Railroads in Springfield

Urban exploration in Springfield, Missouri
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Anne
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Railroads in Springfield

Post by Anne »

Behind the Houn'Dawg factory and those, right past the Jordan Valley Creek tunnel entrances there's those railroad tracks where once in awhile there's boxcars and such. Was a little town there before and demolished? There's some foundation looking structions near the creek, and a LOT of clothes and trash back there. I can post pictures later tonight if interested. Also there's a concrete deal that looks like where passengers got on and off trains. If anyone knows info I'm interested in it. I've been there a few times to take pictures and just have been wondering if that was a little town long ago.
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by Willard »

is that over west of where Grant street passes over?
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by Willard »

Actually I think I know where you're talking about. The old Train Depot used to be near main (the foundation is still there and some metal buildings sit on part of it now) and the freight depot used to sit right over Jordan Creek (the foundation looking things that stick up in the middle of the creek). As far as furthur west past the Grant Street Viaduct (the bridge overpass) That's where the south side railroad shops used to be. Originally the depot was built by the Kansas City, Springfield, and Memphis Railroad (later named Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Memphis) and that company had also built the railroad shops (this was all built around the 1880's). Frisco later bought out the company and used the shops for a while and tore them down around the 1930's or 1940's. They also gave the passenger depot a major remodel and add on in about the 1920's. Frisco originally moved in in the Commercial street area (all the tracks just to the north of it) and the passenger Depot was orignially located where Benton dumps into the tracks. The freight depot for frisco used to be located behind the firehouse where Boonville 'T's on Commercial (The firehouse at the time was located on the south east corner of Washington and Commercial). And Frisco had there first shops at The north east corner of Washington and Commercial where Jan's Lumber Company now occupies. The railroad shops that we have in town now that are over west of the Kansas Expressay overpass just north of Division originally was constructed by the Frisco Railroad as well. That complex was started in about the 1910's and the Deasil (sp?) Shop and swich tower building were built sometime in the 1950's. Anyway if you would like to know more, just let me know.
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Anne
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by Anne »

Yea, Mapquest Link There's an aerial view of it. :D

(Edit by WR - fixed the loooooong link)
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by Willard »

Yup, that's the area of the old South side railroad shops.
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by Anne »

Cool, Thanks. Too bad they tore down those buildings. Was that a separate town, kind of like Galloway used to be?
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

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Well the history of towns swallowed up by springfield has to do with the current outling areas. There used to be a place at the end of Nicoles Street (way west past West Bypass) called Nicoles Junction that is now part of Springfield. Then of course there's Galloway. Also there was a town called Kissick it was where the south east powerplant now sits near lake springfield. Its original name was Gates. Originally it was just Springfield until the Frisco came through and established North Springfield (the area north of Division, south of Atlantic, East of Lyon and West of Calhoun. Springfield and North Springfield merged in 1880's. Until about the 1960's the North side of town has always grown faster. That changed when Table Rock lake was created. Anyway as far as a town existing just west of Grant where the old railroad shops used to be, there never was... before the shops were there there was nothing.... Springfield's western City limits at the time were just around Main Street. a lot of the area west of that were just farmers homesteads.
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

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And once again Willard, with his freakishly encyclopedic knowledge of Springfield history, proves why he gets the Official Historian title :P
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by TR146x »

These were actually only recently torn down. In fact, I don't know if this is still true, but as of about 10 years ago you scould still see the mosaic floor.

they tore it down in the middle fo the night, so nobody would raise a fuss.
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by Willard »

Actually according the the March 6th, 1977 edition of the Sunday News & Leader it was front page news that the Frisco Depot was being torn down... this happened shortly after Burlington Norther bought out Frisco. The depot had be vacant since 1967. I will say that most of the foundation of the depot stands and yes the tile floor of the old Harvey House Restraunt is still there. also the passenger platform is still there and runs for quite a ways west of the Grant Viaduct. Also the foundation of the old freight depot are still there. They sit west of Main street over and around the Jordan Creek.

As far as the old Frisco South Side Shops that used to be west of the Grant Viaduct, according the the 1963 Sanborn Insurance Maps at the Library Center, all buildings were torn down. The 1957 Sanborn Maps that I have show them as vacant.
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by Mindscape »

Actually, in '77 they halted it being torn down because everybody rose a big stink about it. So, it wasn't done until fairly recently (perhaps five or ten years ago), and it didn't ever really make the news at all. Just one day it was there, the next day it wasn't.

They did tear it down in the night, so people wouldn't notice (they hoped) and try to save its historical value. Further, the newspaper did run a bit on it, but it was in the ozarks news section, so page 2 or 3, and was only a little column, not anything big at all. Sort of an "Oh, yeah, and this happened too."

Kinda sucked that it got all over town only on word of mouth and after the fact. Would have been nice to keep it around.
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RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by Mindscape »

It was after the beginning of '98 that it came down, because I wasn't working at Universal Sun-Ray anymore (now there was a UE that would have kicked ass... but they've torn down a lot of the warehouse part of it, and it's got equipment on the grounds, so it's basically a lost cause now).
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Re: RE: Railroads in Springfield

Post by TR146x »

Mindscape wrote:Actually, in '77 they halted it being torn down because everybody rose a big stink about it. So, it wasn't done until fairly recently (perhaps five or ten years ago), and it didn't ever really make the news at all. Just one day it was there, the next day it wasn't.

They did tear it down in the night, so people wouldn't notice (they hoped) and try to save its historical value. Further, the newspaper did run a bit on it, but it was in the ozarks news section, so page 2 or 3, and was only a little column, not anything big at all. Sort of an "Oh, yeah, and this happened too."

Kinda sucked that it got all over town only on word of mouth and after the fact. Would have been nice to keep it around.


This is what I’m remembering as well. There was a huge uproar, and the demolition stood half done for years and years. I remember “touring� it as a kid in the early 80’s.
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