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 Post subject: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 4:40 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
While checking the internet for something else, I ran across this photo:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/photomaji ... otostream/

From the other photos I checked in the photos posted, it appears that the photographer in not "rail oriented" and took the photo strictly for the aesthetics. The date supposedly was September 2015 and the location East St. Louis, Illinois. The icicles make me think the date is incorrect but the location might be right as the St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) did end up there. Anyone have an idea where this is located? Obviously part of an office building, or perhaps station. The Cotton Belt herald and the surrounding artifacts are interesting. Hopefully they will be saved if the building does still survive but is one day torn down. There is evidence of graffiti and East St. Louis, IF that is where this building is located, does not have a real good reputation these days.

Comments/info welcome.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 6:47 pm 

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Location: southeastern USA
I went to college in St Louis, and we crossed the river to buy booze under 21 back then. getting mugged on your way into a liquor store wasn't unusual, if you didn't choose the neighborhood carefully.

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 Post subject: Re: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:14 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:43 am
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Belt_Freight_Depot


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 Post subject: Re: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:40 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:43 am
Posts: 746
Whoops, post in the wrong place.


Last edited by Pegasuspinto on Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:44 pm 

Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:25 pm
Posts: 485
"The icicles make me think the date is incorrect"

I do not think the light colored objects hanging from the ceiling are "icicles".

More likely the roof above the space shown has some very slow water leaks. Maybe a concrete roof with cracks ? As the exterior water seeps through the cracks dissolved minerals come along with the water. As the water drips away and dries up the dissolved minerals stay behind.

These are likely Stalactites, like found in caverns. A few decades of neglect could allow these to form. They are probably fairly soft and could be brushed away with a broom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalactite

It is the calcium in the concrete that causes this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalactit ... ctites.jpg

Just a guess, Cheers, KevinK


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 Post subject: Re: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 12:01 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Pegasuspinto wrote:


Robert -

Thanks for this reference. I checked out the listing for the National Park Service "Register of Historic Places". A very long form, lots of printed info with some "not very good" photos of the structure and there on page 29 is a black and white photo of the entrance at the beginning of this thread! So....in St. Louis, Missouri, NOT East St. Louis, Illinois. If I read the story correctly, this Cotton Belt freight house was abandoned in 1959! Obviously not going to be torn down soon. They apparently spent a lot of money to paint one of the long sides of the historic building, hopefully they might spend a few extra bucks to clean up the old office entrance one day! I still think it's a gem!

Also thanks to Kevin K. for correcting my assessment that it was winter. Stalactites, eh Kevin? You have convinced me!

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:58 pm 

Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2014 2:50 pm
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There is also a website called atlasobscura that has some additional photo's of the building.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cott ... ight-depot

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 Post subject: Re: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 4:32 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
cumbres wrote:
There is also a website called atlasobscura that has some additional photo's of the building.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cott ... ight-depot


Mark -

Thanks for that link. Reading in part from it; "....the empty site is now in the crosshairs of a proposed stadium...." Sounds as if the continued existence of the Cotton Belt Freight Depot is not assured. Being on the National Register is not a guarantee I wouldn't think.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Cotton Belt Route artifact; info?
PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 5:16 am 

Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2011 2:45 pm
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This particular warehouse was known as Florida Street to the Cotton Belt employees who worked there. The warehouse was switched by the TRRA for the Cotton Belt and the freight cars could be shuttled over to East St. Louis for inclusion in outbound Cotton Belt trains. For the past couple of years I've been interviewing a retired Cotton Belt employee who worked at Florida Street for several years in the early 1950s. Those tales will be in my third book about the Cotton Belt.

Ed in Kentucky


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