Nostalgia & History > Atchison Kansas Union Depot

A friend of mine took this photo of a picture on a wall in a Atchison restaurant. This is supposed to be the "first" Union Depot.

Can anyone supply more background? Also can the identity of the switcher be established..... ?

Thanks for looking.

Jeff N
Olathe, KS

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The buildings in the background look like Atchison, so I'd say that its the real deal. Hard to believe such a large depot was ever justified. I guess Atchison was on ATSF and CRIP first through route IIRC.

The diesel is a GE 44 tonner, no end platforms. But, why it is switching a Burlington, CB&Q
RPO car is a mystery as I don't believe the Q got to Atchison.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

I concur with 'King Coal'. This is Atchison. Here's a link to a postcard image of Atchison Union Station that Evan Werkema added to one of my threads 4 some-odd years ago: ( http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0902/misc82.jpg ). "Back in the day" this Union Station once served the Santa Fe, the Rock Island, the CB&Q (branches) and the Mop mainline between Kansas City & Omaha. I'm pretty sure Atchison was only a branch line location for the Rock Island. Their original main line crossed the Missouri at St Joseph and ran west through Elwood, Wathena & Troy, KS before making a sweeping curve to the south through Horton & Holton on the way down to Topeka. There is a huge Goodyear plant in north Topeka along US hwy 24. Union Pacific serves this plant over a remnant of the old Rock Island main line that came down from St Joe.

Lance/199

The car in the photo looks like a combine given the window and door arrangement.
ALLEN

So I take it that ATSF was not part of the "Union" that used this particular depot? Their smaller depot outlived the much larger one we see here.

Milwaukee Wrote: > ... So I take it that ATSF was not part of the "Union" ...

I believe the last passenger service provided by the Santa Fe ran out of this site. It was motor car service in the final years, but the last run had so many passengers (many of them NRHS members) that an actual train had to be provided. It ran with E unit #87 up from Topeka & back. I would presume the "depot" at 10th St was always for freight service and related business...

Posted from Android

Geezs! The Union Station was used by the AT&SF, MoPac, CRI&P and the CB&Q. The 44tonner came from the Missouri & Illinois Bridge & Belt R.R. and the diesel was part of the Alton Bridge line. (a CB&Q line). wag216

Milwaukee Wrote:

> So I take it that ATSF was not part of the "Union"
> that used this particular depot? Their smaller
> depot outlived the much larger one we see here.

Santa Fe had their own stone freight depot in Atchison that still stands as a museum, but they used the Union Depot for passengers. The small, boxy brick depot seen at the following link was actually the new Union Depot built in 1954 that replaced the much larger one seen in the photo above.

http://atsf.railfan.net/depots/atchison.html

It survives today as part of an auto body shop:

https://goo.gl/maps/SC4eVKydZco

Thanks to all who replied. It was great to learn from WAG about the 44 ton loco. Several in the KC crew had no idea about it's identity. The Q ran a "plug" or shuttle train operation from Armour on the east side of the Missouri River to Atchison (similar operation at Leavenworth). This lasted until at least the late 1030's per a Q employee timetable.

Jeff N
Olathe

And I am glad to add to my knowledge that the Q reached Atchison. And yes, upon further review,
that is a combine in the photo. My bad.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

to Nick, and others; There was a CB&Q line from Rulo, Nb to Atchison,Ks (west of the Missouri river) before WW2.. At the depot of this line, is still at White Cloud, Ks. If you want to see a locomotive on this line, check Corben's (spelling?) Burlington book. wag216

From a previous discussion...

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wag216 Wrote:
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> to Nick, and others; There was a CB&Q line from Rulo, Nb to
> Atchison,Ks (west of the Missouri river) before WW2.. At the depot
> of this line, isstill at White Cloud, Ks. If you want to see a
> locomotive on this line, check Corben's(spelling?) Burlington
> book. wag216

I might be able to whittle down the abandonment date of the CB&Q line
through White Cloud down a little bit. The State Highway Commission
extended K-7 north to the Nebraska State Line north of White Cloud in a
resolution dated July 1, 1937. The description of the extension
indicates it was partially built on top of (or at least parallel to)
the "abandoned" CB&Q grade. Therefore, I would surmise that the line
Art was describing was removed no later than 1937.

As for the Auto Body Shop that now occupies the MCM Atchison station:
I wonder if they have any original light fixtures that would be
usable in Lawrence :)

Richie Kennedy
Lawrence, KS
route56.com