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Silver Rails Country 2012: The Depot Inn & Suites
  On October 15th, I arrived into La Plata with the Depot Inn & Suites being my hotel for my stay in Silver Rails Country. As soon as I got off Amtrak's Southwest Chief, Larry, the caretaker at the station called the hotel to have one of their employees pick me up from the station. A few minutes later, Jordan arrived with the hotel van and after the short ride back to the hotel, I checked in and was given the key to my room. This hotel uses actual keys for the rooms, and I was booked originally in the Sportsman's Suite but upon arrival had been rebooked in the Pullman Suite! How fitting because I just got off an Amtrak train having rode in a sleeping car named after George Pullman himself that was built by Pullman-Standard!
  This hotel is nothing short of amazing!!! When you walk in, everything is railroad related in every room in this place! The lobby features several tables as well as a couch and 2 TV's along with a pool table. Among the available amenities of this hotel are an ATCS monitor showing train traffic in the area which is also accessible in all the rooms along with webcams over the Chris Guenzler Millionth Mile Lookout Point! The hotel offers a continental breakfast in the morning if you're interested and inside my room was a bottle of wine which was a nice touch!
  One thing I noticed right away once I got here was a lack of cell phone service! I had my iPhone set up to only use Verizon towers and I would come to find out that Verizon has no service in this area, likely due to the fact that the population in this town is less than 1,400. I switched my phone eventually to allow "roaming" and then I was connected to the "Extended 3G" network meaning some other carrier who has an agreement with Verizon (possibly U.S. Cellular in this area) would be picking up the calls.
  As I said before, the room I stayed in was known as the "Pullman Suite" and featured a king-size bed that had a step box to help you climb up into it. The room also featured a Jacuzzi along with a huge flat-panel TV. The room also has a huge leather couch and a desk in the corner perfect for setting up your laptop to catch up on whatever you're working on. The hotel also has free Wi-Fi internet throughout. In addition to the room amenities, the hotel also features an indoor pool decorated with lots of railroad items! The hall to the regular rooms is also decorated with railroad photos, and memorabilia from conductor uniforms to stock certificates!
   This hotel would be my "home base" for the 3 days I would spend in La Plata. If you have any questions about things to do in the area, the hotel's staff is always available! Maria, the hotel's manager told me about so many great places to visit, and I will say thank you, for all that great info! Included here are photos taken of the hotel and its great amenities. One stay here, and you won't want to leave!!!
 
The main entrance to the Depot Inn & Suites.
 
Maintenance-Of-Way equipment on a piece of panel track in front of the main entrance.
 
The "Wabash Cannonball" on display at the Depot Inn's entrance and features advertisements for local businesses in the La Plata area.
 
The back of the hotel features a children's play area as well as some picnic table and bikes available for rental.
 
Now let's take a photo tour inside! This is the main lobby area of the hotel featuring dining tables for the continental breakfast along with
a couple nice leather couches. There is a huge train on display behind the tables with lots of railroad memorabilia on display all over the
room. The lobby also features a great selection of books available if you prefer to relax with a good read!
 
The main lobby also features a pool table as well as a TV broadcasting an ATCS monitor of the BNSF Marceline Sub which is the rail
line that runs through this area, and is also the line Amtrak uses for the Southwest Chief.
 
The ticket booth, a.k.a., the front desk. Also available are brochures covering everything you could possibly experience while in the area!
There is also a "General Store" selling a variety of toiletry items as well as souvenirs.
 
A train display behind the dining tables in the lobby...
 
The hallways to the rooms with "Railroad Street" in the center which is the doorway to the small computer room for guests.
 
The computer room features computer terminals for guests to use along with a copy/fax machine and information on events in the area.
 
Wanna go for a quick swim before a good day of railfanning? The Depot Inn has you covered!!!
 
Along the main hall to the regular rooms are displays filled with lots of railroad memorabilia!
This display features some classic railroad conductor uniforms.
 
Some rule books and timetables from the Santa Fe Railway along with model trains.
 
Some historical railroad photos along with tools of the railroad.
 
Stock Certificates along with more tools of the railroad. There's lots to see in this part of the hotel if your a big fan of the rails!!!
 
Now, let's check out the Pullman Suite!!! The king-size bed in the room features a step box (not shown) to help you climb up into it.
 
The room features a desk in the corner and free wireless internet in all rooms.
 
A 47" flat screen TV with DVD player is also available and movies are available for rent from the front desk!
 
A very comfortable leather couch is also featured in the suite!
 
After a long day of railfanning, relaxing in a jacuzzi sounds like a good way to unwind!
 
The sink is located outside the bathroom along with a small refrigerator and microwave. Those marble countertops are quite nice!
 
  As I said before, I spent 3 nights at this wonderful hotel! The entire staff here did an incredible job with everything! The hotel also features a guest laundry facility and lots of other great amenities. This was also the first boutique hotel I've ever stayed in as the other 3 hotels on this trip were of the national chain variety. This hotel is located in the middle of everything when you're visiting Silver Rails Country. To find out more about this wonderful place and to book a stay of your own, click the link below! And now, let's take a quick visit to TrainParty.com's world headquarters, located right here in La Plata!