This 5-1/4" x 3-1/2" colorized photograph shows the east side of the Valley Union Pacific depot with local passengers boarding the McKeen Motor Car for a trip to Omaha. The luggage car on the end held suitcases, luggage, boxes and mail. A fence encloses a lawn area with trees beside the one-story depot.
The McKeen Motor Car made two trips a day to the city. The car was built in Omaha, in early 1906, at the Union Pacific yards located where the Qwest Center is today. The motor car, invented by William R. McKeen for the U.P., was used to carry passengers. The car ran on gasoline which made it much cheaper than a steam engine. Nicknamed the "knife nose", the cars were maroon enamel over a steel body. The motor car was discontinued in the mid-1930s. The depot was demolished in the 1980s.
