The lookout point is now enclosed and heated and features large windows and seating for year 'round viewing of trains along the BNSF mainline below. Photos courtesy of Chris Guenzler and Carl Morrison.
Note: The information on this page is from 2008 and may no longer be accurate. The photos and text on this page is for historical archive information only.
"Maw" and "Paw" restrooms are conveniently located right next to the train watching lookout. There is also an outdoor BBQ for picnics while watching trains during warmer weather. Except during the winter months, guests at the Depot Inn & Suites may borrow golf carts to drive themselves along Wabash Way, which is on the old Wabash railroad line, to the Chris Guenzler Millionth Mile Lookout Point.
On Monday morning, March 26, 2007, a large rectangular gazebo type structure was set on a bed of rocks perched high above the two BNSF mainlines through the City of La Plata, Missouri. This new structure provides an ideal place to watch more than 70 freight trains that travel along the rails below each day.
The above may be the first photos of a train ever taken from the Train Watching Lookout. They were taken on Tuesday, March 28, 2007, at about 7 AM.