There is a new entry on FLIMSIES about the re-opening of the former AT&SF station in Ft. Madison, Iowa. The Santa Fe had discontinued using the 1910 brick depot in 1968 and AMTRAK has never served it. That is ending after the station was raised to get it out of the Mississippi River flood plain. This apparently was a 14-year project and restores passenger train service to downtown Ft. Madison.

Seems as if those folks along the Mississippi River in Iowa have a knack of rail depot restorations as the restoration and rebuilding of the station in Keokuk has been well documented. Not so, this work on the Ft. Madison station. Also raised was an ex-AT&SF two story brick building next door to the depot. That building was not mentioned in the report on FLIMSIES and would be interesting to know more about it. There is a former Santa Fe cupola caboose on station grounds, and I believe that there is also an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4-8-4 on display in the area. But I'm not sure just how close AT&SF # 2913 is to the restored station.

Les

The steamer is about a block to the east of the old ATSF station.

One can frequently see said steamer on Virtual Railfan's webcam at Fort Madison.

It's just been amazing to watch this project. When I was out there several years ago, it was after one of the last major floods - and the BNSF/ATSF main line had been raised over three feet so that if you went out the back door you'd have to climb up to the main, and ballast was now rolling against the back walls. There was a commemorative "high water mark" painted on the wall and dated. Interior had been extensively damaged.

They they raised the ENTIRE complex with house jacks about four feet, and there's an incredible time-lapse video of it. Link on the Virtual Railfan Ft. Madison webcam.

It's a classic depot, and if wishes were fishes that elevated tower would be one of the best railfan park locations in the US, as if it wasn't already. You've got two main lines - the ex CB&Q K line and the ATSF line that crosses the river, around 90 trains a day, plus a working drawbridge, river traffic, events in the park, bald eagles working the river, river cruise boats.... usual count on the webcam is over 500.

Watching the road construction and the depot finishing on live camera has been over at least two years, and has had it's moments. There's so many new platform lights it's nearly blinding. And it was 'live on camera' when the bobcat post-hole digger operator hit the buried electric line and jolted him onto the ground and he had to be helped away, but survived the accident. And, the new street upgrade put a light pole right in front of the webcam. And they are elevating the marina something like SEVEN FEET in the river, that's stirring up more dirt and dust than you can imagine.

The local museum that was inside the ATSF depot has been relocated to adjacent buildings, including the CB&Q depot, but I don't think that one was raised.

I'm a huge Ft. Madison fan, it's got everything if you are a railfan, and the Kingsley Inn is across the street from the 4-8-4 and hosts the camera. Only place that equals it is the Bridgeview in Harrisburg. Now that Amtrak stops RIGHT THERE instead of a mile away this should be considered an Amtrak stopover right up there with the Isaac Walton Inn or La Posada in Winslow.

Randy -

Thanks for all the information. I looked for a previous reference to the AT&SF Ft. Madison depot on RyPN, but couldn't find anything. I'm glad you, at least, were watching the restoration progress. You mentioned the CB&Q depot. Is that the one right across from the Santa Fe station? Looks like it is historic in its own right. Any info on IT?


Les

When I was there the museum collection was in the ATSF depot, but the news reports I've read said that Amtrak basically took over the building and left just a small place for display, also had to modify for ADA restrooms, etc.

When I was there there was an art museum in the CB&Q depot.

This is the current link to the museum sites - referencing the CB&Q depot that is sandwiched between the road and the Burlington (both now BNSF) main line, not much room.

I don't 'think' the Burlington depot was raised like the ATSF one, but it might have been.

https://www.fortmadison-ia.com/508/Nort ... ciety-Muse

And as a refresher, here's the YouTube video on the incredible job of raising the depot:
https://youtu.be/O0YK7Xv6wXk

Wow, that was like 8 years ago. This has taken forever.