Stations Closed & Vacant since '71

jamoldover wrote:None of those stations saw Amtrak service; all have been preserved in varying non-railroad uses.

The fact that the stations are no longer "vacant" is why they wouldn't be included in a list in this topic.

Stations that are "closed and vacant" should have seen no further use (railroad use excepted) since A-Day +/-. Any reoccupancy is disqualifying.

These criteria make the members of the list quite exceptional in many respects and indicate a high historic preservation value. Increasing awareness about these otherwise overlooked assets seems valuable to me.

Out of the discoveries so far Plymouth, Indiana is probably my favorite. Sidney, Ohio is a close second but that location has seen some interest in preservation.

[b]EDIT[/b]

Billings, MT, Bozeman, MT and Yakima, WA are definitely contenders.

Billings and Yakima were used up until 1979 by North Coast Hiawatha. Both have been repurposed and in great condition.

[b]ONLY BOZEMAN, I MISREAD AT FIRST.[/b]
[b]Bozeman, MT was used by amtrak until the late 70's as well and the station has just been sitting, surprisingly, in relatively fair condition.[/b]

What about Willmar, MN? The Western Star was discontinued on A-day, while the Empire Builder was shifted off the ex-GN line through Willmar to the ex-NP through St. Cloud. 1950's-vintage station is used as offices by the BNSF, platforms are still intact.

Willmar had service until 1979 when the Empire Builder was shifted onto the MILW. We are trying to find "closed and vacant" on A-Day. I realize the topic title could actually mean both ...

Same as above applies to Bozeman. It's interesting to note that due to the shifts by Amtrak in '79 that neither the MILW nor the ex-GN have many possible stations for this list. This appears to imply that ex-NP would be the place to look.

Ah! My bad. I thought it was stations Abandoned since Amtrak took over.

NP main line also appears to be "out" due to a variety of service shifts over the years ... One way or another either GN, NP or MILW stations all saw service post A-Day. Perhaps ex-CB&Q ...

gokeefe wrote:Willmar had service until 1979 when the Empire Builder was shifted onto the MILW. We are trying to find "closed and vacant" on A-Day. I realize the topic title could actually mean both ...

I honestly didn't know that. My grandmother lived in Willmar in the 1970's and we were there every summer. I'm surprised we never took the Builder to get there. But, just to be picky- the reroute onto the MILW happened I believe on A-day, and involved the Chicago-Twin Cities leg. Willmar lost service when the route west of The Cities was shifted from the former Great Northern main line to the former Northern Pacific through St. Cloud and Staples, farther to the north.

The ex-MILW west of the Twin Cities takes a more southern route than either the GN or the NP- through Glencoe and Montevideo. That route lost passenger service in 1969 when the un-named 15/16 between Minneapolis and Aberdeen, SD was discontinued.

What is the technical status of Coshocton and Dennison OH. Dennison is currently in use, but Coshocton looks abandoned. It is present in the Spirit of St. Louis Pennsy timetables but not in the Amtrak one. Were those 1971 closings or did they die off before A-Day?

Nice find! I agree with Coshocton, OH as "closed and vacant" with the exception of railroad use. It was clearly in the final PC schedule. I see no indication of reoccupancy ever. Coshocton is also clearly not listed in the Amtrak stations in 1971.

Greencastle, IN (railroad use exception) may be another example from the same route.

Ridgefielder wrote:But, just to be picky- the reroute onto the MILW happened I believe on A-day, and involved the Chicago-Twin Cities leg. Willmar lost service when the route west of The Cities was shifted from the former Great Northern main line to the former Northern Pacific through St. Cloud and Staples, farther to the north.

Thanks for the clarification! So it would appear that Prairie du Chien, WI (railroad use excepted) has been "closed and vacant" since A-Day.

Returning to Coshocton, OH I noticed it appears to have the brick passenger platform intact. A similar feature also appears to still exist at Plymouth, IN.

Ridgefielder wrote:But, just to be picky- the reroute onto the MILW happened I believe on A-day, and involved the Chicago-Twin Cities leg. Willmar lost service when the route west of The Cities was shifted from the former Great Northern main line to the former Northern Pacific through St. Cloud and Staples, farther to the north.

I think another winner for Mr. O’Keefe’s list is Hastings, MN pictured here. Last service with the MILW Evening Hi in 1971, best as I can tell. I couldn’t tell you why Amtrak hasn’t tried to use the station, but CP, Soo, and MILW all used it after the end of passenger service.

gokeefe wrote:Thanks for the clarification! So it would appear that Prairie du Chien, WI (railroad use excepted) has been "closed and vacant" since A-Day.

Returning to Coshocton, OH I noticed it appears to have the brick passenger platform intact. A similar feature also appears to still exist at Plymouth, IN.

My wife has relatives in Coshocton - I’ll remember this thread for when we travel through, so we can find the station.

For reference purposes in the discussion ...

The following stations appear or have been confirmed to have last seen service on A-Day (May 1, 1971 +/-) and have been closed and vacant (railroad use excepted) since then.

(alphabetically by railroad owner on A-Day and then by state)

Belen Station, Belen, NM, (ATSF)*
Prairie du Chien Depot, Prairie du Chien, WI, (BN, ex-GN)*
DeKalb Depot, DeKalb, IL (CNW)* [Note: Closed ca. July 1971]
Kaukauna Depot, Kaukauna, WI (CNW)*
Marinette Depot, Marinette, WI (CNW)
Iowa Falls Union Depot, Iowa Falls, IA, (IC)
Ackley Combination Depot, Ackley, IA, (IC)
Hastings Depot, Hastings, MN, (MILW)*
Gary Union Station, Gary IN, (PC, ex-NYC, B&O/C&O)
Sidney Station, Sidney, OH, (PC, ex-NYC, ex-Big 4)
Coshocton Station, Coshocton, OH, (PC, ex-PRR, ex-PCC&St.L)*
Plymouth Station, Plymouth, IN, (PC, ex-PRR )
Union Pacific Depot, Fort Riley, KS, (UP)

* indicates railroad use exception

Amtrak Member Railroads Represented: ATSF, BN, CNW, IC, MILW, PC, UP

Amtrak Member Railroads Not Represented: GMO, GTW, LN, MP, NW, NWP (SP), RFP, SCL, SP

Amtrak Member Railroads Ruled Out: DH (likely), CG (almost certain)

Think I found another one from the Builder/Zephyr/North Coast Limited route: East Dubuque, IL (CB&Q). This looks to have been a stop for all BN Chicago - Twin Cities service up to A Day.

I don't know which of these two structures was the depot in use in 1970, to be honest.

This: https://goo.gl/maps/yHMdJWkb52w

Or this: https://goo.gl/maps/tAZhvC7Wtk12

The second one is definitely a former Amtrak station for the Blackhawk.

It's very unclear to me who used what other than by implication (Blackhawk was IC).