FEBT Restoration – Saltillo Station

Saltillo was an important place on the EBT. It was at the base of the long grade up Broad Top Mountain, was home to a large tannery, and at various times was a major shipping point for iron ore and ganister rock, and in later years the NARCo spur departed from the mainline in Saltillo. The EBT station was the hub of railroad operations in Saltillo. It housed the station agent and accommodated passengers and freight. The building was used for other purposes for a time after the end of common carrier operations, but by the 1990s it was derelict and by the 2000s in very sad shape. Other than Orbisonia and Robertsdale, Saltillo was the last remaining station on the EBT and the only EBT structure remaining in Saltillo. But the deterioration of the building was so severe that it was deemed unrestorable, as literally every piece in it was rotted.

Documentation

In 2006 a professional survey of the building contracted by FEBT was completed. This detailed survey generated photos, plans and drawings that were entered into the Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record program with the national Park Service.

Artifact Recovery

Prior to the necessary demolition of the structure, an FEBT crew was permitted to enter the building and remove all unique architectural features. These items were placed in storage so that should the station be reconstructed some time in the future, these original unique features could be reincorporated into the building.