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

[Trailryder]

I have been traveling all over Illinois, Iowa & Wisconsin to see the surviving railroad depots.
I have a little photo gallery with over 50 shots of Depots in there current state of repair, some have been restored to museums, some are nicely modernized into new businesses, and some sadly are in terrible shape and waiting for the wrecking ball to finish them.
I invite you to visit the site and see my collection.

http://www.pbase.com/trailryder/railroad_depots

The 2 depots that once graced the roads of my home town (Dixon Illinois) have been torn down to make way for modern progress, there is a city garage on the site of the Illinois central depot and on the site of the C&NW depot on sits a gravel parking lot. Now that’s progress.

Later Bill

[blhanel]

Cool collection there Trailryder. LOL at the La Rue shot. How did you get an Alaska depot in the mix?

You aughta venture further into Iowa for some more!

[jedi_tev]

Well, in Pueblo, CO the train station, also called Union Station is not in use for passengers but has many offices in it and a few shops. I know Ken Salazar has his offices there. There is a bunch of historic railcars there. And on New Year's Eve they raise the "Chili" there.

You can see a picture of the station in 1967 in Mar 2006 issue of Model Railroader. Also, it's about to become the set of a Star Wars fan film one my friends is going to shoot. We're not using the depot itself but the DRGW Frieght house and platforms nearby for the filming. This is combining my two loves, trains and Star Wars. I showed my friend the location recently and he loved it for what he wanted to do with my charaters film. I'm looking forward to filming there.

[Anonymous]

Matthews, NC Built by Carolina Central about 1890, used by SAL/SCL until agency closed in 1968, last passenger train in 1958. Now owned by the Town of Matthews and in 2004 underwent full restoration and is currently leased in part to the Matthews Chamber of Commerce, who use the office and waiting rooms (it was a Jim Crow station) and the Town opeartes a small museum of Town and RR history in the freight area. We have started a nice collection of SAL material. I did a little research on the station in the National Archives during the renovation, looking up the 1918 ICC valuation records on it. They were pretty amazing in the level of detail, including the fact that the CCRR built the station for a little over $7,600. In 2004, we spent almost $400,000 on the renovation. A little inflation perhaps? A picture is available on the Town webpage, photo section at www.matthewsnc.com

[n2mopac]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Trailryder

I have been traveling all over Illinois, Iowa & Wisconsin to see the surviving railroad depots.
I have a little photo gallery with over 50 shots of Depots in there current state of repair, some have been restored to museums, some are nicely modernized into new businesses, and some sadly are in terrible shape and waiting for the wrecking ball to fini***hem.[V]
I invite you to visit the site and see my collection.

http://www.pbase.com/trailryder/railroad_depots

The 2 depots that once graced the roads of my home town (Dixon Illinois) have been torn down to make way for modern progress, there is a city garage on the site of the Illinois central depot and on the site of the CNW depot on sits a gravel parking lot. Now that’s progress.

Later Bill

Great collection. Thanks for sharing them. [8D]

Ron

[Trailryder]

If you live in or near Michagan check out this site.

http://user.mc.net/~louisvw/depot/index.htm

It's hosted by another Depot Fan.
Later Bill

[blhanel]

QUOTE: Originally posted by blhanel

Although our address is officially Cedar Rapids, my wife and I are quite fond of Marion, IA, having lived there for many years. In Marion, the former Milwaukee Road depot has long since been torn down, but they did save the roof and use it for the town square park's pavilion. I tried searching for a picture, but none seem to be available here in cyberspace, so I'll have to get out and get a shot and add it later.

Finally got a shot of it today...

[monkeyman2]

In Easton,MD The old station is some wildlife office. No pic's though, I can get if anyones intersted.

[CSXrules4eva]

Well I can say this now since I will remain a resident of Louisville for about a day and 1/2. Here in Louisville the old Union Station on Broadway, is now owned by Tarc, Transit Authority of River City. It serves as an somoewhat of an office building today. Tarc has restored the old station into it's once hayday form. It's pretty neat.

Now, in my hometown of Philadelphia, PA. Many of the abandonded depots are used as wearhouses. We do have a couple of train stations along former Reading, and PRR lines, now Septa in which people have restored and currently live in.

[ironhorseman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by samfp1943

Here in Southeast Kansas there are more abandoned railroad properties than I would have imagined..In Parsons, the Big Katy Station was the victim of a large fire in the 1950's that destroyed what had also been the offices of the Katy Railroad, before it was moved to St. Louis. But about twenty miles away in Cherryvale, Ks there is a beautiful example of a masonry and brick Santa Fe station, that is in good repair and is the office for the SkOL RR [ a WATCO Co],and the Cherryvale Model RR Club.

http://www.leatherockhotel.com/railhist.htm

The link has many interesting details and some photos of both the Santa Fe station as well as the Frisco station which was demolished some time ago.. Quite a bit of area railroad history and many interesting links to follow also. The Leatherrock Hotel would be of interest to railfans as they mention having quite a bit of memorabilia to show. I found these and others while doing on-line research for a project for one of my classes.
Hope some of you will find this of interest.
Sam

I think the depot you are referring to is the great stone structure with the clock that burned in March 1915. The next depot lasted until at least the 1960s when 'urban renewal' reared it's ugly head and started unnecessarily wrecking good and historic buildings. By 1971 when the dust had finally settled, Parsons had lost many of it's irreplaceable treasures. Then the April 2000 tornado came and went out of that rubble a new kind of urban renewal began to restore Parsons to it's former, grander state. Hopefully Katy Railroad Days on Memorial day weekend, now in it's 7th? year, will help respawn interest in historic Parsons. However, that hiway by-pass won't help much when it's directing traffic around town instead of through it.

Here's to the "good ol' days."

[ironhorseman]

In Wichita, Kansas:
-Union Station was used for the Cable TV office for many years up to this year, I think. I can't remember now what was going in there.
-Rock Island depot, next door to Union Station, houses 2 restaurants: a soup and sandwich shop and the other sit-down-order-from-menu type.
In Augusta, Kansas:
-ATSF depot is still the MOW offices for the BNSF
-Frisco depot sat empty for many years, was a pawn shop for the last 5-10 years, now it's empty again.
El Dorado, KS:
the depot is either a museum or place of business, but what is interesting is about a block away is a former railroad hotel that's now an apartment building. It's not very big, just 2-3 floors and wide enough for rooms on either side of the main entrance.
Winfield, KS:
ATSF depot is a Gambino's Pizza Parlor. Excellent food, nice memorilbilla, right next to active short line RR.
Chanute, KS:
The ATSF Depot half is the Osa and Martin Johnson Safari Museum and other half is the public library.

[coborn35]

Darned Internet gremlins.

[Anonymous]

In my sometimes hometown of Bemidji MN, all three of the passenger stations are alive and well. From north to south we have, first the Soo Line-Northern Pacific station, last used by a passenger train (NP) in June, 1968. It is now an upscale restaurant and bar called "Union Station"

Next south, the beautiful Great Northern station is home to the museum of the Beltrami County Historical Society. The operators office still looks like it did in the mid Eighties when it was still staffed by the Burlington Northern. A local model railroad club, the Northern Iron Horse Railroad Society, has a great pike in the basement. The last passenger service here was in March, 1959.

On the extreme south, the station and office building of the Minneapolis, Red Lake & Manitoba (abandoned 1938) is a residence.

Dave Umhauer
Duluth MN

[Anonymous]

PARSONS, KANSAS
Samfp1943 commented that the Katy Depot in Parsons, Kansas burned in the early 1950’s. The depot burned in either 1912 or 1914. The building that replaced it, to my knowledge, stood until around 1969-70. The depot was demolished due to the Urban Renewal project. The companion building to the south of the depot was an office building that was the same approximate size and design. It was demolished (early 1960’s) after the Railroad moved the accounting department to Denison, Texas in the middle of the night in the late 1950’s.

I grew up in Parsons, Kansas.

AUGUSTA, KANSAS
The Frisco Depot in Augusta, Kansas is now vacant after being used as a pawn shop for several years. The owner of the building sold it to the City of Augusta for $125,000 in the fall of 2005. Plans have been drawn up to locate the chamber of commerce office in the old depot with a meeting/reception room in part of the facility. To accompli***hat funds will have to be raised.

WICHITA, KANSAS
Cox Communications (aka: cable TV) has plans in the future to move out of the Wichita, Kansas Union Station Depot. Options for the use of building are open at this time. It may be too large for the Great Plains Transportation Museum (GPTM) to occupy. GPTM is now across the street on Douglas Avenue in a section called Old Town.

EL DORADO, KANSAS
The old Missouri Pacific depot in El Dorado, Kansas may be an office now. The location of the non-existent Santa Fe depot in El Dorado is about one block south of Central and one block west of Main Street or just east of the Butler County Judicial Court Center. There are some pictures in the west first floor hallway of the judicial center showing a picture of the old Santa Fe depot. One will have to go through a metal detector to view them. No tracks exist there now. One can see where they once went to the south as they would connect to today’s BNSF main transcontinental line. Hopefully the pictures are still there as they were on loan from the Butler Co. Historical & Oil Museum located on East Main from downtown.

How did I know there were some historical pictures in the judicial center? When I went to court to contest a speeding ticket, I found the picture. Watch out for the Butler County Sheriff deputies. The department has old radars in their cars and they may not know to operate them very well. Also the magistrate (non-lawyer) judge (elected-only qualification is to a qualified voter), Martina Hubble (paid about $44,000 [more than most teachers]) did not believe I was going 63 in a 65 zone. The deputy sheriff said I was going 75 MPH. Cost $90. I was telling the truth and my wife was with me in the vehicle (van)!!

MARION, KANSAS
In Marion, Kansas there is an old Santa Fe depot but there are no tracks. It is just south of the central part of the downtown business district just east of Sunflower Road. Have not stopped there but believe it is now a library or museum.

[DPD1]

Unfortunately nothing... The trendy planners of L.A.'s "NoHo" district didn't think an old SP depot fit into their visions of stucco and galvanized metal, which will all be torn down in 20 years for something else that's the trend of the month.

Dave
http://www.dpdproductions.com
- Featuring the TrainTenna Railroad Scanner Antennas -

[Kevin C. Smith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by DPD1

Unfortunately nothing... The trendy planners of L.A.'s "NoHo" district didn't think an old SP depot fit into their visions of stucco and galvanized metal, which will all be torn down in 20 years for something else that's the trend of the month.

Dave
http://www.dpdproductions.com
- Featuring the TrainTenna Railroad Scanner Antennas -

Was that the SP Central Station that was replaced by LAUPT? What year was it torn down? I always assumed it didn't last long after passenger service moved out.

[n2mopac]

I thought it was about time we revive this great old thread--especially since I have a few new depot photos to share. 

First is the old KCS depot at Marshall, MO. This building does not appear to be in use and is quickly falling into disrepair, though KCS may use if for storage. 

Second is the MoPac depot at Sedalia, MO. The more well-known Katy depot at Sedalia is pictures somewhere above. The MoPac depot (currently UP) is under rennovation now and will house offices for a non-profit community restoration society, the local OATS service, as well as continue to serve as an Amtrak station.

Finally, the two-story KCS depot at Slater, MO is, as you can see, still in use by KCS as offices of some sort, though I don't know their exact use. Slater is just 13 miles up the line from Marshall (above).

Share pictures of those old depots in your area.

Ron

[bubbajustin]

I live just north of the town Veedersburg IN. The deopt there was just re-roofed last summer. It's the old NKP I belive. It just sits there it is in surprisingly in good codition.

[JoeKoh]

the B&O depot in defiance is gone.the maw uses the wabash depot for their office.

stay safe

joe

[Modelcar]

Several depots here in Muncie have been demolished in years past.  We do have one remaining though....It's a former C&O single story brick and stone structure.

Built in the early 1900's.  It had fallen in terrible disarray and the tracks were removed about 1994.  The R of W became our Cardinal Greenway Trail back roughly 2004.  The depot, being on the National Historic Registor was totally renovated back to it's original appearance and reopened as our Greenway Trail Head with trail offices and displays of RR items of the past, etc.....Cost:  Over $800,000....!  It has a new clay tile roof and all new mechanicals and totally renovated.  It is staffed daily.

I can't display a photo of it here but do have digital photos showing it.

It is lit at night with lights under it's overhang and shining on it's exterior walls and presents a great image....!

[espeefoamer]

The old Southern Pacific station in Whittier,CA.has been moved and is now a transit center.There are about four bus lines that use this depot.This station was built sometime in the 1890s.The Union Pacific station was demolished. The UP brought a bulldozer in one night and tore it down.The station was there one day,and gone the next.The Pacific Electric station is now a storefront.

[BNSF_GP60M]

Here are some stations around here. In Hanford, Ca, our main station built by the San Fransisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad in the late 1890's is still a depot for Amtrak. Well the northern half is. The southern half is used for an insurance place.

http://bnsfc44.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/9679/amtrak.JPG

Also in town we have the former SP station. It used to have a freight station with it but it was moved across the tracks from the current station. The depot itself is currently vacant but still sits next to SJVR's line to Huron.

Localy, Lemoore has a "restored" depot. It was moved from Strathmore to Lemoore in the early 2000's and placed trackside. Its is there Chamber of Commerce office.

http://bnsfc44.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/22925/DCFC0427.JPG

Fresno, Ca Santa Fe depot is restored and houses Amtrak.

http://bnsfc44.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/13679/fresno.jpg

Fresno's SP station houses offices. Visalia's SP depot is a resturant called what else. "The Depot Resturant." Kingsburg's SP depot is being restored after being derelict for years. Folwer's SP depot was moved north of town and now a antique store. Corcoran's depot serves Amtrak and has Santa Fe and Wabash(!) items inside. And finally, Selma's SP depot is its police department.

http://bnsfc44.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/31972/may_15_08.jpg

[ACF1001]

Sadly, the ones in my hometown (Wanaque, NJ) have long since disappeared, in fact all traces have been obliterated. In neighboring Pompton Lakes, their depot houses a religious book store and I think a consignment shop. Unless they are out of business. Just look for a Susquehanna Caboose parked next to it.

[ACF1001]

My sister and my brother in law gave me a book titled L&N The Old Reliable. The book mentions that TARC turns on the neon lights of the L&N building after dark. Is that still done? 

[passengerfan]

I guess we are lucky here in Stockton we have three Depots two are still active and one is used by the city for storage.

The old AT&SF Station is still an active Amtrak Station and those San Joaquins to and from the bay area operate through it. It has been modernized and looks quite nice.

The old Southern Pacific Station is a magnificent brick structure that had false ceings installed some years ago and was generally run down but now the false ceilings have been removed and it has been fully restored to its original appearance. It serves the Amtrak San Joaquins serving Sacramento and the Ace commuter trains that originate in Stockton.

The former Western Pacific Station is now used by the city for storage and the tracks were removed some years ago. This station was once a beautiful building that has been allowed to become run down and in bad need of restoration. Alas, there may be some hope for the old WP station after all. There is new rumors floating around that it could become the new HSR station when it is routed through Stockton. It would be a fitting choice for this once beautiful old station.

Al - in - Stockton 

[cnwfan51]

   The former Milwaukee depot in Yankton S.D. is home to the local cable tv company   The Great Northern depot in Garretson S.D was moved to a new location and was suppose to be  a museam.   In Wayne Nebr. the former CMO depot is a Godfathers pizza place. The Northwestern depot in Norfolk Nebr was a bar/reaturant until it caught fire and was gutted. The Rock Island/ Milwaukee depot in Conucil Bluffs is a museam with an Ho scale layout with a large display outside of former steam engines and passenger cars.   Just afew that i know of   Larry

[n2mopac]

Here are a couple more from me. First is the Sedalia, MO MoPac old freight house. Today it is used by UP for storage. Second is the old steam shope in Sedalia. Part of this facility is also used for stroage by UP while the rest is used by a private structural steel suppplier.

 Ron

[BaltACD]

For the past 15 years or so, the old Baltimore & Ohio station in Sykesville, MD has been doing business as the Baldwin Station Restaurant...and upclass high dollar eatery

[piouslion1]

Here in Winston-Salem, NC the old Union Station is a garage, still standing however awaiting some development to its intended use (we think).

PL

[penncentral2002]

Richmond, VA has the following (and this might be an incomplete list)

Broad Street Station - now the Science Museum of Virginia

Main Street Station - still a train station (Amtrak Regional Service to Newport News stops there) - also offices (the train shed is vacant, having previously been used for shops/eateries unsuccessfully) and historic display

Southern station in Manchester (area of Richmond south of the James River) - Old Dominion Railway Museum

Southern office or station in downtown - now a restraunt

Seaboard Freight Station - now offices

Seaboard station in Manchester - now a fertilizer store

I'm sure I'm missing some (there is a trolley station now used as a gatehouse at the University of Richmond for example) - but Richmond has a lot of stations.

Where I grew up in Harrisonburg, VA - the only station still standing is the Chesapeake Western Railway station and offices - currently the offices are vacant (previously they held a lamp shop on the lower floor and apparently offices for the CHW (a fully owned subsidiary of Norfolk Southern with no locomotives or rolling stock) on the top floor) which became vacant following a fire.  The old station is currently used by a lumber company as a warehouse.  There have been lots of proposals for adaptive reuse (generally as a museum or restraunt/visitor's center) but thus far, nothing has come about.

I used to live in Washington, DC - Union Station is one of Amtrak's largest stations and also serves MARC, VRE, and Metro.  Also there is a mall and restraunts and a movie theatre there

I also used to live in Martinsville, VA (first attorney job) - only station there was the Danville & Western - now used as a bank - the biggest clue that it was previously a railroad station was that it is on a road named Depot Street (the tracks are long gone)

Went to college in Fredericksburg, VA - the RF&P station is now a restraunt and a Amtrak/VRE station.

Went to law school in Williamsburg, VA - the C&O Station is now an Amtrak and Bus Station

My in laws live in Washington, NC - the old ACL station/freight house is now a cultural center