Looking for an Illinois Central map of Southern Illinois - circa 1950 or so.

[mobilman44]

Ahhh Richotrain,

    You are a good man!

[richhotrain]

mobilman44,

I am planning to purchase a book coming out in early December titled "A Railroad Atlas of the United States in 1946, Volume 4: Illinois, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan". 

In the current issue of Classic Trains, there is an advertisement for this book, and the commentary indicates that the book is made up of "painstakingly drawn quadrant maps showing station names, mileposts, interlocking stations, coaling stations, track plans, tunnels, viaducts and bridges".

If this book is all that it is held out to be, perhaps your request can be fufilled.  I will keep you posted.

Rich

[richhotrain]

KCSfan

Like you guys, I too grew up along the IC and lived about a block from the Markham yard roundhouse.

Mark, what a great story!  I loved reading it.  You should get that story published in Classic Trains magazine.

When you mentioned the Markham Yard round house, that prompted me to pull out a book that I own titled, Homewood Through the Years.  As a long time resident of Homewood before moving elsewhere some 12 years ago, I purchased the book from the Homewood Historical Society.  In the book is an aerial photo of a round house at 175th and Ashland.  The round house is huge, essentially a 360 degree structure with a single track (maybe two tracks) entering the turntable in the center of the round house structure.

Is that the Markham round house that you referred to in your post?

Rich

[CAZEPHYR]

CZ, your photos sure brought back fond memories. The one of the 2532 at Neoga was the first time I ever saw a 2500 with two auxiliary water tenders - all the ones I saw never had more than a single auxiliary tender. The photo of the coaling tower at Effingham reminded me of the one aobut mid-way between Markham yard and Champaign just north of Gilman. As a student at the UofI in the early 50's I'd sometimes catch a ride on Friday nights to Gilman with someone driving to Chicago for the weekend. I'd hike down the tracks to the coaling tower in hopes of getting a cab ride back to Champaign. Most all of the firemen were friendly but a lot of the engineers wouldn't let you ride in the cab. Fortunately there was a constant parade of trains so it was just a matter of waiting a while until you found an engineer that would let you ride with him. One night I didn't have any luck at all and finally out of desperation I had to settle for riding on the back of the tender. The fireman told me to keep low so the engineer didn't see me and give him an a-- chewing. Fortunately it was a balmy late spring night and the train was a long drag of empty coal hoppers which never got over 30mph so riding the tender was that bad at all.

Mark

I got to ride many locomotives at Bluford when we would visit in 55 and 56.   The 2500 series as you stated always had an aux tender, but in 1954, it was so dry the IC could not get water at Effingham so the 2500 series used multiple aux tenders.  We did see as many as three behind one of the 2500 locomotives that summer, but two was very common for that period.   The 2600 would bypass the Effingham coaling tower on most south bound trains since their water and coal capacity was much greater.  It was a great time to be a kid and get to see and ride the great locomotives.  

The 2518 was used on the main line for almost a year after the diesels came in early 1957. I don't know how far it ran north, but we got to see it in Effingham several times that spring and summer.   It was the only one that ran north for a period of time after the diesels were delivered.  One night September the 26th in 1957, we were in Effingham visiting my sister in the Hospital when we heard a whistle.  We knew it would be the 2518, but it would be gone out of town before we could get down there.  We got to the station area after visiting hours ended about twenty minutes later and there the 2518 was parked on a siding while the crew was dining at the local cafe.  What a sight to see that night.  We waited until they finished and got the local train out on the main and headed north.   That was a delight and the last time we saw the 2518 until late in October that year, when we visited Paducah.   It was going east that night on a train.  I had been on that locomotive several times at Bluford and it was a favorite of mine.   Seeing it again one last time was a treat that I will never forget.   

[KCSfan]

Like you guys, I too grew up along the IC and lived about a block from the Markham yard roundhouse. The 2600 mountains were my favorite engines and after I was old enough to drive I'd often head south on summer evenings to Richton Park and wait for hotshot MS-1. I'd pace the train south on US 45 through Monee on to Peotone and sometimes as far as Manteno. At 70mph it was a thrilling sight to see and I'd have the car windows down to hear the sound of the engine and the throaty moan of its whistle as it approached the grade crossings.

I was 8 years old In 1940 when I got my first cab visit and I'll never forget it The engine was the 3605, one of five 0-10-0's that had been Gulf & Ship Island oil burners. The IC converted them to coal and brought them north to work Markham yard. The engine was on the ground having gone off the rails on a sharp curve leading into the coal and lumber yard just south of Homewood when I got invited up to the cab while the crew waited for another engine and re-railing equipment. 

CZ, your photos sure brought back fond memories. The one of the 2532 at Neoga was the first time I ever saw a 2500 with two auxiliary water tenders - all the ones I saw never had more than a single auxiliary tender. The photo of the coaling tower at Effingham reminded me of the one aobut mid-way between Markham yard and Champaign just north of Gilman. As a student at the UofI in the early 50's I'd sometimes catch a ride on Friday nights to Gilman with someone driving to Chicago for the weekend. I'd hike down the tracks to the coaling tower in hopes of getting a cab ride back to Champaign. Most all of the firemen were  friendly but a lot of the engineers wouldn't let you ride in the cab. Fortunately there was a constant parade of trains so it was just a matter of waiting a while until you found an engineer that would let you ride with him. One night I didn't have any luck at all and finally out of desperation I had to settle for riding on the back of the tender. The fireman told me to keep low so the engineer didn't see me and give him an a-- chewing. Fortunately it was a balmy late spring night and the train was a long drag of empty coal hoppers which never got over 30mph so riding the tender was that bad at all.

Mark

[CAZEPHYR]

mobilman44

CZ,

 What wonderful pictures!   When I was visiting in Anna during the '50s I had a Brownie, but money for film and developing was just not available.   Gotta say, one of my biggest regrets was not taking pics back then.

Funny how as a kid I looked to the new stuff for excitement, overlooking the old train stuff.   What a shame.

Thanks!

Thanks for the complement and I am glad you enjoyed the pictures.  The IC was probably my favorite railroad since the crews at Blueford always had me up in the cab when the engines were moved from the coaling tower to the ash pits and then we would move the one in front to the turntable and into the house.  For a kid, it was magical to say the least.   Sometimes we would ride to the outbound track in an engine getting ready to leave and bring the next one back up to the roundhouse.   By the way, the old coal tower seems to be still standing if you look at google for Bluford.  There are no tracks to it now but you can spot if from the air and see it from the road in certain spots on google.

There are a lot of wonderful memories of watching trains with my dad and all I had was a small brownie also.   Dad did provide the film so I still have those negatives and pictures to look at even now when he is gone and so is most of the railroad that I watched.

CZ

[mobilman44]

Utley26,

I have similar maps to the ones you referenced, and of course they don't get to specific trackage for areas (i.e. sidings, # of tracks, etc.).    I do have my memories, and maybe that's all I'll have - and that's OK!

Thank you! 

[mobilman44]

CZ,

 What wonderful pictures!   When I was visiting in Anna during the '50s I had a Brownie, but money for film and developing was just not available.   Gotta say, one of my biggest regrets was not taking pics back then.

Funny how as a kid I looked to the new stuff for excitement, overlooking the old train stuff.   What a shame.

Thanks!

[mobilman44]

I was hoping detailed maps would be available, and will look up "Sanborn" and see where that leads me.

 

Thank you ! 

[mobilman44]

Hi!

I've seen the OG for December '59 and while giving a lot of good info, it didn't give specific trackage for the area I'm curious about.   I've got the Official Railway Equipment Registers for May 44 and December 58, and of course they give a lot of info as well, but nothing on trackage.

Thank you!

[Utley26]

Mobilman - does this help?

http://icrrhistorical.org/1971_map6x.JPG

Here's one from 1945 for sale on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Illinois-Central-Railroad-1945-System-Map-/300558145748#ht_500wt_1056

Or maybe this?

http://hawkinsrails.net/mainlines/ic/images/ic_map1967.gif

[CAZEPHYR]

mobilman44

HI!

My favorite childhood railroad memories were centered around the IC racetrack that went through Anna (Jonesboro) Illinois.  I would sit on the porch of Grandmom's house (see my avatar) and listen for the super fast streamliners or the powerful steam locos pulling coal drags.  Wow, from the late '40s thru late '50s, there was no better place to spend summers - IMHO of course.

I've tried to get ahold of "track plans" for the IC in this general area during those glory days but have only gotten general outlines (thanks to my membership in the ICHS).  But, as I haven't asked in a number of years, I was wondering if anyone out there may have come across some, and would be willing to share.

At the time of my visits, there were 4 tracks near my Grandmoms - two mains, one very long passing siding, and an industry siding of sorts.

Any help or leads you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

 

There are some great articles in an old Trains Magazine about the IC in1948 including maps of the system for that year, which is close to the era you are asking for.  I have the magazine but cannot locate it as it is boxed up at this time. It lists the routes and has maps along with motive power for that year.

I was raised near the Main Line of Mid America at Effingham Illinois and spent time watching the IC there and some trips to Bluford.  The photobucket below has my pictures from 1954 to 57 on the IC.

CZ

 

http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy345/Trainsforyou/Fifties%20Steam/?albumview=slideshow

 

[AltonFan]

Weren't there some highly detailed maps made by the government that might contain track layouts?  Would the Sanborn maps be of any use for Mobilman?

[Anonymous]

I have Official Guides for the years 1954, 1952, and 1945 that have system maps of the IC. and of course train times.  These have little detail but do show functioning lines.

The Great Lakes West volume of the Steam Powered Video Railroad Atlas has more detail, 8 miles per inch, but does not indicate double tracks, etc.

Any of these things sound interesting?

Art

[mobilman44]

Wow, this is the only time in my 8 or 9 years of posting on the Trains forum that I didn't get an answer to my question.   Obviously I must be floundering in unchartered waters.

Thanks all for reading it, however - and I know that if you had help to offer, you would.

ENJOY,

Mobilman44

[mobilman44]

HI!

My favorite childhood railroad memories were centered around the IC racetrack that went through Anna (Jonesboro) Illinois.  I would sit on the porch of Grandmom's house (see my avatar) and listen for the super fast streamliners or the powerful steam locos pulling coal drags.  Wow, from the late '40s thru late '50s, there was no better place to spend summers - IMHO of course.

I've tried to get ahold of "track plans" for the IC in this general area during those glory days but have only gotten general outlines (thanks to my membership in the ICHS).  But, as I haven't asked in a number of years, I was wondering if anyone out there may have come across some, and would be willing to share.

At the time of my visits, there were 4 tracks near my Grandmoms - two mains, one very long passing siding, and an industry siding of sorts.

Any help or leads you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!