Plano station

Plano
Location 101 West Main Street[1]
Plano, IL 60545
Owned by BNSF Railway
Line(s)
  Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Construction
Parking Yes
Other information
Station code PLO
History
Opened 1913
Traffic
Passengers (2014) 7,193[2] Increase 4.2%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Quincy
Illinois Zephyr
toward Chicago
  Former services  
Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad
Sandwich
toward Denver
Main Line
Bristol
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot
Location 101 W. Main St., Plano, Illinois
Coordinates 41°39′44″N 88°32′18″W / 41.6622°N 88.5382°W / 41.6622; -88.5382Coordinates: 41°39′44″N 88°32′18″W / 41.6622°N 88.5382°W / 41.6622; -88.5382
Area less than one acre
Architect Eidelgeorge Reuter and Company
NRHP Reference # 93001238[1]
Added to NRHP November 12, 1993

Plano, also known as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot is an Amtrak intercity train station in Plano, Illinois, United States. The station was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1993.

Currently, four Amtrak trains stop at Plano per day. These serves are the Illinois Zephyr and the Carl Sandburg. The Illinois zephyr stops in the morning (to Chicago) and in the evening (to Quincy). The Carl Sandburg stops in the morning (to Quincy) and the evening (to Chicago). The Southwest Chief and California Zephyr pass through the station but do not stop. Metra's BNSF Railway Line is slated to be extended to Plano in the near future.

Architecture

The rectangular Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot in Plano is constructed in a combination of Classical Revival and American Craftsman architectural styles.[3]

History

The building currently being used as the Amtrak station in Plano, Illinois was constructed in 1913 by Eidelgeorge Reuter and Company of Aurora, Illinois.[4] Amtrak service began here on April 30, 1972.[5]:251–252

The Plano Amtrak station was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1993 due to its association with Plano's history of rail transportation.[1] The history of the city of Plano is tied to the railroad, the Kendall County city grew around the tracks unlike its neighbors of Yorkville, and Oswego.[4] The Amtrak station at Plano is one of the smallest station houses in the United States.[4]

Trails & Rails and APRHF Rail Rangers program

Between May 18, 2013 and July 19, 2015, volunteer rangers with the National Park Service provided commentary for train passengers between Chicago, Illinois and La Plata, Missouri on Amtrak's Southwest Chief, including through Plano. This Trails & Rails program was a partnership between Amtrak, the National Park Service, Texas A&M University, and the American Passenger Rail Heritage Foundation (APRHF) in La Plata, Missouri. Volunteers were on board for two round-trips per week during the busy summer and winter holiday travel periods. Despite volunteers no longer being on the train, the reference manual used by Trails & Rails volunteers is still available for passengers at Outside The Rails. After the National Park Service ended its partnership with the APRHF in July 2015, the APRHF launched its Rail Rangers program, which continues to provide a similar service on private railroad car excursions across the Midwestern United States, including through Plano on the BNSF line.

In popular culture

The movie, "Witless Protection" was filmed in Plano, using the train station as the Police Headquarters in the movie. The station was also featured in the 2013 Superman movie, "Man of Steel", which was filmed in Plano. The station was used as the Village Hall for Superman's hometown of Smallville, Kansas.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2014, State of Illinois" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot," Property Information Report, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
  4. 1 2 3 "Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot," (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
  5. ↑ Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34705-X. OCLC 61499942.

External links

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