by Chuck Wullenjohn
The Southern Pacific railroad depot located in Yuma, Arizona, originally constructed in 1926, recently burned after sparks from faulty wiring ignited a major blaze. As the area’s central transportation hub for many decades, the depot say tens of thousands of passengers embark or detrain. Many thousands of World War II soldiers passed through the station as they took part in desert training in the area. The most famous of these was General George Patton’s who were preparing for action in North Africa. Local native Americans once lined its platforms selling handmade crafts and souvenirs to tourists.
Amtrak trains stop in front of an adjacent freight facility constructed by Southern Pacific in the mid-1970’s when the station was abandoned. Passengers pass through a subway and wait for the train on a concrete platform between the two track,s though Southern Pacific personnel allow people to wait inside the freight station’s lobby.
The tri-weekly “Sunset” serves Yuma in the wee hours of the morning and is often late. The wood-lined subway and platform currently in use are remainders of the 1926 construction.
Local authorities hope to salvage the historic structure, but plans currently are unclear. In recent years, the depot served as home for the publicly-funded Yuma Art Center.
