Gabe:That is quite a routing...do they call the coal train the zig zag?
ed
Actually despite the zig-zag nature of the new route it is easier to traverse than the old routing via Edwardsville. We always just called it "The Coal Train" when I was growing up- the CNW would run it down into Edwardsville to the point in town where the NKP began paralleling the CNW- there were two crossover interchanges built between the two, and upon entering from the north the train would crossover to the NKP on the north track. After pulling through onto the NKP main, the power would cut off and exit back to the CNW via the south connector track. After running the power back around to the north track and back onto the NKP- the train would then get it's track warrants from the NS dispatcher and crawl out of town- fouling up traffic on Troy Road (usually right in the middle of the morning rush hour! Just like Gabe recalled earlier.) When the train returned from Coffeen it did the same dance- enter E'ville on the NKP and pull down to the south connector (in mid afternoon- right around the time I was on my paper route past the tracks), the crew would run the power around the train and call to get their warrants from the CNW dispatcher. At first the train would just pull out via the north connector and leave town- but after a bout of complaints due to the fact that the train crawling out of town at 15 mph that really hogtied traffic- the train would then back it's entire consist through the south connector and partially down the hill at Leclaire siding before throttling up and heading north again (the sound of this specatcle was incredible on summer nights). I would call that more of a zig-zag!
In 1996 the UP completed the Decamp connector track and the NS built a storage siding there to park the train (on the old route they just left it on the NKP main in Edwardsville over the weekend sans power- or White siding if the wayfreight needed to run) which got the trains out of Edwardsville. If you're interested in seeing shots of the coal train I have some posted in my old photos set on my Flickr album- since the trains arrival was so predictable it was easy to photograph it (unlike the CNW's BUMAA/MAPRA and the NS wayfreight...)
http://flickr.com/photos/nordique72/sets/72157601381208071/
nordique72 wrote: Actually despite the zig-zag nature of the new route it is easier to traverse than the old routing via Edwardsville. We always just called it "The Coal Train" when I was growing up- the CNW would run it down into Edwardsville to the point in town where the NKP began paralleling the CNW- there were two crossover interchanges built between the two, and upon entering from the north the train would crossover to the NKP on the north track. After pulling through onto the NKP main, the power would cut off and exit back to the CNW via the south connector track. After running the power back around to the north track and back onto the NKP- the train would then get it's track warrants from the NS dispatcher and crawl out of town- fouling up traffic on Troy Road (usually right in the middle of the morning rush hour! Just like Gabe recalled earlier.) When the train returned from Coffeen it did the same dance- enter E'ville on the NKP and pull down to the south connector (in mid afternoon- right around the time I was on my paper route past the tracks), the crew would run the power around the train and call to get their warrants from the CNW dispatcher. At first the train would just pull out via the north connector and leave town- but after a bout of complaints due to the fact that the train crawling out of town at 15 mph that really hogtied traffic- the train would then back it's entire consist through the south connector and partially down the hill at Leclaire siding before throttling up and heading north again (the sound of this specatcle was incredible on summer nights). I would call that more of a zig-zag!In 1996 the UP completed the Decamp connector track and the NS built a storage siding there to park the train (on the old route they just left it on the NKP main in Edwardsville over the weekend sans power- or White siding if the wayfreight needed to run) which got the trains out of Edwardsville. If you're interested in seeing shots of the coal train I have some posted in my old photos set on my Flickr album- since the trains arrival was so predictable it was easy to photograph it (unlike the CNW's BUMAA/MAPRA and the NS wayfreight...)http://flickr.com/photos/nordique72/sets/72157601381208071/
Nordique,
Nice pictures--I really liked the CIM local.
Two things caught my attention. In your post you mentioned NS wayfreight on the old Nickle Platte Line? I didn't know such an animal existed. What was the freight? I know that NS hauled some clay around Sorento, but I always thought that was it. Do you know if NS served any other customers on that line?
One day I was sick of my college classes and decided to take a mental health day by scouting the NS line as far as it would take me--it ended at Cowden. That trip had to be approximately 1994. It didn't look like the line saw activitiy outside of the Sorento clay and "The Coal Train."
Also, you have a 1989 picture of an "ICG Farmersville wayfreight." I assume this was the Farmersville Crown III mine? Or did the ICG still serve the elevators in Farmersville back then. Sadly, I was born about 5 years too late. So much of what I wanted to see was gone about 5 years before I really had the ability to go see it . . .
Gabe
Gabe,
Thanks for the kind words on my photos! The wayfreight was a tri-weekly affair symboled the D39D. It primarily hauled clay from the pits by Sorento down to Edwardsville to Richards Brick- which then also loaded boxcars outbound. Once in a while there was outbound grain loads and inbound fertilizer loads out of Donnellson (there's a shot in my files of the coal train meeting the wayfreight at Donnellson while the wayfrieght is picking up some fertilizer hoppers). Cowden was made the end of track after the line was cut back from Neoga in 1988. Cowden was where the B&O Springfield line once crossed- and there was a large elevator there that used to ship by rail. By 1994 though the last customer on line was at Donnellson. I have a shot at Cowden of the end of track complete with the abandoned interlocking signal next to it.
The ICG Farmersville turn ran down as far as Thomasville (just north of Farmersville)- the grain elevator there got inbound loads of fertilizer and ammonia- and occasionallly loaded outbound grain. I don't know if there was any other work on line at Divernon or Cimic- I think it was just Thomasville. The Crown III mine train was a seperate run that ran to Decatur- I have shots of that train too from 1991 with an IC GP38-2 and GP30- I want to say it ran tri-weekly because it was only a 50 car train set of hoppers.
I know what you mean about being born too late- but I was also lucky enough to have a railfan/railroader father who got me started taking my own pictures when I was 7- I'm 28 now and it's odd to think how much things have changed since I started taking pictures, but I'm glad I got it all on film!
Ex-1602, nee-EMD demo 499
The RDC car that replaced the Meadowlark Chi-Cyprus was also a 'one up' deal. The single RDC-1 was used, sometimes hauling a non-powered standard coach into the early 1960s, then on a truncated run to Danville called 'the Danville Flyer" It was sold to CN #6109 and then to Cuba, where it still runs today.
You can still see a bit of the CA&S right of way on the south side of Momence. The last time I was there a spur off the UP followed the right of way into a small factory. There is a pole line that continues alongside the old ROW and goes off into the distance from there.
John Timm
SSW9389 wrote: When the Thebes bridge was completed by SIMBCO the Cotton Belt was controlled by the Gould Family. Jay Gould's son Edwin was President of the Cotton Belt from 1898-1912 and then Chairman from 1912-1925. After he retired control of the Cotton Belt went to Rock Island for a few short months, then to KCS in October 1925. The KCS sold out to a company called New York Investors, Inc in 1929 and the Espee bought a controlling stock interest in 1930. See Extra 2200 South Issue #79 has a complete C&EI roster of diesels, motor cars and steam locomotives. KCSfan wrote: When the bridge at Thebes was completed in 1905 the Cotton Belt expressed an interest in acquiring the C&EI but couldn't convince the management of its parent SP to go along with that idea. The threat of this prompted the Frisco to gain control of the C&EI which lasted until the Frisco declared bankruptcy in 1913. The C&EI itself went into bankruptcy in 1922 which forced it to sell its line between Lacrosse and Brazil, IN which was the former Chicago & Indiana Coal RR. The Coal Road line ran almost parrallel to the C&EI and connected with it at Goodland near Momence. When divested by the C&EI it became the Chicago Attica & Southern. The CA&S was never profitable but lingered on until it was totally abandoned in 1946. IIRC it was the largest single railroad abandonment in the US up to that time. In the early 1950's I remember seeing the remains of a fairly large round house along the C&EI around Goodland which I believe had been the CA&S engine terminal and shops.I'll add another bit of C&EI trivia. A couple of years ago when looking at an online roster of EJ&E steamers I noticed that several of their Mikados were shown as being "equipped with Miller Train Control for use on the C&EI". I'd never heard of this so I did some searching and found out the Miller system was a form of Automatic Train Stop patented in 1929 that employed lineside inductors and receivers mounted on the engines. The pioneer installation of Miller Train Control was on the C&EI main between Chicago and Danville.Mark
When the Thebes bridge was completed by SIMBCO the Cotton Belt was controlled by the Gould Family. Jay Gould's son Edwin was President of the Cotton Belt from 1898-1912 and then Chairman from 1912-1925. After he retired control of the Cotton Belt went to Rock Island for a few short months, then to KCS in October 1925. The KCS sold out to a company called New York Investors, Inc in 1929 and the Espee bought a controlling stock interest in 1930.
See Extra 2200 South Issue #79 has a complete C&EI roster of diesels, motor cars and steam locomotives.
KCSfan wrote: When the bridge at Thebes was completed in 1905 the Cotton Belt expressed an interest in acquiring the C&EI but couldn't convince the management of its parent SP to go along with that idea. The threat of this prompted the Frisco to gain control of the C&EI which lasted until the Frisco declared bankruptcy in 1913. The C&EI itself went into bankruptcy in 1922 which forced it to sell its line between Lacrosse and Brazil, IN which was the former Chicago & Indiana Coal RR. The Coal Road line ran almost parrallel to the C&EI and connected with it at Goodland near Momence. When divested by the C&EI it became the Chicago Attica & Southern. The CA&S was never profitable but lingered on until it was totally abandoned in 1946. IIRC it was the largest single railroad abandonment in the US up to that time. In the early 1950's I remember seeing the remains of a fairly large round house along the C&EI around Goodland which I believe had been the CA&S engine terminal and shops.I'll add another bit of C&EI trivia. A couple of years ago when looking at an online roster of EJ&E steamers I noticed that several of their Mikados were shown as being "equipped with Miller Train Control for use on the C&EI". I'd never heard of this so I did some searching and found out the Miller system was a form of Automatic Train Stop patented in 1929 that employed lineside inductors and receivers mounted on the engines. The pioneer installation of Miller Train Control was on the C&EI main between Chicago and Danville.Mark
When the bridge at Thebes was completed in 1905 the Cotton Belt expressed an interest in acquiring the C&EI but couldn't convince the management of its parent SP to go along with that idea. The threat of this prompted the Frisco to gain control of the C&EI which lasted until the Frisco declared bankruptcy in 1913. The C&EI itself went into bankruptcy in 1922 which forced it to sell its line between Lacrosse and Brazil, IN which was the former Chicago & Indiana Coal RR. The Coal Road line ran almost parrallel to the C&EI and connected with it at Goodland near Momence. When divested by the C&EI it became the Chicago Attica & Southern. The CA&S was never profitable but lingered on until it was totally abandoned in 1946. IIRC it was the largest single railroad abandonment in the US up to that time. In the early 1950's I remember seeing the remains of a fairly large round house along the C&EI around Goodland which I believe had been the CA&S engine terminal and shops.
I'll add another bit of C&EI trivia. A couple of years ago when looking at an online roster of EJ&E steamers I noticed that several of their Mikados were shown as being "equipped with Miller Train Control for use on the C&EI". I'd never heard of this so I did some searching and found out the Miller system was a form of Automatic Train Stop patented in 1929 that employed lineside inductors and receivers mounted on the engines. The pioneer installation of Miller Train Control was on the C&EI main between Chicago and Danville.
Mark
ndbprr wrote:There is a bridge over I-57 right before I-57 merges with I-94 into CHicago that still has CE&I on it. Since UP took over there is quite a lot of traffic in and out of the yard near Dolton. UP 3985 was here a couple of years ago running on that line and there was no way the fans couldkeep up with it so it is well maintained. The line is double tracked to around Momence for sure. I don't think the line is as busy as it was since UP bought C&NW but it still has fair amount of traffic.
Actually, that bridge has a logo for the C&WI (Chicago & Western Indiana, who once owned the tracks down as far as Dolton Junction in C&EI's direction). I don't think I've ever seen that star-shaped logo used anywhere else.
The C&EI's initials are still visible on the bridge that carries the line over Interstate 294, just east of the large stone quarry.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
The only other places where I saw the CWI star were on company trucks, usually driven by signal maintainers. If my memory is right, the bridge over 159th Street (Route 6) also has the C&EI initials, cast in concrete.
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