Limon Railroad Depot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Limon
Former Rock Island Line and Union Pacific station
The Depot in 2019.
Location	897 First Street Limon, Colorado
Coordinates	39°15′37″N 103°41′14″W / 39.26028°N 103.68722°W / 39.26028; -103.68722
Owned by	Limon Historical Society
Tracks	1
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
History
Opened	1889
Rebuilt	1904, 1910
Services
Preceding station Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Following station Mattison toward Colorado Springs Main Line Bovina toward Chicago Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station River Bend toward Denver Kansas Pacific Railway Hugo toward Kansas City
Limon Railroad Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Colorado Show map of Colorado Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	897 First St., Limon, Colorado
Area	Less than 1 acre (0.4 ha)
Architect	Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific RR
Architectural style	Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements
MPS	Railroads in Colorado, 1858-1948 MPS
NRHP reference No.	03000038
Added to NRHP	February 20, 2003

The Limon Railroad Depot is an old train station in Limon, Colorado. It was a very important stop for two big railroad companies: the Union Pacific and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (also known as the Rock Island Line). Since 2003, this historic building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is part of the Limon Heritage Museum and Railroad Park. It is the only restored Rock Island Line station still standing in Colorado.

History of the Limon Depot

Early Railroads and Town Growth

In 1870, the Kansas Pacific railroad, which is now part of the Union Pacific system, built tracks through the area where Limon is today. At that time, Limon was not yet a town. Trains just passed through without stopping on their way to Denver.

In 1888, the Rock Island Line started building its main track. They set up a camp for their workers near the Union Pacific tracks. The two railroad lines crossed paths right where the Limon Depot now stands. The town was later named Limon after John Limon, who was a supervisor for the railroad construction.

Limon Becomes a Major Junction

The Rock Island Line decided that Denver would be a better end point for their trains. In 1889, they made a deal with Union Pacific. This deal allowed the Rock Island Line to use Union Pacific's tracks to reach Denver. Before this, Rock Island trains went to Colorado Springs and then used another railroad's tracks to get to Denver.

Limon quickly became a very important place where the two railroads met. It was a "junction" where trains like the famous Rocky Mountain Rocket could split. One part of the train would go to Denver, and the other part would go to Colorado Springs.

Changes to the Tracks

In the 1980s, about 70 miles of old Rock Island and Cadillac and Lake City Railway tracks were removed. These tracks ran between Limon and Colorado Springs. Even today, you can still see where the old tracks used to be. In Colorado Springs, a part of the old track path, about 5.8 miles long, has been turned into a walking and biking path called the Rock Island Trail.

Northeast of Colorado Springs, the old tracks followed U.S. Highway 24 very closely. There was also a large trestle bridge over Big Sandy Creek.

Damage and Restoration

In 1990, a strong tornado hit Limon. It destroyed a lot of the town's businesses, about 50 to 75 percent. The Limon Railroad Depot was also damaged by this tornado. After the tornado, one of the first big events to help the town recover was the Weekend Western Festival in June 1992.

Train Services at Limon

Passenger Trains

The Limon Depot was a "union depot." This means it served both the Union Pacific and Rock Island Line passenger trains. Many trains used this station. It was on the main line from Kansas City to Denver for Union Pacific. For the Rock Island Line, it was on the main line from Omaha to Colorado Springs.

Limon was famous for the "Limon Shuffle." This was when the popular Rocky Mountain Rocket train would split into two separate trains at the station.

Freight Trains

Today, Limon is the western end of the Kyle Railroad. This is a regional railroad that uses the old Rock Island Line tracks to Nebraska. The Kyle Railroad started operating in 1982. It often trades train cars with the Union Pacific. The Union Pacific also runs about 12 freight trains each day on its Limon Subdivision line, which used to be the Kansas Pacific main line.

Limon Heritage Museum and Railroad Park

The old Limon Depot is now home to the Limon Heritage Museum and Railroad Park. This is a large museum that teaches visitors about local history. The Railroad Park part of the museum has many cool things to see.

• A Union Pacific caboose (the last car on a freight train).
• A model railroad display that shows what the Limon train yard looked like in the 1940s.
• A 1914 dining car (a train car where people ate meals).

The museum also hosts the annual Limon Railroad Days event every June.

The park also features the Rock Island Snow Plow No. 95580. This is a special plow used to clear snow from single train tracks. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.