What better way to celebrate one’s centennial anniversary than a visit from about 400 of your enthusiastic fans? The Newton Depot turns 100 this year, which just happened to coincide with a lunch stop by the 2012 National Railway Historical Society’s annual convention. The train buffs were making a series of five rail trips from Cedar Rapids, with Newton as one of its stops.

The Rock Island Depot in Newton has seen its fair share of trains through the years. Completed in 1912, at a total cost of $25,000, the depot has been an important community center, sending military men off to the war, and serving as a whistle-stop for President Eisenhower in 1952.

Rock Island rail traffic declined after the war, with the push toward interstate highways and increased truck transportation. The depot closed permanently in 1980.