Mendota (Amtrak station)

Mendota
The station building
Location	8th Street and 6th Avenue Mendota, IL 61342
Coordinates	41°32′59″N 89°07′02″W / 41.5498°N 89.1171°W / 41.5498; -89.1171Coordinates: 41°32′59″N 89°07′02″W / 41.5498°N 89.1171°W / 41.5498; -89.1171
Owned by	Mendota Museum and Historical Society
Line(s)	Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg   Southwest Chief
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Station code	MDT
History
Opened	February 23, 1888[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	24,019[2]  5.5%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Princeton toward Quincy Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg Plano toward Chicago Princeton toward Los Angeles Southwest Chief Naperville toward Chicago   Former services   Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Arlington toward Denver Main Line Meriden toward Chicago Union Station
Location
Location within Illinois

The Mendota Amtrak station is a train station located at 783 Main Street, Mendota, Illinois.

Mendota Station was originally built on February 23, 1888, by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, as a replacement for the former Union Depot that was built in 1853 and burned down in 1885. It originally contained a hotel, restaurants and waiting rooms for passengers, and rooms for railroad employees. In 1942, much of the station was torn down, with little more than the waiting room and ticket office remaining intact.

Today the building is owned and preserved by the Mendota Museum and Historical Society as the Union Depot Railroad Museum.^[3] The station is a regular stop for the Illinois Zephyr and the Southwest Chief. The California Zephyr also uses these tracks, but does not stop in Mendota.

Gallery

• 

  Looking down the tracks

• 

  Angled view

Trails & Rails program

On certain days of the week, volunteer rangers with the National Park Service provide commentary for train passengers between Chicago, Illinois and La Plata, Missouri on the Southwest Chief. This interpretive program is free of charge for all coach and sleeping car passengers and is presented in the upper level of Amtrak's Sightseer Lounge Car. Volunteers tell passengers about the natural and historical features of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. This program typically takes place during two round-trips per week during the busy summer and winter holiday travel periods. Texas A&M University and the American Passenger Rail Heritage Foundation in La Plata, MO serve as additional local sponsors. More information and a current schedule can be found at the link below: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/trailsandrails/index.htm.

References

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Mendota, IL
• Mendota Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• Union Depot Railroad Museum
• Mendota (MDT)--Great American Stations (Amtrak)