Next Stop, Kelso

[Steve]

The heyday of passenger trains is long gone. But the lovely lady of Kelso is now meticulously restored as the new visitor's center for Mojave National Preserve.
"It is a magical place, like an oasis in the desert," said James Woolsey, chief of resource interpretation and outreach for National Park Service.
Before restoration, Kelso Depot stood crumbling deep in the Eastern Mojave Desert -- a tattered, faded grande dame. But hints of her original beauty were still intact.
On a hot day, with the heat rising around her, she appeared like a mirage in the stark and desolate landscape.
Inside, rat droppings and broken glass littered the floor. But the imagination could still hear the mournful steam whistles of trains like City of Los Angeles and Gold Coast Limited calling to their passengers.
The depot was built in 1924 by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad (later Union Pacific Railway) as a room, board and entertainment facility for its employees. The lunch room served staff members, passengers and the public.
The California mission-style stuccoed building was originally called the "Club House and Restaurant." Its elegant construction, with its arched walkways, was designed to compete with the elaborate Santa Fe Harvey Houses.
Kelso was the perfect spot for a railroading town and depot. It furnished water for the heavy steam engines negotiating the steep grade between Kelso and Cima, but it was also a community meeting place. Church was often held there on Sundays.
Union Pacific Railway closed the depot in 1985. Local citizens, Bureau of Land Management officials and Congressman Jerry Lewis saved it from destruction. Since then, Union Pacific Railway has contributed many items to the exhibits.
Now the baggage room, conductor room and ticket office are restored with artifacts from the early days. Exhibits tell the railroad story. Upstairs, two of the bedrooms show how the railroaders lived when they were there, with jackets hanging on hooks, etc.
Some of the more intriguing exhibits include an audio of Doc Springer's show from the healing waters at Zzyzx. And the booming Kelso dunes, also known as singing dunes, can be heard from hidden speakers when a button is pushed on the display.
Animals tracks on the dunes are also explained.
The depot has been open for three weekends. Last Sunday, visitation reached close to 250 visitors, said Catherine Holden, NPS visitor use assistant.
Many visitors stopped because of the "lunch room" sign outside, she said. Park officials are looking for a concessionaire to run the dining room, but as of right now, there is no food available at the depot.
A piece of the original counter was used as a sample to recreate the lunch room counter.
Chairs are reproductions of the originals. Period awnings and paint matching the original exterior complete the picture.
The restoration was not only meticulous, but lovingly done.
"We did not just what was needed, but what we wanted," Woolsey said.
Visitor Richard Drake may have described it best when he entered the lobby:
"Amazing. What a gem!"