SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Business owners on the city’s southeast side are seeing history give way to the future. A historic rail line is in the process of being removed. In its place will be one of the largest recreational projects the area has seen in years.
“I’m a big fan of the tracks. It’s a great feel to a historic presence. I know there was a lot of value to those in the years past,” says Derek Shimeall, Co-Owner of 4 By 4 Brewing Company.
Shimeall’s business is located less than a block away from an old BNSF Railway line passing through the Galloway neighborhood. The route has been in place since the late 1800s. In recent decades, the tracks were used to deliver coal loads to the James River Power Station near Lake Springfield. However, the line was rendered useless after City Utilities of Springfield closed the plant, and it has been years since residents have heard the sound of a passing train.
The line has sat unused since then. But, work to transform the corridor is finally starting. In recent weeks, scrapping crews have been busy removing the rail to make way for a greenway.