The Delmar Loop MetroLink stop is adjacent to the rear
of the former Wabash Railroad Delmar Station, which once handled a
substantial amount of that railroad's St. Louis passenger traffic.
Light rail runs underneath the old structure, as did the trains of long
ago.
The visiting railfan wonders what must it have been like here, once
upon a time. Old schedules are at first more than a little confusing
to one not familiar with the area's rail history. Outbound Wabash trains
for western destinations such as Omaha and Kansas City stopped here, but
also so did trains heading to the east for places such as Chicago and Detroit.
Some further research shows that the line used
Merchants Bridge, north of downtown, to cross the Mississippi, and trains from
eastern destinations executed a fairly long U-shaped route to reach the stub-ended
Union Station downtown.
|
