Re: [CBQ] Aurora Depot

["Doug Hartman" <douglas.p.hartman@gmail.com>]

One of the unfortunate aspects for train crews was the lack of an employee parking lot when going to depot to deadhead to Clyde or to get a cab when called for a Depot start (relief job, etc).

If it was before morning rush, no problem. But if after, there was rarely any space in east lot (full of commuter's cars) and the west lot - if any spaces left - required a very long hike.

As Leo wrote, the east lot was abominable. Just basically a field of ruts, garbage, etc. No markings, cars just jammed in wherever.

Crews at other locations (say, Lacrosse, where they stepped off yards from their autos) didn't realize how good they had it :)

Doug

On Mon, Nov 8, 2021, 2:39 PM Leo Phillipp via groups.io <qutlx1=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:

It like the lots on the south side werefor passengers and employees. They were first come first served basis. Lots were a mix of cinders, dirt and maybe a very small amount of gravel. They might have been graded twice year. Usually did get plowed for snow removal. Which simply made the lack of spaces worse with piled up snow. 

In dry weather the autos always had a nice thick coat of dust on them.

Leo

On Nov 8, 2021, at 2:24 PM, James Koretsky <jameskoretsky@comcast.net> wrote:



Leo,

Was the parking lot on the Northern Side of the tracks, specifically for passengers using the station?

Thanks again.

James

On 11/08/2021 2:52 PM Leo Phillipp via groups.io <qutlx1=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:

A couple additional notes.

The subway went under all the tracks and there was an entrance just east of the tower that allowed access from the parking lot on the North side of the complex.

The south entrance of the subway was outside the depot under what I’ll call a portico or glass cover. The Aurora Burlington Credit union was located in this same area. One had to go up a set of cement steps to access the depot waiting room.

Leo Phillipp

On Nov 8, 2021, at 1:22 PM, trains@davidstreeter.net wrote:

First, while the depot was closed and effectively abandoned in 1986 when Metra moved to the roundhouse site (Amtrak having previously moved to Naperville), it was only demolished after part of the cornice fell onto Broadway sometime post-2010 (I forget the exact year).

Second, keep in mind that nothing here is on a due north-south or east-west alignment. Broadway is technically a n-s street and Clark e-w, but they are off from the cardinal directions by at least 30 degrees. The tracks go through on an angle of close to 45 degrees, northeast to southwest.

Clark seems like it's pretty far from the depot to have had a tunnel extending to it. I never explored the area when it was all still open, but I my understanding is that the entrance to the underpass to the platform stairs was outside the depot itself.

Okay, I just checked the Bing Maps street view, which is old enough to show the depot still standing. It appears that there was just a sidewalk along the southeast side of the tracks to just south of the corner of Broadway and Clark, where (as a train goes east) the embankment changes to the viaduct that carries the tracks to New York St. (okay, there is a short section of fill between Clark and Benton).

-- 
David Streeter

On 11/8/2021 11:57 AM, James Koretsky wrote:

Hi All,

In the past I've ask for much information and help on the Aurora Depot, that was in placed from the Early 30's through it's eventual demolition in 1986, after being moved to the current location in Aurora. Thank you to all those that answered.

There is one question that I haven't asked, and I don't have my CB&Q materials handy is to see if it covered, but was access to platforms 1 and 2, between tracks 2 and 3, done via the underpass that ran North / South under the tracks from the Depot itself on the south side off South Broadway, to the north side of the tracks, and up stairs. Was there an underpass running under the tracks, from this pedestrian underpass to the East on Clark street?

James

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