We recently returned from a two week semi circumnavigation of the lower 48: Boston/New York/New Orleans/Los Angles/Kansas City/La Plata/Chicago/Washington/Boston. The stop in La Plata was to spend a couple of days train watching. We stayed at the Depot Inn. A Tunnel Inn (Gallitizin, Pa) it's not.
That is not to say our stay was not pleasant.
The Depot Inn Shuttle picked us up as we detrained from the eastbound SWC at the La Plata station. Amtrak was unusual on this our fifth sojourn in six years...it was early or on time on just about all legs.
So we found ourselves in La Plata just shy of ten in the morning. Usually that would mean putting our luggage in storage and keeping ourselves busy until one or two in the afternoon for an early check in.
However, since the Depot Inn counts on a fair amount of it's business from the SWC our room was ready just a few minutes after we arrived. It was quite a nice size with a king size bed BUT only one night stand. We specify king size beds rather than twin queens just to get a night stand on each side of the bed rather than inbetween. Oh, well, good plan, poor execution. Nor was there a table that we could sit at. Granted there was a comfortable recliner...for one of us, but for the last fortyfive years I've never left home (as Karl Malden used to say on the Amex ads) without (in my case) the bride. So one of us had to content ourself with the desk chair. I will not diclose who that was.
The major reason for our visit was to watch trains, so we soon repaired to the viewing platform about 2/10 of mile from the Inn. It has morphed over the years from an open deck, to an enclosed deck to finally this year an inclosed deck with an open deck attached. The best of both worlds. In our train watching in the east, mostly Horseshoe Curve and Gallitzin, most of the traffic is either trying to crest the Alleghenys or make a slow descent so the movements are relatively slow. In La Plata BNSF powered trains blow by the deck at a rapid speed and since it's near a crossing with enough horn blowing to make any train watcher happy. On the two days we were there, Monday and Tuesday; the most traffic seemed to be early afternoon and the MIDDLE of the night (when we would hear the trains from our room) usually when we were awaked by the sounds.
The Depot Inn provides a "continental breakfast" of sorts, juice, cereal, wrapped sweet rolls and midwest style coffee. I'd almost forgotten what midwest style coffee was. We'd lived in Kansas City for a half dozen years and I was introduced to it at the office. I equate midwest style coffee with one part real coffee diluted with two parts water. I was quickly reacquainted with it at the Depot Inn. Next door to the Inn is the Red Rooster restaurant. While their coffee wasn't much better the breakfast menu more than made up for it. Best biscuits and gravy I'd had in years. Almost as good as I remember from kamel's Truck Stop in North Kansas City in the sixties. We had a lunch and dinner there too and each meal was excellent. I especially like the country fried steak with, yeah, you guessed, white gravy...mmm good.
The shuttle took us to the station for the eastbound SWC to Chicago, which was again ON TIME.
On the whole, the Depot Inn is a good motel on it's own, with the access to train watching it's an excellent choice. We would visit them again, if we were to visit the midwest again. Since we live in the east (northeastern MA) we'll probably revisit the Tunnel Inn and try the Bridgeview, near Harrisburg PA before we get back to the Depot.
Best regards,
Rodger
P.S. For my comments the Tunnel Inn see report on the Pennsylvania Railfan forum sight.
That is not to say our stay was not pleasant.
The Depot Inn Shuttle picked us up as we detrained from the eastbound SWC at the La Plata station. Amtrak was unusual on this our fifth sojourn in six years...it was early or on time on just about all legs.
So we found ourselves in La Plata just shy of ten in the morning. Usually that would mean putting our luggage in storage and keeping ourselves busy until one or two in the afternoon for an early check in.
However, since the Depot Inn counts on a fair amount of it's business from the SWC our room was ready just a few minutes after we arrived. It was quite a nice size with a king size bed BUT only one night stand. We specify king size beds rather than twin queens just to get a night stand on each side of the bed rather than inbetween. Oh, well, good plan, poor execution. Nor was there a table that we could sit at. Granted there was a comfortable recliner...for one of us, but for the last fortyfive years I've never left home (as Karl Malden used to say on the Amex ads) without (in my case) the bride. So one of us had to content ourself with the desk chair. I will not diclose who that was.
The major reason for our visit was to watch trains, so we soon repaired to the viewing platform about 2/10 of mile from the Inn. It has morphed over the years from an open deck, to an enclosed deck to finally this year an inclosed deck with an open deck attached. The best of both worlds. In our train watching in the east, mostly Horseshoe Curve and Gallitzin, most of the traffic is either trying to crest the Alleghenys or make a slow descent so the movements are relatively slow. In La Plata BNSF powered trains blow by the deck at a rapid speed and since it's near a crossing with enough horn blowing to make any train watcher happy. On the two days we were there, Monday and Tuesday; the most traffic seemed to be early afternoon and the MIDDLE of the night (when we would hear the trains from our room) usually when we were awaked by the sounds.
The Depot Inn provides a "continental breakfast" of sorts, juice, cereal, wrapped sweet rolls and midwest style coffee. I'd almost forgotten what midwest style coffee was. We'd lived in Kansas City for a half dozen years and I was introduced to it at the office. I equate midwest style coffee with one part real coffee diluted with two parts water. I was quickly reacquainted with it at the Depot Inn. Next door to the Inn is the Red Rooster restaurant. While their coffee wasn't much better the breakfast menu more than made up for it. Best biscuits and gravy I'd had in years. Almost as good as I remember from kamel's Truck Stop in North Kansas City in the sixties. We had a lunch and dinner there too and each meal was excellent. I especially like the country fried steak with, yeah, you guessed, white gravy...mmm good.
The shuttle took us to the station for the eastbound SWC to Chicago, which was again ON TIME.
On the whole, the Depot Inn is a good motel on it's own, with the access to train watching it's an excellent choice. We would visit them again, if we were to visit the midwest again. Since we live in the east (northeastern MA) we'll probably revisit the Tunnel Inn and try the Bridgeview, near Harrisburg PA before we get back to the Depot.
Best regards,
Rodger
P.S. For my comments the Tunnel Inn see report on the Pennsylvania Railfan forum sight.
