At first glance it sure looks vintage. In fact, next to the main entrance, on the "porch", you'll see this antique item:
It looks like an old baggage cart. But that's not what it really is. I'm sure it's old- but I don't think it's rail-related at all. I think it's a "prop".
Now look more closely at the building:
(Click on a thumbnail for the full-size image.)
Despite the obvious vintage style seen at first glance, upon closer inspection, it has a poured concrete foundation- circa Last Week. It is made of very modern materials from top to bottom. There's nothing remotely old about it.
Not only that- but remember the image from Space? Well, the additions at the back of the building didn't even show on the satellite image. So the addtions must be really new.
Conclusion? This is no vintage depot. It's quite recent. There is no vintage depot where Depot Road crosses the rail line at all.
Ah, but what about the other location- the intersection down the street, "Rtes. 5 & 10 at Christian Lane" ? Was the former depot moved there?
Nope, no such thing. In the failing light, I checked out this intersection. There is a colonial house in one corner- clearly not a depot. Across the street is a restaurant. This is the only other building at the interescetion, and I didn't even have to get out of the car to see it's made of cinderblock. It's not a depot and it never was.
So what gives?
I think the actual vintage passenger and freight depots are long gone. The "depot" I found standing today where I think the original one once stood was erected very recently. A "fake", if you will. Sure looks like a vintage depot at first glance. Sure would make you say, "Hey, stop the car! Whoa! Stop the car! Turn around!", and you would think you just saw a vintage depot. Upon closer inspection, it clearly isn't a vintage depot.
This would account for folks thinking they had seen the Real McCoy when in fact, they had not. In fact, I betcha this depot-styled, contemporary building will prompt false reports for years to come. I have never seen anything like this, and I'm not really sure how to classify it. But one thing is certain- it's not the old depot, nor is there one in the other spot mentioned on Gary's site.
This leaves us with the following questions:
Was I in the right spot- or does a former Whately, Mass. depot exist in another location? What about on the New Haven line? Or could either one have been moved to someplace nearby? Was it just the recently-built, "depot style", building which caused someone to tell Gary there was a depot in this area- or is it really true- and I've just missed it so far?
One thing that made me think I may have been in the wrong spot is this- in the vintage photo you can see what looks like a house or maybe a hotel on the right. There is no such building where the railroad crosses Depot Road today.
Well, take a look at the spot on a topo map from 1895:
Notice three things of interest from this old map. First, it seems the depot is there. (No freight depot behind it that would have been blocked by the train in the vintage photo however.) Second, notice there is indeed a building across the tracks. This would be the building on the right side of the vintage photo. It's not there today, but its presence on the old map indicates I was in the correct location after all. Then notice the parellel railroad on the left. It's the New Haven branch that I couldn't find. Notice there is NO depot on the New Haven where it crosses Depot Road.
Now, if we look at this scene today from Space, we see why I couldn't find the New Haven:
As it turns out- Interstate 91 was built ON TOP OF the New Haven. It's gone. Obliterated. So....
At this point- I say there's no depot here anymore whatsoever. I say it's gone. I would say the building at right in the vintage photo burned down, I was in the correct spot, the old depot was destroyed a long time ago, and very recently a "depot-like" building was erected on the same spot, promting false reports of an extant depot in the area.
But please do prove me wrong. I would love that.
Any info would be greatly appreciated. I can be e-mailed here ---> 