We all know railroad watches are highly collectible. Many of our members exclusively collect railroad watches!

I recently began snapping pictures of old train depots while out of town as a result of seeing and even collecting those old railroad watches.

I'd like to take you through Times Zones by way of train depots of yesteryear. Feel free to add to my fledgling collection of old train depots. I've also included a little research regarding their history. Hopefully you will do the same!

My first is the Ocean Springs, Mississippi L & N Depot (Louisville & Nashville). The L & N Depot was constructed as a combination station in late 1907 and early 1908. It was not the original depot. The L & N Railroad ceased operating at this site on April 20, 1965. The structure was included on the National Regisiter of Historic Places in 1979.

Today, the old Ocean Springs L & N Depot houses the Chamber of Commerce and several retail businesses. Take a look!

Front view of Ocean Springs L & N Depot

The next depot is the historic L & N Train Depot in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

c. 1928
The two story, mission style depot is surrounded by park-like grounds and was featured in several films in years past. Today, the restored depot is available for citizens, non-profit, and private groups. Bay St. Louis historic depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is desiginated as a Mississippi Landmark. The Bay St. Louis Depot currently serves Amtrak's Sunset Limited.

Front view

Hi Steph, It is a really fun hobby. I have done it for years. The style of some of these old depots is great.

Tom

Tom H.
By all means, please do share your old train depot pics with info. to this thread.

If others have old depot pics as well, we'll love to see them and hear about them!

HISteph, I would post if I could. All of mine are prints and I don't have a scanner.

Tom

Hi Tom,
Believe it or don't, you can take digital pictures of your prints and they do come out incredibly good. Try it!

Others who would like to share their train depots as well?

Stephanie,

Got a chance to play with my new camera today and took a picture of the local Burlington Depot which was recently restored. The Depot is divided into three areas. One area is used by the police department, one by the local model RR club and another can be rented for meetings, lunches, receptions, etc...

Rhett

Stephanie,

You always start the best topics. Thanks for this great idea!

Here is a current picture of the Union Pacific Railroad Depot in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was built in about 1902.

This depot is much like the one that Rhett shared, in that it can be rented for meetings, wedding receptions, etc...

I will be adding a link to the photo gallery to show some very interesting history and pictures of this old depot.

Union Pacific RailRoad Depot in SLC, Ut.

This is the Smith's Creek Depot. It is the one Thomas Edison worked from when the famour "Got pulled from the boxcar by his ear" story took place.

Today it is at Greenfield Village, and is still and active AMTRAK station. You may get off at the Village, and then you must buy a ticket to enter the Village. They will take care of your luggage, and arrange for transportation to your hotel.

Also stopping at the station is the steam engine pulled tourist train that goes around the village.

I've GOT to invest in a camera. I discovered an abandoned station in Kelso, Tennessee this past weekend along an abandoned right of way of the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad from Winchester TN to Fayetteville TN. The building is empty, but still has it's name board on the side. The tracks have been gone for years. I'm surprised the station is still around, but was pleased to find it. I HAVE to get some photos to share. Regards! Mark

Here is the train station for Chelsea, MI. It is no longer in use as a train station. It stands across from the Glazier Stove Co. clocktower (pictures posted in the clock section).

The other side of the station.

Station information.

If I stand in the same spot and point the camera in the opposite direction I would see the Jiffy Mix Company. A brand popular around here, don't know if it is in your area, although I believe it is distributed nationwide.

The GM&O depot in Mobile, Ala.

More

Another view

Red Wing, Minnesota. Currently serves as a visitors center and Amtrack depot.

UP Depot in Omaha, now houses the Western Heritage Museum.

Dedication above the entrance.

Anyone else like these old depots? Below is the Rock Island depot in Council Bluffs, IA. Currently houses a small museum and model railroad display.

...here pictured is the RR station in Kingsville, Ontario Canada (my soon-to-be new hometown)...designed & built at the turn of the last century by Albert Kahn (a renowned Detroit architect)for Hiram Walker(of Canadian Club fame)...the station, recently restored to it's original splendor, was the terminus of 50km of track (track was 'pulled up' in '52 and the bed converted to a 50 km 'walkway/bike path') from Walkerville, Ontario (a then suburb of Windsor; just across the border from Detroit MI) laid by him to this lakeside (Lake Erie) town where he welcomed guests from the States to a resort he had built here in Kingsville ('Mettawas Inn'; lost to fire in 1932)...

...also, a photo of the rear of the station where guests embarked to be driven to the Inn at the lakeside via carriages stationed at this 'carriage way'...

...and the 'waiting rotunda' at the station...it should be noted too, that while the train and station served Walker's 'guests' it also served his 'corporate interests' as well as it returned w/the rye and other grains farmed in the countryside and needed at his distillery in Walkerville....

Great topic:
This station is in Havelock, Ontario, Canada.
It is on a section of highway that takes you to southern Ontario (from where I live). It used to be a major route before the big highways. It was built in 1929 was abandoned in the 1980’s (I think) and sat empty until last year. Every time I drove by the abandoned building I would think, what a great sport for a museum or restaurant. Well that is what happened. A private investor purchased the building and spent $250K updating it. It is now a great restaurant where you can sit and watch trains go by! Picture before..

Picture after

A pic of the L & N Train Depot in Foley, Alabama

What a great thread as I totally enjoyed it. I do not have any around my area so I have nothing to share. I know there are more out there that members have pics of. Thanks Stephanie another great thread.

Northern Kansas

This is the old St Louis Southwestern, AKA Cotton Belt railroad in my home town, Sulphur Springs, TX. It now belongs to the Blacklands short line railroad. The Cotton Belt is my original railroad. Railroaders are usually identified with their original road. In other words, even though I now work for UP, I am known as a Cotton Belt Man.