Cape Canaveral, FL: Kennedy Space Port and Vehicle Assembly Building

Overview: (Satellite)

Vehicle Assembly Building: (Satellite)

Because they are so big, some of the parts for a rocket are shiped to the Trident Wharf using the RocketShip or the Pegasus Barge. The tall building with the two doors that go all the way up is the Vehicle Assembly building (VAB). (I thought that VAB stood for Vertical Assembly building.) The gravel roads are used by the Mobile Launcher Platforms to move the a rocket from the VAB to a launch pad (e.g. 39a). The low level building on the left is the Launch Control Center. Near the right side of this view is one of the Mobile Launcher Platforms parked in storage.

Street View, Feb 2012

Jorge Piquer, Jan 2023

Shaun McLane, Jul 2013

space
"Artist's rendering of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket being stacked inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. (Image credit: NASA)"
"The 525-foot-tall (160 meters) building — the largest single-story structure and the fourth-largest building by volume in the world — was used for 30 years to stack space shuttle orbiters with their boosters and external fuel tanks for 135 missions. Before then, the building's original purpose was to assemble the stages that formed the 363-foot (110 m) Saturn V rockets that launched astronauts to the moon."

CollectSpace
"Wide-angle view down the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. (collectSPACE)"

I wonder what the crawler crane is for. The VAB has cranes inside to lift the components of the rocket into place.

Michael Needler, Nov 2018

William Russ posted

Here's a diagram of NASA's Class III railroad at the Kennedy Space Center.

During its first five years of operation, the railroad delivered over 30,000 carloads of aggregate that was used to construct the crawlerway that connected the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pads at LC-39. During the Apollo program, the railroad regularly transported the 56 carloads of propellant that was required to fuel each Saturn V rocket.

During the Space Shuttle era the railroad was used to send segments of the reusable solid rocket boosters (SRB) from the Thiokol plant in Utah back again for refurbishment after Space Shuttle launches and recovery. A total of 24 cars were devoted to transporting the SRBs. (source: Wikipedia)

Buchanan, MI: Lost/MC Depot and Wood Grain Elevator

Depot: (Satellite)

Elevator: (Satellite)

Amtrak now owns this NYC/MC route.

Steve Nobles posted

Buchanan in Berrien County was settled in 1833. It was first called McCoy's Creek. It became a village in 1858 and a city in 1929. [MPN] Buchanan was on the Michigan Central railroad's main line, about six miles west of Niles. A Pere Marquette branch line ran from Benton Harbor south to Buchanan via Berrien Springs.

Buchanan train depot

Exact date unknown

Tim Shanahan shared

The grain elevator has not changed since 1960.

Apr 20, 1969 @ 20,000; AR1VCEV00010207

Looking East:

Street View, Apr 2026

This is not the same wood elevator that is in the background of the depot photo.

Street View, Apr 2026

Topinabee, MI: Library/NYC/MC Depot

(Satellite)

This Michigan Central route is now abandoned.

Street View, Sep 2024

Durand Union Station-Michigan Railroad History Museum posted two photos with the comment:

Today’s featured depot is the station in Topinabee 🚂

Located on the west side of Mullett Lake, Topinabee was settled around 1881 with the involvement of Michigan Central Railroad officials. The community’s name honors a Potawatomi leader.

Michigan Central saw an opportunity to promote tourism in the area and encourage more passengers to travel by rail. They’d hoped to turn Topinabee into a resort town. In December 1903, the railroad purchased the local hotel, reportedly with plans to improve and renovate the property as part of its efforts to develop Topinabee as a resort destination.

Today, the former depot still stands and serves a new purpose as the Topinabee Public Library. 

_____________

Top photo from CMU Library. Bottom image is from @outandaboutbookbus on Instagram.

Paul Chapoton: I live a mile from the depot. It's our library and has some nice NYC items inside.

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Brownsville, OR: 1895 Pioneer Museum/SP Depot and Feed Store

Original: (Satellite, a guess based on the topo map below.)

Current: (Satellite)

Feed Store: (Satellite)

Street View, Jul 2013

LinnCounty
"Founded in 1962, the museum is housed in Brownsville’s original railroad depot along with six Southern Pacific railcars. Our exhibits explore the history, cultures, and daily lives of the region’s native people, Oregon Trail emigrants, black and white pioneer settlers, and the early families of Linn County. Visitors will also find engaging displays on the Brownsville Woolen Mill, regional mining, and the filming of Stand By Me. One of our boxcars even features a 29-seat theater, The Boxcar Theatre....A highlight of the collection is the original covered wagon that carried the Drinkard family across the Oregon Trail in 1865."

Emily, Aug 2024

I added the "communication" label because of the switchboard on the left.

Ben Coogan, Apr 2025

Leann Fua, Mar 2026

Ben Coogan, Apr 2025

Ben Coogan, Apr 2025

cammiejean Wilson (Cj), Mar 2025

Linn County Historical Museum posted two photos with the comment: "Our volunteers have been hard at work these past few months caring for and maintaining the Museum’s 1909 Brush automobile. Donated to the Museum by the Tripp family, this rare early automobile is truly one- of-a-kind. We are grateful to our dedicated volunteers for helping preserve this special piece of local history for generations to come."

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The Main Street Bridge appeared in this movie.

Natalie P, Feb 2024

I learned of this town while researching the bridge over the Calapooia River. I followed the abandoned RoW through town on a satellite map, but I did not find a depot. Later, when I saw a photo of the restored depot, I did a search. That is when I found the location of the museum. This map explains why I didn't find a depot along the mainline, it was served by a spur.

rail.guide

But when I looked closer, that spur doesn't go far enough east nor south enough to reach today's location of the depot. This topo map confirms that the depot must have originally been west of Ash Street near Locust Ave. The roads kept changing in this area.

1921/21 Brownsville Quad @ 62,500

The spur that went down to the depot probably passed this building on the west side. The Purina Chows sign is in good shape.

Street View, May 2024

New Hope, PA: Depot and New Hope & Ivyland Railroad

(Satellite)

I found this depot while looking for the Bridge Street Bridge across the Delaware River.

Photo, Oct 2017

google

Kim Wargo Malander posted five photos with the comment: "New Hope, PA Railroad Station— in New Hope, PA."

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Reading had a branch that terminated in this town.

rail.guide

When I saw "Ivyland" on the locomotive in Photo 5 above, I verified that is about where the ownership of the Reading branch becomes the SEPTA commuter railroad. But the "Quick facts" above says the trains run to just Lahaska, which is just a few miles away.

rail.guide

E.W. Brown Power Plant southish of Lexington, KY

(Satellite)

The stuff on the left are turbine peaking plants. Most of them can use fuel oil as well as natural gas. The coal-fired plant is in the right background. Emissions from the stack and a train unloading indicates thta this plant was still operational in 2024.

Street View, Aug 2024

This power plant is built next to the 33mw Hydropower Dix Dam.

Anthony Neff, Aug 2019

drew reardon, Oct 2019

Bojidar 93, Mar 2017

Jason woody Graff, Jan 2022

Units 1 (113.6mw, 1957) and 2 (179.5mw, 1963) were retired in 2019. Unit 3 (464mw, 1971) has a planned retirement of 2035. All of the units are subcritical. [gem]

Because of all of the turbine peaking units, the total capacity of the plant is 1,445mw. [OilAndGasWatch]

They also have a 50-acre solar plant that has a capacity of 10mw. [lge-ku,gem]

They use a flock of sheep to manage the vegetation under the solar panels. [lge-ku_sheep]

They fixed their disposal of coal combustion residual materials (ash) to meet the EPA 2025 regulation concerning ash ponds. (A lot of power plants closed by 2025 rather than meet that regulation.)

The improvements to Unit 3 " include the conversion of the ash pond to a dry storage facility, a system to treat water from the plant that comes in contact with coal combustion residual materials, and a pond with a synthetic liner where the water will be discharged." [lge-ku]

In 2025, they got approval to build Unit 12, a combined-cycle 681mw unit planned for 2030. They will teardown Units 1 and 2 to make room for Unit 12. It is being built to meet data center needs. [gem]

Bergenfield, NJ: Disabled Veterans Hall/NYC/NYWS&B Depot

(Satellite)

NYWS&B = New York, West Shore & Buffalo

This NYC route is now owned by CSX.

Street View, Dec 2022

Jack Norris posted three photos with the comment: "Former NYWS&B station in Bergenfield, NJ. Now serves as a Disabled Veterans hall. 10/29/2026"

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