Effingham, Illinois
This westbound freight is due to receive orders at Effingham, Illinois. This line was formerly the Pennsylvania. Image made in February of 1979.
The lead unit, number 6699, is an SDP45, formerly of the Erie Lackawanna—though it is not a true SDP (in that it never held a steam generator). It is another instance of a road, the EL, wanting extended range by way of a larger fuel tank.
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The Former Penn Central in Indiana/Illinois
These two shots were taken in Eastern Illinois or Western Indiana. If we’re in Indiana, this is the former mainline of the New York Central (Big Four) between Indianapolis and St. Louis. If we’re in Illinois, this is the Pennsylvania between the same two cities. Penn Central chose the better line between the PRR and NYC and was able to abandon the other—the switch from one to the other happened at Terre Haute.
In the first photograph, a Conrail freight, probably running eastbound, is seen with GE 6599 on the point. In the second image, Amtrak’s National Limited is moving westward—headed up by F40PH number 265. The National ran between 1971 and 1979. Both images were taken in late May of 1979.
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Amtrak’s National Limited
In this image, Amtrak’s National Limited is running on former Pennsylvania trackage just east of Effingham, Illinois. The massive concrete structure carries the roadbed over Salt Creek. Image taken during the mid- to late-1970s.
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Wabash Valley Railroad Company
This small railroad ran on a former Pennsylvania line between Decatur and Paris, Illinois. It operated between 1977 and 1981.
For these pictures, I followed an eastbound train with two geeps on the point—PNC 1701 and WVRC 4102. I've not yet been able to lock down the provenance of that caboose with baggage compartment.
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IV Chicago—the antithesis of a railroad vacuum
Peoria Rocket and Quad Cities Rocket
I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph both Rock Islands Rockets on September 5th 1976. The trains were traveling eastbound and photographed from Marley Road in New Lenox, Illinois.
By this time both trains had dwindled to two, rather sad, cars. If the trains are on time, it is the Peoria train that is being towed by the brightly painted Bicentennial unit number 652, an E8A. Number 655, also an E8A, is in charge of the Quad Cities train following just a few minutes later.
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Chicago Union Station Action
This image shows Amtrak’s Panama Limited headed into the station. It is the Sears Tower, of course, in the background. This picture was scanned from a medium-format negative taken during the mid- to late-1970s.
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GM&O Commuter Train: “The Plug”
This train ran between Chicago Union Station and Joliet. It ran once each way, each weekday. This image was taken on December 27th 1977.
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CSS&SB
A charismatic line, the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad began in 1901 as the Chicago and Indiana Air Line Railway. In the mid-1970s, one could sense that these old cars, built by Pullman in 1926 (but modified after WWII), would not be around much longer.
With their look, one can easily see why the CSS&SB was known as “the last interurban.” This is a westbound train speeding by Birchim siding between Michigan City and New Carlisle. I would like to thank Norm Carlson for this location information. This picture was taken on December 22nd 1976.
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V Iowa
Illinois Central’s Iowa Division
The first shot here depicts an eastbound local between Alta and Storm Lake, Iowa. The second image shows the same train approaching from the west as it nears the depot in Storm Lake.
The condition of the track illustrates just how dire things became for some railroads during this time period. Two images taken during the summer of 1979.
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Illinois Central’s Sioux Falls Branch
The Illinois Central had several branch lines sprout from its main artery across Iowa. One of these ran between Cherokee, Iowa, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In these two pictures, an eastbound train is crossing a bridge just north of Cherokee. This is where the line crosses over “Old 21 Road” and will soon cross over Mill Creek.
The refrigerated "piggyback" trailers, which made up most of the train, tell us that they're filled with meat from Sioux Falls, probably destined for Chicago. Two images taken July 16th 1977.
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CMStP&P—Twenty-Eighth Subdivision
Here we see a northbound caboose hop on the Milwaukee Road. I’m pretty certain that the first image was made at Juniata, Iowa. [Some maps say “Juanita” and some say “Juniata” as does the Milwaukee Road timetable.] The second image was shot somewhere between there at Storm Lake on July 14th 1977.
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Northbound on the Milwaukee Road, Storm Lake, Iowa
I was not sure of the history of this north/south line (Twenty-Eighth Subdivision), but the track alignment in Storm Lake suggested to me that one railway originally came from the south, and another from the north. I surmised that the two roads became one later through acquisition or merger.
After doing some poking around, it looks to me that the Minneapolis and St. Louis came from the north while the Des Moines Western Railway reached Storm Lake from the south. The Milwaukee Road bought the Des Moines line first, and later the Minneapolis road. In any case, this line is now long gone.
Illinois Central's Iowa Division cuts through Storm Lake from east to west and flies over the Milwaukee where the photograph was taken. Image from August of 1975.
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