"Welcome to First Street's Page

First Street is the connecting route from Deport Street to the Lafayette Locomotive Shop. It has some minor businesses such as a barber shop and a Railroad Hotel for train crews that are away from there domiciles. A small U.S. Post Office is also on hand.

First Street crosses the Eastbound and Westbound main lines and the North Fork of the Terminal Wye track. The North Tower which controls access to the terminal requires access to First Street. That work is forthcoming.

	The "Wye" Pronounced like letter "Y", the wye track arrangement is used to reverse the direction of trains and locomotives. In many instances wyes have replaced turn tables at large railroad facilities. While the "Wye" does use a lot of land, the interior of the "wye" is available for other uses such as buildings or fuel oil storage. The center of this "Wye" happens to be the location of "NT" Tower. To the tower's left is the Eastbound and Westbound mainlines and to the right is the North leg of the wye. Behind the tower is the West Leg of the "Wye" which leads to a stub end side and a crossover to the Eastbound Mainline. Just East of the Tower, you can see the First street grade crossing undergoing track maintenance. First street is rather short starting at Depot Street and ending at the Lafayette Locomotive Service facility, just visible beyond the end of the grade crossing. Return to top of page
	The North Side Guardian - "NT" Tower The North Tower Sits inside the wye track arrangement. Centrally located, the tower provides switching services for both mainlines, the entrances to the village service track via the westbound mainline, and the passenger terminal at Brian Brook via the Eastbound mainline. Eastbound passenger trains can enter the Eastbound Mainline via the West Leg (behind "NT" Tower) and cross over track from the siding. Westbound passenger trains can take the North Leg of the "Wye" onto the Eastbound Mainline and then cross over onto the Westbound Mainline. Return to top of page
Eric Bjork Collection	The Village Post Office This old country post office once served a smaller community. Through the years, the railroad and the community businesses have grown. With the changes, many residents had relocated to the village interior. Taking it's place was the buildup of businesses on Depot Street and the ever growing railroad business needs. Return to top of page
Eric Bjork Collection	The Village Barber Shop This old barber shop was a staple of the community. Whether you needed a haircut or not, many of its customers simply stopped by to chat with friends or challenge the current reigning "Checkers Champion". Return to top of page
Eric Bjork Collection	The Trailblazer Hotel The Trailblazer Hotel goes back for generations and has survived both good and bad times. With the growth of the railroad and the associated noises that come about from it, most of the traveling public have decided to try other hotels. On the "Up Side", with the railroad growth, it needed someplace whereby train crews can rest while away from their domiciles. This helped as the hotel to stayed open for railroad employees, as well as railfans. It turns out to be a "happy situation" for all concerned. Return to top of page
	The Corner of First and Depot This view of the First and Depot streets helps to give the visitor some perspective on where the streets intersect. In addition to the those businesses list on both of the streets, there are additional business to be seen. There is a small factory which is served by West Industrial Street (Located behind the Fire station> and a new "Mom and Pop" gas station and convenience store located on the corner. They should be open for business after the gasoline pumps arrive. Return to top of page

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