The address for the Kahlotus depot is 100 East Washington Street. I do agree, it's really a shame that the only real survivor of the SP&S in Washington is the Vancouver depot, though I suppose if only one could have made it, we couldn't have asked for a better example. Though speaking of the SP&S and Kahlotus, I did notice the attached little structure in use as the town library, and wondered if perhaps it had some kind of connection to either the SP&S or Burlington Northern?
That little building does have a "railroady" feel to it. Could be... Only way to know is to stop and ask?
Exactly what I was thinking, especially the chimney, which is an unusual feature on a building of that size. Perhaps the paint job in BN colors added to my positive thinking, too. Unfortunately for my visit, trying to find anyone to ask in small town Eastern Washington on a Sunday is no easy task.
Or anyplace "small town" USA. Seems like a lot of such sites roll up their sidewalks late Friday afternoon. On the other hand, that can be nice for photos, with less traffic, fewer vehicles parked in the way, etc.
I think I may have a line on another surviving depot of the OR&N. In 1952 the Thornton depot was sold by the Union Pacific to the St John Gun Club, placed on skids, and towed to their property to serve as a club house. While I don't know if that building still survives, in Google Earth I found that what appears to be the current club house is fairly close in size to the listed dimensions of the Thornton depot. Looks like another item for my list of locations to check out.
It's pretty easy to find on the east edge of St. John. The trap shooting platforms jump right out when viewed from the air.
Good news, I just found that Microsoft actually has better street view coverage in that area than Google, and thus Bing Maps actually have an image that pretty clearly shows the current building at the gun club is the depot.
It's on the difficult side in Bing Maps. You have to zoom in to the closest zoom level in Road or Aerial views, and when the road turns blue, click on it at the location you want to view streetside.
Not to hijack this thread, but I have this metal two-sided sign, about 4' long hanging in my train room, in UP style and colors. The other side of the sign's paint is very faded, as if that side was hanging out on a building's eave for a long time. Does anyone recognize this sign? I've been told it was from the Riverside, CA UP depot but I've looked long and hard at the Riverside depot pictures and have not seen a picture with a sign of this style in it. Due to it being two-sided, with holes at the top for hanging, it's not off a passenger car. Was there one in WA? John
Just thinking on it a bit- If that depot was moved from Thornton, do we have any data about the St. John depot, and when it was removed or sold?
