14 years after Miss Katy was merged into Missouri Pacific, how many depots are left standing? I know of the following: A depot in Big Cabin, OK, out in a field between US 69 and the UP tracks; Checotah, OK- a museum along US69, also includes a Katy caboose, and; Denison, TX- the Katy passenger depot, which has been preserved and houses several venues, including a museum. Across the tracks are a collection of Katy cabooses and the "F38-2" blind-cab F unit, retired by UP and in full Katy colors. Sadly, there's no trace of either the locomotive shops at Ray Yard, or the car shops in Denison. All were demolished under UP auspices- I was lucky to find a bunch of Katy railroadiana at the car shops before they were torn down. Are there any other depots, freight houses, etc. out there (and IIRC, the Parsons shops are still standing)?
friscobob, the only one i have ever seen is the one by big cabin, i know a few years ago there were still a lot of buildings in Parsons, but that was 15 years ago, and i wasn't interested in trains at the time. will have to try and swing through there. also, there is a katy museum in pryor, it is down toward the south end of town, it used to be right there next to the hwy. 20&hwy.69 intersection (according to my mother-in-law), who lives a few blocks from there. she thought part of the depot was moved to become the museum????? but she can't remember for sure
Hey Bob, The shops are still here not in total form but still none the less the depot in Galena Kansas still stands as the one in Council Grove. There is one that is a topic on the Katy Yahoo group but can't remember for sure where its from there are still a few standing but they are used as barn or storeage buildings. There are a few in Missouri that have been brought back to life as museums and chamber of commerce.
Bob go to this link and scroll down to the station lists and their photos: http://gelwood.railfan.net/mkt/katy.html
That's good to hear about the shops. Last time I saw them, I was leaving Miami, OK going back to Grand Junction in late December 2000 (following US 400 to Wichita to pick up the Interstates). I saw most of the shop buildings, plus a couple of Wisconsin Central SD45s on a southbound freight. Seems like only yesterday I would stop in Parsons to shoot all that Katy power on the shop tracks....
The one in West, Texas has since been restored and moved back to downtown West and has 2 cabooses, one has the M-K-T paint job and the other has the Katy paint job. Go down there Labor day weekend to West Fest and drink some beer and have some fun!!!
Do they still have that convenience store along I35 in West that serves kolaches? I had some going back late one night from Pfleugerville to Paris. I'm just leaving Ely to return to Grand Junction before my next assignment on Labor Day weekend, and there's a RR festival here that weekend, so you'll have to drink my beer for me (make it Shiner Bock!! )
Here's a little more info: UP paid for all the restoreing and moving of the depot and cabooses. Back in late 80's and early 90's, UP trains kept blocking all the crossing in West. At one point West Police dept. started ticketing the crews on board for blocking the streets when they hogged lawed out for hours or even days at a time. A retired Katy employee told me once that a Highway patrole offericer just about took him to jail for blocking Tokio road crossing(aka FM1858) and that was interferening with interstate commerce. He was the conductor of the train back in the caboose and he told the officer you can take me to jail. Im not gonna stop you but, you (DPS) must take over all my duties, here's the trains mainsfest , you cannot leave this train alone and every railroad lawyer from Denison, Dallas, Ft.Worth and Waco will be here too. The trooper looked puzzled at him said okay, you got me trapped, what can we do? Katy employee said I'll get this train moving as fast as we can. The trooper turned and went away. I even heard of West PD gave a engineer a ticket and he tore it up. In the end UP started cutting all the crossings and to make everyone happy, restored the depot. Also, the employee told me the problelm was from the sorry manager of the Katy and M-K-T trying to run every car the railroad had and when (i think he told me) R.D. Hall took over, he change the railroad was ran.
Yes there still there. For Kolches, stop at Kaskas their's are better that the shell station down the service road and Village Bakery makes em pretty good. For good eatins: try the chezch american in downtown or schulaks and West auction barn(open 24hrs unless hit by a tornado) P.S auction barn food can vari from good to slop depending whos the cook. And at last for sasauge try nemcek bros and yes, shiner is on tap at West Fest.(I get one off the best parking places at west fest cuz my uncle lives less than a quarter of mile away!)
The old wooden MKT depot in Granger, TX is still around, although late last year it was moved to Austin, TX after its roof was removed. The Coupland, TX depot still stands as well, about one block west of the tracks. Edward Bridges Granger, TX
Sadly, this is no longer standing, but here's a shot of the Katy depot at Durant, OK. Pic was taken by Richard Napper of Topeka, KS (who is a fellow Frisco Fanatic, BTW). The two tracks are Katy/UP, while the single track is Kiamichi (former BN, nee Frisco). To Richard's right, and directly across from the depot, stood a concrete control tower. About 2 blocks behind him are the remains of the former Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf mainline south to Denison. Pic take Dec. 24, 1988. In early 1989 this depot was demolished. Durant is 25 miles or so north of Denison, on both the Katy's main (now UP Choctaw Sub) and Frisco's Ardmore & Arkinda Subdivision (now Kiamichi's east-west main between Hugo and Lakeside)
Well I've just don't understand how one of the greatest KATY depots could have been left off the list. Downtown Greenville, Tx Built 1895 still standing, The city of Greenville is going to buy and restore the building soon. Come on down to Greenville, and look through the place there is a business operating there so it is opening for inspection.
Well, the Katy Station (passenger depot) is still standing and in use as a restaraunt here in Columbia, MO http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri,_Kansas,_and_Texas_Railroad_Depot_(Columbia,_Missouri) It was called the Katy Station for years, with dining in some box cars that were attached to it some years ago. The City owned portion of the Katy Trail starts across and down the street just a ways...
Big cabin depot This may have been hit on another thread, if so I apologise. The big cabin depot is now gone. I think they tore it down in April? Not sure of exact date
Well, friscobob, next time you're up our way run over to Wagoner, OK, which is about twenty miles north of Muskogee. A few miles north of town on US69 you'll find a restaurant you will sure want to eat at. One dining room is an old Pullman, and you can eat at a 'booth' made from a section, another is either an old diner or coach, and the main dining room is the old Wagoner depot. Now, I wish I could guarantee it (wish Dad were still alive to ask), but I'm about ninety-eight percent sure it's the old Katy, and not the old MoPac station. Maybe 99%--that was the route of the Bluebonnet and Texas Special, while that MoPac trackage never supported any big name varnish. So, besides my foggy memory of Dad and Grandpop talking about it, I also believe that any MoPac station in town disappeared early. In fact, I know it is. Dad used to sleep out on a screened-in porch in the summer, and listen to the Bluebonnet roll through. He said the six-wheeled Pullmans made a lovely sound on the MoPac crossing downtown as the train accelerated away from that station.
