Had a chance to make a visit to the Museum of Transportation this past Saturday. Over in a corner of the museum, I found the old Barrett Station depot that was on the grounds when the museum acquired the property from the Missouri Pacific back in 1948. The structure is not on display and is currently used for storage and also for some wood working. My less than great photos show that the station appears to be in very good condition.

The museum has an electric trolley operation that currently runs from a location near their Roberts Pavillion (equipment displays) around a loop out to the end of track just short of the West Barretts Tunnel, then back around the loop and a second trip for riders. There does appear to be some trackwork out near the tunnel that has been started that will extend the overhead wire through a wye and out another dead-end track on the "tail" of that wye. This trackwork is shown on the museum map of their property.

My question is whether this new electric extension might not be a good place to move the original M.P. Barrett Station? In this way, the historic structure can be shown to visitors instead of "wasting away" in its current location. The freight end of the combination depot might possibly be used for displays for riders detraining at that location.

Les

I mentioned that there seems to be a plot on the MofT museum grounds map that shows an extension of the electric overhead trolley operation. There is some evidence that this extension has at least been started. Here are some photos of that "wye" in the tunnel area at the current end of the overhead.

The first photo shows the track just short of the West Barretts Tunnel and is where the trolley stops and switches poles. Note the switch leading to the future wye. The other two shots show the wye under construction.


Les

Perhaps your question might be better directed in a call or email to them than an open question to the world? Maybe you'd like to extend the funding for such an undertaking?

NMOT is largely built on fill built up over the decades as the museum developed. They have enough issues with ground settling over the years without moving Barretts Depot off of solid ground where it's at now.

Quite frankly, they have bigger issues to handle, just like so many in the preservation game. The streetcar track extension beyond the current route has been an ongoing project for about 20 years now. The track has been built and waiting on the poles for the overhead wire to be erected for nearly half of that.