Depot Gallery
by David Ingles
| My late Father was a depot photographer and active in the Railroad Station Historical Society, and I took up the persuit myself decades ago, so between my and his photos I am in possession of quite the sizeable depot slide collection. Photographing depots from moving trains is tricky, and I’ve missed many in my train travels, either because I didn’t know we were approaching a town with a surviving or restored depot, or I was busy eating or talking or otherwise not in a vestibule or on an open platform, or it was raining. Regardless, for those who like depots I thought I’d put all the decent ones from this Texas trip in one folder, for the enjoyment of any depot aficionados reading this. Most if not all also appear in the daily trip-segment chapters. Each entry, presented in the order photographed, is labeled for location, “classic year” railroad owner (and/or refurbisher—some are guesses), and user (if pertinent or known), and date of photo. If there is more information about it, that follows the data. I hope you enjoy this album. |
| Berwyn, Ill., CB&Q (Metra), April 16 |
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| Brookfield, Ill., BN (Metra), April 16 |
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| Stone Ave., La Grange, Ill., CB&Q (Metra), April 16 |
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| Western Springs, Ill., CB&Q (Metra), April 16 |
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| Belmont Ave., Downers Grove, Ill., BNSF (Metra), April 16 |
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| Galesburg, Ill., Amtrak/BNSF, April 16
This depot is undergoing enlargement and refurbishing. Although built to a C&NW style, it was erected by or for Amtrak after BN demolished the large old CB&Q structure here. |
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| Ft. Madison, Iowa, ATSF, April 16
Santa Fe called this location Shopton, where it used to have a big shop. This structure replaced the in-city brick depot, and Amtrak still uses it. The city depot still stands, but is in the flood plain of the Mississippi, though there is talk of returning the Amtrak stop to there. BNSF probably would be happy to rid the public of this pictured place, deep into private railroad property. |
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| La Plata, Mo., ATSF, April 16
We reached here at sunset. This Amtrak stop serves the entirety of northeastern Missouri, mainly the college town and commercial center of Kirksville, 14 miles north on US 63. This depot has recently been totally refurbished and upgraded. A rail-themed motel is nearby to the north, and owns an an overlook of BNSF’s Transcon main line a city block or two east of the depot, on the site of the abutment of the bridge that carried the Wabash’s Des Moines, Iowa–Moberly, Mo. line over the Santa Fe. |
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| Lamar, Colo., ATSF, April 17 |
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| La Junta, Colo., ATSF, April 17 |
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| Glorieta, N.Mex., ATSF, April 17
This depot now is the community’s Post Office. Our train #3 is holding for counterpart Southwest Chief #4. |
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| Albuquerque, N.Mex., ATSF, April 17 & 19
This is a quasi-replacement depot for one that suffered a fire, and serves Amtrak, local and intercity buses, and Rail Runner commuter trains. The first photo is the west (street) side late in the day; the second photo is of the east (track) side, as our special train left town. |
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| Belen, N.Mex., ATSF, April 19
The old Santa Fe passenger station has been highly modified to serve as part of today’s BNSF yard office complex. In the 1960s Belen was a stop for the “San Francisco Chief” and mail trains 3 and 4, which operated between Kansas City and here via Amarillo, Texas; most ATSF varnish ran via La Junta, Colo., and Albuquerque, and the two routes joined a few miles west of Belen at a point called Dalies. |
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| Clovis, N.Mex., ATSF, April 19
I believe there is a model railroad club layout in this building now. Between Belen and Clovis, depots stand at (at least) Mountainair, Vaughn, Fort Sumner, and Melrose, but I had already shot those and so did not do so on this trip. |
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| Littlefield, Texas, ATSF, April 19 |
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Sweetwater, Texas, ATSF, April 20 This 1950s structure, if I recall on-board comments correctly, was built at the city’s northeastern extremity to avoid a side trip into the city for Santa Fe’s “California Special” and other Clovis-Temple (and Houston) trains. It serves BNSF today as a yard office. The in-city depot was on the old Orient Route that linked Kansas with the Mexican border near Alpine, Texas, and the Texas & Pacific depot was also in the heart of the city. |
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| Brownwood, Texas, ATSF, April 20 |
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Kress, Texas, ATSF, April 20 This building apparently was moved into the park just northeast of the depot at Brownwood, and if it is indeed from Kress, that town is north of Lubbock, almost 300 miles from Brownwood! |
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Temple, Texas, ATSF, April 20 This depot houses a museum and an Amtrak waiting room. Temple’s Katy depot, preserved, with a fence, its tower intact, also stands, on-site, east of here about 12 blocks, next to the Route 53 overpass of UP’s ex-Katy main line. |
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| Houston, Texas, SP/Amtrak, April 21 |
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| La Grange, Texas, MKT, April 21 |
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| San Antonio, Texas, IGN (MP), April 21 |
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| New Braunfels, Texas, MP, April 22 |
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| Kyle, Texas, MP, April 22 |
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| Austin, Texas, MP, April 24 |
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Taylor, Texas, Amtrak, April 24 This is really the UP yard office building. |
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| Cleburne, Texas, ATST/Amtrak, April 24 |
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Dallas, Texas, Union Terminal, April 24 Serves Amtrak, Trinity Rail Express commuter, and DART light-rail. |
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Mineola, Texas, T&P, April 24 Refurbished by the city as part of preserving Texas Eagle service. |
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Marshall, Texas, T&P, April 24 Now a museum; Marshall is an Amtrak passenger and crew-change stop. |
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This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren. If you have materials
that you would like to contribute, contact me at mcondren@cbu.edu