Rock Springs station

Last updated

Rock Springs, WY
Front Street, downtown Rock Springs in 1919.jpg
Union Pacific Railroad depot in 1919
General information
Location2501 S. Main Street
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Coordinates 41°35′13″N109°13′13″W / 41.586972°N 109.220250°W / 41.586972; -109.220250
Line Union Pacific Railroad
History
Opened1900
ClosedJuly 16, 1983
May 10, 1997
Rebuilt1990s
Former services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Evanston
toward Seattle
Pioneer
1991–1997
 Laramie
toward Chicago
Evanston
toward Oakland-16th Street
San Francisco Zephyr
1972–1983
City of San Francisco
1971–1972
Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station
Peru
toward Ogden
Overland Route Kanda
toward Council Bluffs Transfer
Location
Rock Springs station

Rock Springs station is a former train station in Rock Springs, Wyoming. It was served first by the Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific Railroad built the depot in 1900, and used the depot till 1971. The first passenger station opened in 1868, with a nearby Rock Springs coal station. Starting in 1971, the Amtrak passenger train service used the depot till 1983 and then again from 1991 to 1997. The Pioneer was the last passenger train to stop in Rock Springs. [1] The Rock Springs depot is a contributing building in the Downtown Rock Springs Historic District. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

History

In 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad arrived at Rock Springs as part of the first transcontinental railroad. The company also opened a depot for the Rock Springs Union Pacific Railroad coal depot in 1868. The coal stop fueled the City of Rock Springs and steam locomotives, with coal from nearby coal mines. Union Pacific Coal Company closed its last coal mine in Rock Springs in the 1950s. At its peak, the Union Pacific Coal Company operated four large coal mines in and around Rock Spring. [6] In the 1950s, the Union Pacific started replacing steam locomotives with diesel locomotives. Diesel locomotives are safer and require less maintenance. The last Rock Springs mine closed in 1963. The Union Pacific Freight Station was located at 603 South Main Street. [7] [8] [2] [9] The first passenger depot was built in 1870, two years after the tracks were install. [10]

Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971, with its City of San Francisco running until June 1972, when it was replaced by the San Francisco Zephyr . The California Zephyr replaced the San Francisco Zephyr on July 16, 1983, but its more-southern route temporarily ended passenger rail service to Rock Springs. [11]

Amtrak service was started again with the rerouting of the Pioneer via Rock Springs on June 17, 1991, but ended on May 10, 1997 with the ending of the Pioneer. [12] [13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Rock Springs Union Pacific Depot - Alliance for Historic Wyoming". September 20, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Tags: union pacific railroad | WyoHistory.org". www.wyohistory.org.
  3. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Downtown Rock Springs Historic District".
  5. ↑ "Rock Springs Coal Welcome Sign Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org.
  6. ↑ "Beneath This Monument Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org.
  7. ↑ "Rock Springs Coal Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org.
  8. ↑ "The Coal Business in Wyoming | WyoHistory.org". www.wyohistory.org.
  9. ↑ "Rock Springs Coal Mines -- Wyoming Tales and Trails". www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com.
  10. ↑ "Rock Springs Photos". www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com.
  11. ↑ Lettenberger, Bob (November 2023). "113-year-old Union Pacific depot in need of funding for restoration". Trains . No. 11 Vol 83. Kalmbach. p. 52.
  12. ↑ Sowell, John (July 19, 2021). "Amtrak passenger train service through Boise ended in 1997. Could it make a comeback?". Statesman. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  13. ↑ Holmes, Brian (April 2, 2021). "Amtrak expansion would connect to more of the US, but not southern Idaho". ktvb.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
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