Exciting news for St. Louis Union Station.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
This is indeed exciting news. Thanks for posting.
While in St Louis for a software conference in the early 1990's I went to the station and it was thriving then. Reading the article it seems it had lost some of it's importance. Good to see it being revived somewhat.
This is very good news for all concerned. Thanks for posting this article. I loved the photo of the Heavyweight observation car.
I like to see this kind of thing happening. Many surviving depots are located in good areas suitable for re-purposing, but sit vacant. This was a particular winner as it's being used for passenger rail again.
I really urge people to travel to St. Louis, so much to do, and when you do. stop by the old train depot and passenger shed, its been converted to an indoor mall, absolutely magnificent, with some great restaurants!
I'm curious to know what turned Bob McLoughlin onto the passenger train thing as an integral part of the revitalization plan. Yes, it was a train station in a previous life, but it's still an adventurous leap to reintroduce real trains to the new plan. Bravo!
He may have seen an under served market he can capitalize on.
There is no one within the St Louis market. A search of live steam reveals nothing near St Louis (except the WF&P and Six Flags) and only one diesel powered dinner train near Columbia, 100 miles to the west. Charter trains have operated out of St Louis in the past and there was a steam fest in 1990.
Union Station is still intact and fancy, the Museum of Transportation is a railfan draw, the city is centrally located within a day or two of most of the country, and a descent local market at around 2 million people.
Nathan
The last time I was at the Station in 2009, it had certainly faded from its appearance at the NRHS convention in 2001 or when I was at the AAPRCO convention in 1994. In the mid 2000s, the hotel management wanted all the tracks gone so they could expand.
This is good news if they are serious, and can get the railroads to work with them. The Green train, which once was a dinner train, was supposed to run on rare mileage during the 2001 convention, but somehow, the railroad delayed departure and return to the station that the train arrived back at Union Station past midnight, if I remember the details.
The railfan market is fickle, and train operations are not cheap. I wish them the best.
