Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Edwardsville, IL: Wabash Depot

(Satellite, per James' satellite image below.)

William Shaffer posted
Wabash Depot at Edwardsville, IL
(Photo by William A. Shaffer)
I shot this photo during the Summer of 1971, after Amtrak had taken over National Passenger Service. Much to their relief, the N&W route between Chicago & St. Louis was not chosen, losing out to the GM&O. The Detroit-St. Louis Route was also not chosen, ending all passenger service through Edwardsville. Most of my trips began or ended here, at this small depot that was almost impossible to find! The depot is now gone, as is the second track and the roadway going down to the depot. I go back here every couple of years just to see what has happened here.
William Shaffer posted again
The Wabash Depot at Edwardsville, IL (Circa Summer, 1971)
(Photo by William A. Shaffer)
This is where most of my trips on the former Wabash Railway began or ended: Edwardsville, IL. My very first train ride began here, back in good old 1958! It was the beginning of my love affair with passenger trains! The scene looked the same in 1958 and it did in 1971, except by May 1, 1971, there were no passenger trains stopping here any longer. Today, the depot itself is gone, as is the second track. It is overgrown with brush and if you didn't know there had been a depot here, you would never have guessed it. It's simply the passage of time!
William Shaffer posted again
Wabash Depot - Edwardsville, IL. (August, 1971)
(Photo by William A. Shaffer) 
As I recall, this was a two-room depot: Waiting Room and Agent's Office/Baggage Room. If you didn't know how to get down to the depot, it could be tricky to find. You could see it clearly from IL Highway 159 but getting down there was the trick! The depot was torn down many years ago and the second track was removed also!
Gary Forshaw: It was a waiting room and an office. The bathroom occupied a corner of the waiting room.
James Holzmeier commented on the above posting

Zooming in, you can see the Iron Men on both sides of the mainline.
1941 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
Near the bottom at the end of the road and next to the trees.

William A. Shaffer posted
Wabash Depot - Edwardsville, IL   (Photographer Unknown)

William A. Shaffer posted
Making the Station Stop at Edwardsville. 
Edwardsville, IL
(Photo by William A.Shaffer)
Nothing made a passenger train prettier than to have an EMD E-Unit or an Alco PA on the head end and an observation car on the rear end.  Here is N&W #301, the "Wabash Cannon Ball" making its stop at Edwardsville.  E8A#3808 has the honors!
 
Andy Zukowski posted
A picture of the Wabash Railroad Depot in Edwardsville, Illinois taken in 1973.
Paul Bourjaily: Kinda surprised to see a semaphore in '73.
Richard Fiedler shared
William Ankrom: The agent was doing good that's a new car then!
Jim Kelling shared

Flickr has a flipped image.

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