| "Little Wabash" depot, aka "Little Union Station", view northwest from abandoned DMUR tracks, Des Moines IA; this depot only lasted about five years before being converted into storage. It now sits in ruins, partially open to the elements and easily accessible by drifters. Regarding the name - this depot was built on the Des Moines Union Railway tracks as a secondary depot to the much larger Union Station downtown between 5th and 6th, across from the Court House. The DMUR was 50/50 owned by the Wabash and the Milwaukee Road, operating as a city switch road to service local industry, and provide yards and tracks between the two Class I roads. In any case, rather than call this depot the "Little Union Station" many refer to it as the "Little Wabash" depot, after one of the DMUR owners. It's been inactive so long, I don't think anyone knows its true name. |