Meramec Highlands, MO Hello Frisco Folks, Here is a photograph of the Frisco depot in Meramec Highlands, MO. Take care, Rich Ship it on the Frisco!
Meramec Highlands, MO. I heard the Meramec Highlands depot was for sale, looks like someone bought it and is remodeling it. Photograph dated 1/11/2006.
Here are three photographs of the old Meramec Highlands depot off Big Bend Boulevard near the I-270 overpass. It is now a private residence but a beautiful structure. It sits about 100 yards east of the abandoned Meramec Highlands tunnel east stone portal. The stairway in front of the depot went down to the tracks. I took the photographs in December 2007. Ken McElreath
Beautiful place. It ought to be featured on the "If Walls Could Talk" TV show! How far away was the railroad relocated from that place? Tom
The family that bought the new home made from the depot are friends of ours. They love it. He has a wall with old pictures of the depot through the years. The BNSF is still very close to the front, so they must be getting to be quite familiar with the daily schedule! There also have been several other new homes built on the property between the depot and the entrance to the old tunnel. Very nice. There is a new road between the new homes and the tracks, plus some plantings to hide the tracks. It would be a great place to live for a wealthy Frisco/BNSF fan! Ken
Now that is living! Great photographs, Ken McElreath. It is good to see your name again! Hope things are going well. Thanks for sharing. Best Regards,
Going through an old Frisco Employees Magazine (FEM) in the Springfield-Greene County Library collection. I came across a neat past article on this location and station from late 1929: http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/magazines/fem_1929_12/fem_1929_12_06.pdf Titled Her Home is a Passenger Station it features Mrs. Della Snyder, Frisco Agent and Osage Hills, formerly Meramec Highlands, and her depot doubling as personal residence.
Please see the following link for a trackside view of Meramec Highlands, MO depot. http://www.flickr.com/photos/11581147@N06/3478786386/sizes/l/ Additional views including some of the 3,900 square foot add on and new interior. The original depot was 1,100 square feet. http://www.agapeconstruction.com/_meramecDepotPictures.htm It is hard to believe that before restoration and redevelopment the station was once in a very poor run down condition as in the photographs below. http://www.preservemo.org/10most_images/frisco2.jpg (2001) http://www.westernrailimages.com/Fr...o-St-Louis/9813902_nCfFG#666546140_Hhd44-A-LB (1997) http://www.westernrailimages.com/Fr...-Louis-San/7187912_sPJCU#665465357_FokGn-A-LB (1961) http://www.westernrailimages.com/Fr...-Francisco/7187638_Rnc4S#461531413_mVxwU-A-LB (1955) http://margy.smugmug.com/America-in..._wb3ip/1/149628304_LJDVn#149628304_LJDVn-A-LB (1912 - while in service including prior track alignment) The depot's agent / operator bay faces south. Railroad west is to the left. The depot was built in 1882 and abandoned in 1932. The depot address is 1030 Barberry Lane, Kirkwood, MO 63122-5100. The depot is now luxury private residence. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
The relocated two-track SLSF Rolla Subdivision line at Meramec Highlands is some 100-150 yards to the south of the former alignment, and at a slightly lower elevation. Ken
For those wanting to visit the location, here are directions. From the east - Barberry Lane is the second street south of Big Bend west of I-270. From the west - If you are eastbound on Big Bend from the National Museum of Transportation, Barberry Lane is the second street south of Big Bend east of Barretts Station Rd. Here is a link to a localized map. http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=38.56640033239052~-90.44631625927735&lvl=15&sty=r&where1=1022 Barberry Ln, St Louis, MO 63122-5100 If you follow the above link and click on Aerial, Birds Eye, you will get a very nice view from an angle above and south of the house. While you are on Barberry Lane, continue to the west end. At the end of the cul-de-sac, park in front of the last house. Between the last two houses is a mulched trail. Follow the trail, it is a city park trail, back to the east portal of the Meramec Highlands Tunnel.
The tunnel still exists and can be viewed following klrwhizkid's instructions in post #11 on this thread. There is some recent house construction and road relocation, but that probably does not materially affect access to the tunnel east portal. West portal is not as easily reached. It was bypassed by a double-track cut to the south designed and constructed in 1922-1923. Replacement was necessary because clearances were too tight in the tunnel for the 4000 2-8-2 and 1500 4-8-2 locomotives on order as well many railroad cars of the era. It had a brief life as a mushroom farm in the 1930s.
George, I believe that it was the 4100 2-8-2s that were on order and too big for the tunnel. They were "sisters" to the 1500 4-8-2s, also on order and too big. The USRA 4000 2-8-2s might have been svelte enough to make it through the tunnel unhindered. K
It must have been fun coming uphill with a Spot engine and blasting through there. The Missouri Pacific tunnels on the Museum of Transportation ground were restrictive also but were in use until the early 1940s. Frisco 1500s and 4100s couldn't use them due to their height.
I imagine the "spots" and the other locomotives did a good job of keeping bats out of the tunnel bore! K
Don, Were the 4100s too tall due to the extra-tall cabs installed on some of them, or did cab height not really matter? Best Regards,
Meteor910 reminded me: "George, I believe that it was the 4100 2-8-2s that were on order and too big for the tunnel. They were "sisters" to the 1500 4-8-2s, also on order and too big. The USRA 4000 2-8-2s might have been svelte enough to make it through the tunnel unhindered. K" ...and, oh golly, there were some anxious minutes after sign-off wondering "Did I write "4000s" or "4100s"?
No problem George, typos are easy to make, I do it all the time. I just posted to insure the details were correct in that it was the 4100 2-8-2s who were on order rather than the USRA 4000s who were in question. I can not imagine riding in the cab of a 2-10-2 "spot" engine through the Meramec Highlands tunnel and surviving the exhaust blast.