Depot plans slow to materialize

I can envision the depot being utilitized by a handful of groups. The 1887 Great Northern Railway-built depot essentially had four rooms that each stretched the width of the building in its final years of use by Dakota Rail. What many people overlook is that before automobiles came along, railroads were about the only way people and goods moved about, especially for anything more than a few miles. Hutchinson would likely not be the city it is today if it did not once have three railroads connecting it to the Twin Cities.

The general public entered the GN depot through a door near the northeast corner and into a small room that included access to a restroom. I could see that room being refurbished into a visitor center where the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources could put maps and other materials for the nearby Luce Line State Trail and the still-to-be-developed trail on the former GN/DAKR right of way. The chamber and city also could provide a rack of materials promoting local business and services the city has to offer. The restroom could be restored for use by visitors, such as trail users. I would suggest a remote camera system linked to city center, police or the chamber, to provide security because I think it would be financially impossible to staff the depot except for perhaps with volunteers on weekends.

Going south in the building, the next room included the bay window on the east side. This was the operations room for Dakota Rail. It had its radio there, and desks for its administrative staff and general manager. Since a bay window is what many people recognize as a symbol of a depot, I think this room could be used for historical displays depicting a working depot, along with other displays, perhaps from the McLeod County Museum. It could feature pictures of Hutchinson's railroad heritage on the walls (we had three railroads and two other depots). Maybe put a telegraph set on the bay window desk.

This room is accessed from the first room by a door in the middle of the north wall. That door could be made secure, so that only the first room, the visitor center room, is open to the public on a regular basis. There is a pass through window next to the door that perhaps could be made secure with protective glass so that even when the museum room is not open or staffed it could be viewed by visitors stopping in.

The third room, was used by DAKR as its conference/crew room and featured a large conference table, cabinets, etc. I think it could remain as a conference room for use by community groups needing a place to have meetings of up to 15-20 people. Luce Line Railroad Club Inc. is one group that could have its monthly meetings there, as could chamber committees, city departments, museum board, United Way board, and others. The more groups that use it the better, as that higher level of traffic would provide some visibility and some sense of security to the building. Better to have people using it than for it to seem forgotten.

The final room is the large freight room. This room has scratched in graffiti on the walls put there by past railroad workers and town residents. Some are 100 years old. This would perhaps be a good place for the model railroad group to build a model railroad depicting how Hutchinson looked in about 1915, when Hutchinson had just welcomed its third railroad, the Luce Line (Later known at various times as the Minnesota Western, Minneapolis & St. Louis/Minneapolis Industrial Railroad and finally the Chicago & North Western), joining the GN and Milwaukee Road (this line arrived from from Glencoe in 1886, too, and ran along the east side of Jefferson Street where all the apartment buildings are now. The depot was near the corner of Fourth Avenue Southeast and Jefferson.) Actually, the model railroad could depict any time up until Feb. 1957, when Milwaukee Road was the first to leave town. The model railroad could be open a couple times a month on weekends or for special community events, such as Water Carnival, Arts & Crafts, etc.

The model railroad club has done much of the work thus far to at least preserve the building, but may not have the manpower or financial resources to carry out the restoration by itself. That is why I envision a multi-agency effort including the city, the chamber, the museum, the DNR and probably Historic Hutchinson. The fire in 2001 caused extensive damage. Before that, the depot was in good enough shape to walk in and start using it right away, with remodeling ongoing. I'm not a contractor, but knowing what some other depot restorations cost, the plan I outline above is likely going to cost at least $100,000, and perhaps as much as $250,000.

The rail authority has said it does not want to disturb the soil around the building to put a basement in because of the possibility of there being old railroad contaminants in the soil. Unfortunately, the building rests just on wooden beams, which create a somewhat unstable floor surface. I would envision the building may need to be jacked up and a concrete slab poured underneath. That would be a big part of the cost.

Costs perhaps could be kept down through the use of some volunteer labor and donated materials and services. Federal (ISTEA) and state (historical society) grants are available for projects such as this that interpret railroad history. Private grants from local and area foundations, and railroad preservation groups, including the Great Northern Railway Historical Society (I'm a member) are also a potential source of money. Kalmbach Publishing of Milwaukee, publisher of Trains and Model Railroader magazines, gives away an annual $10,000 grant to projects such as this.

Other communities have helped pay for depot restorations with a "platform paving stone" project such as was done with the nearby Veterans Memorial Park. In Princeton, Minn., a GN depot that looks like the one that once stood in Litchfield is being restored with the help of money raised through an "adopt a (railroad) tie" project.

What seems to be lacking at this point is a core group of people, respected in the community with connections, dedication and a passion for railroad history and its preservation, to carry the project forward. It should have a cross-section of representatives from the potential user groups, as well as the city and rail authority.

It will take time, but I think it can be accomplished. Towns with a lot fewer resources than Hutchinson have accomplished greater things. I always Currie, Minn. as an example of what can be done. That little town has perhaps the best example of a railroad preservation effort in the state. It all started 20-25 years ago with two high school girls looking for a 4-H project and deciding to clean up the area around the town's decaying Chicago & North Western depot.

Today, the End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum includes about 10 buildings — the beautifully restored depot (with a model railroad showing Currie in 1900), the original hand-operated turntable, a replica two-stall engine house with a steam engine inside and a small diesel engine and caboose outside, a replica water tower (Hutchinson's GN depot had one nearby at one time), a replica coal bunker that doubles as a screened-in picnic shelter, a restored railroad section foreman's house, a general store, rural school house, rural church and a miniature rail town scene. All the buildings are furnished with period furniture and other items. A second steam engine stands in front of the depot. You get a guided tour of everything on weekends, Memorial Day to Labor Day, for only $3. A few years ago, they build a new visitor center/gift shop/meeting room/restroom building. This all by a town of 300 people! Totally amazing. Visit www.endoline.com to see what Currie has done.

You can see more pictures of the Hutchinson depot at the Luce Line club's Web site: www.luceline.tripod.com/main.html

Come on Hutchinson! Get on board a depot restoration effort!