Line(s) Southwest Chief Parking Yes Rebuilt 1996–2001 Phone +1 800-872-7245 | Tracks 2 Station code LAP Opened 1945 Platforms in use 1 | |
 | ||
Location 535 North Owensby Street
La Plata, MO 63549 Address R.R. #1, 535 N Owensby St, La Plata, MO 63549, United States Similar Williams Junction station, Lordsburg, Fort Madison station, Guadalupe, Maricopa station | ||
La Plata is an Amtrak train station in La Plata, Missouri, United States. It was built in 1945 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad as a replacement for an 1887 passenger and freight depot that was in deteriorating condition. Efforts to replace the station were stalled by a lack of construction material during World War II. The 1945 replacement was built in Art Deco style, and was restored between 1996 and 2001 by local preservationists, a model railroad club and a garden club.
Contents
Commentary services
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 Fort Madison. 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.
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 to La Plata on the BNSF line. The Rail Rangers have also released a series of route guidebooks for Midwest passenger railroad lines, under the 'Outside the Rails' moniker. The organization's Rail Rangers program sells these books as a fundraiser through its website, at www