Has anyone been to Holdrege, Nebraska lately? Besides its nicely restored depot, Holdrege still had an ancient 1880s Burlington & Missouri River 5-stall roundhouse last I knew. Closed in 1956, it was privately purchased and used to store fertilizer for many years. A few years ago, the owner (who also owned the depot) sold the business and was wondering what to do with the roundhouse. At one point, he was even approached by the local shortline to use it as an enginehouse. Does anyone know what happened?

The roundhouse needed repointing at one juncture, and a fiberglass/stucco mixture was applied to the exterior (has anyone had experience removing that stuff?) as a quick fix. Otherwise, the structure was in pretty good shape, though the turntable was removed long ago. Some stalls had been extended with wooden additions in the 1920s to accommodate larger engines.

Nearby was the tiny Zephyr cafe, a classic railroad beanery. The latter was closed last I knew, but still intact.

http://www.rrshs.org/Nebr./Nebraska.htm
ryarger@rypn.org

Zephyr cafe may have reopened. It has a phone number.

http://www.nebraska.com/cities/holdrege-restaurants.asp
ryarger@rypn.org

I was in Holdrege about two years ago wandering around and didn't see the roundhouse. I'm currently residing in Grand Island so I may plan a Sunday afternoon jaunt to look again.

Paul

Didn't seem to be in a regular biz any longer. Perhaps open for just chartered events or something. When I worked for the BN there in 82 our rail gang kept it busier than normal. Is there still a bar @ Atlanta? Last summer my car ignition froze up in Holdrege's Amtrak (old station) and was there real late for a couple of hours. Helped a couple patrons, the doors unlock automatically for the Zephyr, great community pride and perhaps Nebr rail advocacy groups had the depot, waiting room in great shape. Silver q caboose and nice lawn there @ the depot. Still had posted Pioneer and the Desert wind connections.

bnsfbarker@aol.com

Yesterday I stopped in Holdrege on my way to be with friends in Franklin for dinner and a fantastic fireworks show in the little community of Bloomington. Being the holiday, the depot area was pretty much deserted and locked up, but I did manage to catch a BNSF section foreman as he was making a brief stop at the office (in the nearby building), for a little conversation.

The roundhouse was demolished about 8 to 10 years ago, the BNSF man told me, and I couldnÂ’t find any present evidence of its existence or that of the turntable pit.

As you’ve indicated, and Dan has confirmed above, the depot is beautifully restored, with two of the original wooden “pews” in the Amtrak station. The nice little lawn area to the east displays the caboose, along with a few other pieces of equipment. The Amtrak station occupies only a small portion of the depot, with the majority leased as commercial office space.

The little Zephyr Cafe across the street is now in daily operation (except holidays) having been bought about a year and a half ago by the wife of a BNSF track inspector. The original SW corner door is no longer used, but the entrance is further north.

I took some pictures, but they may remain in my camera for quite awhile until the rest of the roll of film is shot. IÂ’d be glad to send you some prints if youÂ’d like, but donÂ’t hold your breath until they appear. I donÂ’t have a scanner, so canÂ’t send them online.

Dick