[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1521031138405-2b4f57f6-0c2c-6″ include=”18669,18665,18672″][vc_single_image image=”18665″ img_size=”medium” add_caption=”yes” style=”vc_box_border” border_color=”black” css_animation=”fadeIn”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeIn”]A glimpse back into the time when Bethany was a railroad town has been revealed by work underway to clean up the old railroad depot on South 12th Street. The tracks of the old Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad were pulled up in the early 1980s when the company received permission from the federal government to abandon the spur line.
Assistant City Administrator Jake Taylor, bottom left, stands in the old freight dock inside the depot. In recent years, the depot building had been used as a warehouse for supplies for the city’s utility departments. Taylor worked with the electric and gas departments and PeopleService to clean up the interior of the old station.
The ticket window in the old waiting room, where passengers once bought passes for destinations across the county, still looks as if it could be used today. The CB&Q line once provided passenger service on the short line from St. Joseph to Chariton, Iowa, and places in between. Passenger service was discontinued in Bethany in the 1950s.
The old rail station was the site of numerous departure and welcome home celebrations over the years. Hundreds of men left the station for military posts during World War I and World War II. One of the big events that occurred at the rail station was when the community came to say farewell to the Bethany High School band when it left on a trip to the national band contest in Colorado Springs.
Taylor said the city would be working on the renovation of the rail station as a possible location for small meetings or other gatherings. A pest control company recently sprayed the building to reduce termite damage. The structure itself appears to be in good shape for the most part with heavy beam floors and solid walls.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_icon icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-plus-circle” color=”juicy_pink” background_style=”boxed-outline” background_color=”white” size=”lg” align=”center” css_animation=”bounceIn” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fbethanyclipper.com%2Fsubscriptions%2F|title:Sign%20up%20for%20our%20digital%20subscription|target:%20_blank|” css=”.vc_custom_1510933277067{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;border-radius: 2px !important;}”][vc_wp_text]Click the button to subscribe to the digital edition.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_wp_text][vgpc id=”14984″][/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_facebook css_animation=”bounceIn” el_id=”https://www.facebook.com/republicanclipper” css=”.vc_custom_1502307671695{border-radius: 1px !important;}”][vc_tweetmeme type=”follow” follow_user=”bethanyclipper” show_followers_count=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1502307611134{border-radius: 1px !important;}”][vc_googleplus type=”small” css_animation=”bounceIn” el_id=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/” css=”.vc_custom_1502307536798{border-radius: 1px !important;}”][vc_pinterest el_id=”https://www.pinterest.com/bethanyrepublic/pins/” css=”.vc_custom_1502307747259{border-radius: 1px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_wp_text]
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