Nostalgia & History > a few more depots again

While y'all were out chasing more diesels that just look like more diesels, I was going depot chasing. I generally have at least as many depot pictures as I do diesel pictures, and sometimes, I have more depots than I do locomotives, I grew up in and around depots, and they still fascinate me to this day. I'm especially taken with the small towns, and train order offices. There was a lot of human spirit lived in and around these buildings back when they played a vital part in the business of railroading. I was fortunate enough to experience some of this spirit and activity first hand at Tennessee Pass Colorado, Clifton Colorado, Cisco Utah, Malta Colorado, and a couple of other places on the Rio Grande. Ditto for later on in or around depots of the Katy and the MoPac. There were a lot of good jokes and stories in the Tennessee Pass depot, especially on a bitterly cold day when my dad was working as the operator/telegrapher, and there would be an engine crew or two from a couple of helper 2-8-8-2s in the depot waiting for orders to be issued that would let them return to Minturn, and they would be drinking coffee from the pot that Pop kept on the depot stove, that was nearly white hot in its middle. They were fond of saying how that stove could "burn yer butt, while yer front side froze". Sometimes the signal maintainer and the section foreman would also be in the depot, and when that happened, the small room would be crowded, the conversation would be loud, the cigarette smoke would be thick, and I loved being there with my Dad.
Whenever I look at Tennessee Pass pictures, I remember those times, and indeed the same sort of thing happened at other depots all across the country on every railroad. And I still think of other stories by other people, these people aren't really strangers either, they're just other people. No matter what railroad, nor what generation they're from. I would have liked to follow in my Dad's footsteps, but when I got out of the Navy, that era was just about over and done for. The dawn of the computer age was just ahead, and in a way had already started. Computers are more efficient, but noways are they any better or more interesting than a people operated railroad. People continue to make railroads fun to be around and to observe, but not in the same way, nor to the full extent that our forefathers did. You folks that are still operating the railroads and still telling stories, please keep on keeping on, and thank you for letting the rest of us observe and listen.

Con

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Rio Grande at Tennessee Pass. I might have posted this view before, but I ain't sure. If so, that's tuff, cause here it is again. After I had written some reflections on the last post, I wanted to include a picture of Tennessee Pass for those who might not be familiat with Tennessee Pass.

Con

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Katy in Lockhart Texas. This wasn't the depot (obviously) but it was adjacent to the depot, and it was probably enjoyed by a lot of folks a few generations ago.

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Katy Lockhart Texas depot. This depot was adjacent to the building in the previous post.

Con

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Katy Junction Texas, just north of San Marcos Texas.

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AT&SF, the original depot in Cleburne Texas.

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Santa Fe-Cotton Belt Union Station in MacGregor Texas in 1949.
Calling this "Union Station" seems a mite presumptious to me, but way back when, that was its function. This is where the Cotton Belt's branchline to Gatesville, and Comanche, plus to Hamilton Texas crossed the Santa Fe mainline between Fort Worth and temple Texas. MacGregor is just BNSF maintenance and an Amtrak stop today though, this is on the Texas Eagle route.
BTW; if you ever go through Hamilton Texas, be sure and stop an go inside of the Chevy dealership there. The dealership building encases the Cotton Belt depot walls, and the look of the original waiting room is very evident inside. The eaves and the roof with its dormer is very plain that it was designed as part of a depot. This was a brick and cut stone county seat Cotton Belt station, very similar to the one at Gatesvill, which is now a museum or a chamber of commerce or some such thing today. That Cotton Belt branchline was abandoned many many many moons ago.

Coon

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The MacGregor depot today. Amtrak doesn't keep an agent on duty here though, but you can catch the Eagle here, ( it's supposed to be the stop for Waco, about 20-25 miles to the east)but you have to buy your ticket from the conductor on the train. That's what the very informational sign inside the waiting room stipulates anyway.

Con

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Santa Fe in Longview Texas. I know that two tone green isn't Santa Fe standards for depot painting schemes, but the two tone green is what the Santa Fe agent's wife preferred, and the railroad let her choose the decor or so the story went. It's probably true, because when I took this picture, the depot was a two tone green, and it was still active as an AT&SF agency.

Con

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SP in Auburn CA. I didn't have much light available when I made this image. I was going east on I80 when I decided to check Auburn for depot possibilites, and it was a good luck/bad luck scenario. Good: there was a depot, bad: there wasn't much good light available. In these cases I usually just do the best that I can while figgering that a poor picture is better than no picture. Photoshop can do some amazing things, but only the Lord Jesus Christ can do miracles! So, here's a better than nothing picture. BTW, I haven't been back to Auburn since this one time. Is the depot still there? I hope so, a town without its depot is just another town. A depot adds a lot to a towns ongoing spirit and appeal, IMHO!

Con, PS You can stick a fork in me, I'm done! (for now that is)

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xtra1188w Wrote:
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> SP in Auburn CA. I didn't have much light
> available when I made this image. I was going
> east on I80 when I decided to check Auburn for
> depot possibilites, and it was a good luck/bad
> luck scenario. Good: there was a depot, bad:
> there wasn't much good light available. In these
> cases I usually just do the best that I can while
> figgering that a poor picture is better than no
> picture. Photoshop can do some amazing things,
> but only the Lord Jesus Christ can do miracles!
> So, here's a better than nothing picture. BTW, I
> haven't been back to Auburn since this one time.
> Is the depot still there? I hope so, a town
> without its depot is just another town. A depot
> adds a lot to a towns ongoing spirit and appeal,
> IMHO!
>
> Con, PS You can stick a fork in me, I'm done!
> (for now that is)

The depot was still there last summer when I drove thru. Bob

Cool , Depots r right up there with finding rare engines
Santa Fe 4644 West out