Friday, August 15, 2008

Along the Old Railroad Line in Kirksville

The railroad used to go through Kirksville, until it was ripped out unceremoniously my freshman year for scrap metal. For years there was a large, muddy trench left in its wake, but I was pleased to see that it has been converted to a bike trail. But what is cool is that many of the original depot buildings in downtown are still there (though the passenger terminal has been demolished recently).Below, I can't figure out these doors, except that they obviously began their useful life somewhere else.Here's a great classical looking warehouse a few feet from the old tracks.I love this old commercial building, covered with advertisements for long dead companies, in full view of passenger trains as they pulled into Kirksville.
Kirksville did try to buy up the line in between La Plata and Kirksville to hook up with the main line, but it failed to get the financing. Which is too bad, because with rising fuel costs, trucking everything to and from Kirksville is going to cost a lot more than taking the train. I fear for the long term viability of the town with such limited connections.

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A Blog detailing the beauty of St. Louis architecture and the buildup of residue-or character-that accumulates over the course of time.