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Kirkwood (Amtrak station)
Encyclopedia
The Kirkwood Amtrak station is a suburban train station in Kirkwood, Missouri
, served by Amtrak
, the national railroad passenger system.
Located in downtown Kirkwood, it is one of three Amtrak stations in the St. Louis metropolitan area; the other two are the Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center
located in downtown St. Louis, and the Amtrak station in Alton, Illinois
. The station is run entirely by volunteers.
Of the twelve Missouri stations served by Amtrak, Kirkwood was the fourth busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 130 passengers daily.
for a right of way. The track for the Pacific Railroad to Kirkwood was completed in 1853. The first train arrived May 11, 1853, for an auction sale of lots, making Kirkwood the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi. The town was named for the chief engineer for the railroad, James Pugh Kirkwood
.
In 1863, a frame depot was built. Here members of the first school board met to draft the charter of the Kirkwood School District, which was granted in 1865. In 1893, Douglas Donovan was hired by the Missouri Pacific Railroad
to construct the current stone station to replace the wooden station. The current station remains today as an outstanding example of Richardsonian Romanesque
architecture.
Commuter trains ran to and from Kirkwood until 1961. A train turn-table was located near the present Farmers Market for the engines to be turned for the return trip to St. Louis and for the helper engines, which were used to help freight trains manage the "Kirkwood Hill," prior to the arrival of diesel engine
s.
Kirkwood, Missouri
Kirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named for James Pugh Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad through that town. It was the first planned suburb located west...
, served by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national railroad passenger system.
Located in downtown Kirkwood, it is one of three Amtrak stations in the St. Louis metropolitan area; the other two are the Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center
Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center
The Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center, also known as Gateway Transportation Station or Gateway Station, is a rail and bus terminal station in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Opened in 2008 and operating 24 hours a day, it serves Amtrak, St. Louis MetroLink, MetroBus regional buses, Greyhound...
located in downtown St. Louis, and the Amtrak station in Alton, Illinois
Alton (Amtrak station)
Alton, IL is a suburban St. Louis Amtrak station in Alton, Illinois served by the Lincoln Service and the Texas Eagle. This was also a stop for the Ann Rutledge until April 2007. The former Alton Railroad station, later used by the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad is built of brick, and is staffed. ...
. The station is run entirely by volunteers.
Of the twelve Missouri stations served by Amtrak, Kirkwood was the fourth busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 130 passengers daily.
History
In 1852, land where the current station is located (Argonne Avenue and Kirkwood Road) was obtained from Owen Collins by the Pacific RailroadPacific Railroad
The Pacific Railroad was a railroad based in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was a predecessor of both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.The Pacific was chartered by Missouri in 1849 to extend "from St...
for a right of way. The track for the Pacific Railroad to Kirkwood was completed in 1853. The first train arrived May 11, 1853, for an auction sale of lots, making Kirkwood the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi. The town was named for the chief engineer for the railroad, James Pugh Kirkwood
James P. Kirkwood
James Pugh Kirkwood was a 19th-century American civil engineer.He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 27, 1807...
.
In 1863, a frame depot was built. Here members of the first school board met to draft the charter of the Kirkwood School District, which was granted in 1865. In 1893, Douglas Donovan was hired by the Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
to construct the current stone station to replace the wooden station. The current station remains today as an outstanding example of Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
architecture.
Commuter trains ran to and from Kirkwood until 1961. A train turn-table was located near the present Farmers Market for the engines to be turned for the return trip to St. Louis and for the helper engines, which were used to help freight trains manage the "Kirkwood Hill," prior to the arrival of diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s.