Greetings,

I drove past what I think was the Aurora, IL depot. It looks abandoned, but it also looks as if there are remnants of a for sale sign on it. Are there plans afoot?

God Bless,
Gerald W. Kopiasz

Heartland Railroad Historical Society
hrrhs@aol.com

> Greetings,

> I drove past what I think was the Aurora, IL
> depot. It looks abandoned, but it also looks
> as if there are remnants of a for sale sign
> on it. Are there plans afoot?

> God Bless,
> Gerald W. Kopiasz

Gerald,
I drive by it five days a week enroute to the "new" Metra facility in Aurora. It has been empty and for sale since the Transportation Center opened at the old shops area in the mid-1980's. There have never been any rumors concerning reuse of the structure....as far as I know. The support facilities including the platforms, umbrella sheds, power house, turntable and storage trackage are long gone. As you could see, it is located at the south (timetable west) end of the downtown business district. The neighborhood is questionable as most of the visitor traffic occurs about 7-8 blocks to the north at the gambling boat, Paramount Arts center and a few decent restaurants. There is no reason for anyone except for the locals to frequent the area around the old depot. If Metra extends service westward on the BNSF, the old depot would have remained the best location for the Aurora stop. As the track is presently configured, there is no way to operate west of the stub ended station tracks at the Transportation Center. Platforms will either have to be built up on the elevated mainlines or the old incline trackage reinstalled that used to provide access to the shops and storage yard when moving equipment to and from the old depot. Had most of the trackage and the turntable survived, it would have made a great museum area, particularly if a tourist operation or dinner train could have been arranged on the old Ottawa/Streator branch. My greatest fear is that the old structure will be torched by vandals and eventually destroyed. I boarded many trains at that old location, including many "Q" steam-powered fantrips. (Sigh)

Don C.

http://www.261.com
milw261@sbcglobal.net