Creston station is an

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

intercity

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing s ...

Creston, Iowa Creston is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Iowa. The population was 7,536 at the time of the 2020 Census. History Creston was originally settled in 1868 as a survey camp for the Burlington and Missouri Railroad. It was name ...

. The station is served by the Chicago–San Francisco Bay Area ''

California Zephyr The ''California Zephyr'' is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area (at Emeryville), via Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno. At , it is Amtrak's longest daily route, and second-longest overall ...

''. Constructed by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) and opened in 1899, the station is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad-Creston Station. Amtrak moved to the historic station in 2019 from a small station immediately to its east that had been used since 1969. Creston station is also used by the city of Creston as a city hall and community center, known as the Creston Municipal Complex.

History

The station was built by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1899 for $75,000. The

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

architectural firm of

Burnham and Root Burnham and Root was one of Chicago's most famous architectural companies of the nineteenth century. It was established by Daniel Hudson Burnham and John Wellborn Root. During their eighteen years of partnership, Burnham and Root designed and b ...

, who designed many of the CB&Q's stations, designed this station as well. Creston was a division headquarters, therefore all of the railroad's business in southwest Iowa operated from here. It also housed the office of the Master Carpenter, who oversaw all section and bridge work for the division, and the office of the trainmaster, who oversaw the switching and forming of trains in the Creston yards. In addition to the CB&Q mainline, two branch lines originated from here, and another railroad operated from the depot as well. Creston also had various maintenance shops and contained a roundhouse; both have since been demolished or destroyed by a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

. Passenger rail service in the United States heavily declined in the 1960s, and the large Creston station was deemed too expensive to maintain. In 1969, the CB&Q built a small brick and steel depot to the east of the original station. This was later used by

after its creation in 1971. The original station was sold to the city of Creston for $1. The future of the station was seen in limbo, and the mayor of Creston noted in 1970 that the area would be a good site for a parking lot. Local residents launched a "Save the Depot Committee" and gathered 700 letters of support for saving the depot. The building was also listed on the

in 1973. Renovations were completed in December 1978, and the building houses various community rooms on the first floor and city government on the second floor. Amtrak service was restored to the historic station on August 1, 2019. Amtrak signed a 20-year lease with the city of Creston in 2017. Work was performed by Amtrak to make the waiting room

accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

-accessible. The nearby platforms of the 1969-station are still in use to board trains.

References

External links

Creston Amtrak Stations (USA RailGuide – TrainWeb)
{{NRHP in Union County, Iowa Railway stations in the United States opened in 1899 Railway stations in the United States opened in 1969 Creston, Iowa City and town halls in Iowa Transportation buildings and structures in Union County, Iowa Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Amtrak stations in Iowa Former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad stations National Register of Historic Places in Union County, Iowa 1899 establishments in Iowa Railway stations in the United States opened in 2019