for their "Pere Marquette" passengers. Finally, the city and CSX closed a deal on the building and the city refurbished it  and turned it into a transportation center, hosting a bus line (Indian Trails, I believe), the local "MAX" bus line, a cab company, and Amtrak. The building looks very nice now with the original platform shelter back in place and nice landscaping.

On one trip we made on Amtrak to San Antonio, TX, we boarded the Texas Eagle in Pontiac,IL. The station there is now privately owned, with a restaurant, tanning salon, and retail store. Amtrak has the use of a room at one end of the building and a parking area. The depot has been nicely refurbished and is at least being used and maintained. 

On another trip, we boarded the Southwest Chief in Princeton, IL, where a small group of volunteers has been working on the local depot which now looks quite nice. They also meet all the Amtrak trains to assist passengers. They saved the day for us because, for some reason, the train crew had not been notified that we were scheduled to board there. With the radio provided to the volunteers by Amtrak, they contacted the crew to confirm that we were there which was the first the crew knew of it! The Princeton depot has a new platform made of concrete stamped and colored to look like red brick. The depot itself needed more work, but they are making progress refurbishing the original woodwork.

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Posted by teen steam fan on Friday, May 30, 2008 3:53 PM
In Elwood, the old depot is gone and the one in nearby Willmington is in an advanced state of disrepaire

If you can read this... thank a teacher. If you are reading this in english... thank a veteran

When in doubt. grab a hammer. 

If it moves and isn't supposed to, get a hammer

If it doesn't move and is supposed to, get a hammer

If it's broken, get a hammer

If it can't be fixed with a hammer... DUCK TAPE!

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Posted by oldyardgoat on Friday, May 30, 2008 3:03 PM

The Union Station in Denver, CO is alive and well, and still used for Amtrak's Nos. 3 & 4.  It is also becoming the transportation center of the city.  I spent many a summer's day watching the trains there in the late 1950s.  Two years ago I walked through the great waiting room of the grand old ediface, out onto the platform, and rode out of town behind a steamed-powered passenger train (during the UPHS 2006 convention behind UP 844).  Am I one lucky cuss?!  You bet! 

Ardenastationmaster 

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Posted by RedSkin on Friday, May 30, 2008 9:54 AM

Well the little town where I was born (Hobart, OK) had an old Rock Island Depot that went derelict for many years.  I guess a few years ago the Historical Society decided to fix the old Depot up and has made it into a rail/ local area museum.  I haven't had time to visit it yet but one of these days I'm going to.

 

Brad

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Posted by D&HRR on Friday, May 30, 2008 7:31 AM
  Our old depot is used as a bar, what a shame.Sigh [sigh] It is tough to take the kids down there to watch trains because of all the idiots yelling profanity inside. I cant believe the local historians didn't attempt to stop this. I guess money talks.
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Posted by Johnnny_reb on Thursday, May 29, 2008 11:58 PM
In the late 60's early 70's the local depot was being used by a junkman. Not one but the older people even knew it was a depot until about 1979 when the city was going to tear it down because the old fellow passed away. It had been added on to with lean-to's and other additions, it just looked like a shanty town building. But as the demo crew started to remove the add-on's and lean-to's the old depot begin to show her face once again. Someone seen what was underneath all of the junk and the depot was saved. It was sitting out at the county fair grounds the last time I seen her (about 20 years ago). I'll have to make a trip to check up on her.

Johnnny_reb Once a word is spoken it can not be unspoken!

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Posted by CRIP 4376 on Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:32 PM
My hometown depot is Pella, Iowa.  The track is gone and the depot is used as the Pella Window museum.  Walthers has released a model of this depot in HO and N.
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Posted by railroadnut675 on Thursday, May 29, 2008 7:46 PM

The Union Station in Downtown/Ybor is still used by Amtrack

The real deal station is in nearby Plant City, named for the rail baron H.B. Plant. At that station, even though it is (I think) no longer used, they have a big screen showing the tracks and when the next train will be by. Its so fascinating simply because of the number of CSX NS and Amtrack trains that go by every day  

All hail the Mighty HO Scale Does thinking you're the last sane person on Earth make you crazy? -- Will Smith from I, Robot
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Posted by Flashwave on Thursday, May 29, 2008 7:42 PM
Those links won;t work unless We're on your computer

-Morgan

HCW
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Posted by HCW on Thursday, May 29, 2008 7:34 PM

I haven't live there for over forty years, but the depot in Canaan CT is being renovated.  It was abandoned and some kids started a fire in one half.

There are people who have managed to get money and help to restore it.

 Here it before the fire and renovation:

 file:///E:/Train%20Pictures/Shortcut%20to%20Canaan%20station.lnk

 Here it is during the renovation:

 file:///E:/Train%20Pictures/Canann%20station/Shortcut%20to%20new%202.lnk

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Posted by HarryHotspur on Thursday, May 29, 2008 6:14 PM

It's not my town, but one of the nicest conversions I've seen is in Columbia, SC where the old station has been a succesful restaurant for the last 30 years or so. The picture below doesn't do it justice, but inside the grand high ceilings, arches, moldings, etc. have been preserved intact. Unfortunately, it has no railroad atmosphere. Pretty good restaurant, though.

 

- Harry

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Posted by Flashwave on Thursday, May 29, 2008 5:03 PM
There's an Interurban station down the road from us in a neighboring town. Last plan was to use it as a community center with computers and a small library. It would also be a stop on the new wa;lking trail. But after being renovated, neither is happening.

-Morgan

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Posted by yankee flyer on Thursday, May 29, 2008 4:32 PM

 I looked at this whole thread and didn't find St. Louis.  Confused [%-)]

The St. Louis Mo. Union Station is a hotel and shopping center although the shopping part may be closed. The suburban Webster Groves station is home to a model railroad club.The kirkwood station hosts Amtrak. I don't have pictures but all three are kind of interesting maybe someone else from St. Louis could post pictures.

Happy Railroading.  Big Smile [:D]

Lee

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Posted by CNE Runner on Thursday, May 29, 2008 3:45 PM

The railroad depot in Guntersville, AL was in very bad shape some years ago. Age, disuse and neglect had certainly taken their toll on this historic structure. The depot has been completely restored and is home to a fairly large collection of railroad memorabilia from the station's days on the N.C.& St.L and the L&N. Guntersville had the longest car ferry in the world at one point - ferrying cars from Guntersville to Hobbs Island near Huntsville, AL. Today the station is still located on an active shortline owned by the CSX and leased to Omnitrax. Trains composed of grain, feed, fuel oil and scrap metal are carried daily.

The depot can be toured (by prior arrangement with the Guntersville Historical Society) and gives a visual contact with the Tennessee valley's history. Google: Lake Guntersville or Guntersville Depot for more information on our beautiful area of the South. I had planned to include a picture of the present depot...but can't figure out how to do that.

 

 "Keeping my hand on the throttle...and my eyes on rail."

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 29, 2008 3:12 PM

my station still stands.  The passenger part was burned down in the 70's but the freight still stands....AND NS uses it as a office

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