Every model railroad needs a depot. If you are modeling the desert Southwest, you’d have a hard time finding a better depot to model than the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad depot at Hardeman Pass, Texas. These free plans of the depot are mostly in 1/8″ = 1 foot scale, which is half size for O gauge. Click on a plan to open up the full size file, then right-click “save as” to download to your computer. Most copy shops can print them full size on an architectural printer.
On February 10, 1900, railroad promoter Arthur E. Stilwell announced his plans to build a railroad from Kansas to Topolobampo, Mexico. This proposed route traveled 1600 miles across Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico and would provide Kansas City with a connection to Pacific Ocean ports 400 miles closer than any other route available.
The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad Company was chartered on April 30, 1900, and track construction soon began. Track was first laid in Texas by 1904 by The Texas subsidiary, the Panrailroad Company of Texas. By 1909 tracks extended from Wichita, Kansas to San Angelo, Texas. The depot at Hardeman Pass was completed in late 1909 and became the headquarters for the Texas subsidiary.
The railroad was plagued with financial problems, and went into receivership in 1912 and 1917. The line was finally purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Sata Fe in 1929, which moved its San Angelo operations to the Hardeman Pass depot.
The depot was shuttered in 1965 with the cessation of passenger trains on the line. In 1989 The A.T.S.F. donated the building to the city of San Angelo so that it could be restored.
These plans are part of the Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park service, drawn by Craig Alan Drone, 1990
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