Resureccting an age old thread because my interweb search has brought up nearly zero info.....this thread being the most info found. I grew up in Medora. My Father grew up in Kemper. In another thread a fellow suggested I contact the CB&Q histirical society which I did. They are not meeting until the 26th of this month and according to the email I will likely have to pay to get info and/or pics if they are available.
Really hoping to find any pics of trains running through Medora and Kemper. Thanks in advance.
I remember this CB&Q Railroad Line, St. Louis to Beardstown, IL go by daily during the 1940s and 50s.
Passenger service ended on this line in 1961. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the exact date. Does anyone happen to have that date?
For those interested in the history, the line was built in 1870 by the St. Louis, Rock Island & Chicago Railroad. In 1877, the Burlington leased the line. In 1882, the name was changed to the Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis Railroad. The Q absorbed the line around the turn of the century.
The right-of-way is still quite visible in many areas, especially along Ill. Rte. 267 south of Greenfield.
During the 1940s & 50s I saw the trains on the CB&Q Line from St. Louis to go through my fater's farm daily on the way to Beardstown. Also as I recall this Line went parrellel to IL. route 111 part of the way to Beardstown, IL
I think the old CB&Q Railroad Line did parellel IL route 111 par ot the way from St. Louis to Beardstown, IL. when I was a young person in the 1940s & 50s I saw the trains on this line gothrough my father's farm daily.
Thanks for the Automatic Mail.
Going west, was the CB&Q & Alton routing west competitive in the St. Louis to Kansas City lane?
The General Pershing Zephyr comes to mind.
K9SE Brock I found your post after doing a Google search on the E. St. Louis - Beardstown sub. My wife grew up south east of Medora in the 60's and early 70's. Unfortunately she doesn't remember much of the trains. I am currently modeling the Medora area in N-scale. I always interesting in finding people who are knowledgable of the area. Jim Gurnee, IL
Brock
I found your post after doing a Google search on the E. St. Louis - Beardstown sub. My wife grew up south east of Medora in the 60's and early 70's. Unfortunately she doesn't remember much of the trains.
I am currently modeling the Medora area in N-scale.
I always interesting in finding people who are knowledgable of the area.
Jim
Gurnee, IL
If my memory serves me right, the bridge at Alton was owned by the Missouri & Illinois Bridge & Belt, a most delightful name.
bkpigs,
I don't have a lot of answers at my fingertips. As I recall, the bridge over the Mississippi at Alton was owned by separate entity in which, I believe, the CB&Q had a stake. Check http://www.yesteryeardepot.com/misilbb.htm
The CB&Q did head north over the existing bridge up to Brighton and beyond.
I have a number of historic topo maps and aerial pictures of the CB&Q Beardstown - E. St. Louis subdivision. Interested parties should contact me directly.
k9se"at"comcast.net (replace "at" with @, of course.)
I have really drawn some interest into this thread after I noticed some abandoned rails left in the pavement in West Alton, Mo while delivering some freight there. I then realized it was the reminants of the CB&Q, and what I thought was just another levee on the west side of 67 before the Mississippi bridge was the reminants of the line that crossed the river on the swing bridge (that no longer exists). Does anyone have a semi-detailed map of the rails on the Alton, IL side of the bridge? Also, am I correct in that the CB&Q became rolled into BN? If so, did the CB&Q cross the Wood River Creek on the abandoned ( but still existant) bridge on the North Northwest side of the Olin/Winchester plant and then continue Northish through what is now a rock quarry? Sorry for the such detailed questioning.
On another side note, were there ever rails further upstream the Mississippi River along route 100 than there is presently? Alton has an amazing rail history that I am slowly discovering.
You mentioned page 24 of the link. How do I find this page? isit in the internet or in a book?
Sincerely,
Harold Piggott
e-mail: harold.piggott@yahoo.com
The line abandoned from East Alton to WhiteHall, IL (almost Roodhouse) in 12/79; 45.7 Miles; ICC Finance Docket AB 6 - 75(F)
Concord to Whitehall (27.6 miles) went away in Sept, 1982 ( ICC Docket AB 6 (127)) where it joined the Beardstown Sub. at Concord.
BNSF still has a milepost equation at Concord, IL because of that set of abandonments (MP 0.09 Southward = MP 102.09 Northward, all mileposts increase southward, Bushnell to Paducah, KY)
As I recall this Line was closed in1980 and there are areas south of Medora, that show where the tracks were.
Have received some of the e-mails I sent?
Harold W. piggott
My e-mail address is: harold.piggott@yahoo.com
I knew most of the peoplr in the Medora area. what was your wife's madian name?
To Brock,
Let me know your e-mail so we can carry on outside of the forum.
mailto: k9se@comcast.net
I knew most ot people aroud the Medora area. what was yourwife's madin name?
During the 1940s i lived on my father"s farm south of Medora, IL and watched the trains on the CB&Q Railroad go by his farm daily, from St. Louis to Beardstown, IL.As I recall the tracks on this Line were taken up in the early 1980s. I enjoy Railroad History, especially about this Line.
Harold W. Piggott
To Gabe: In the 1940s I watched the trains on the CB&Q Railroad Line from St. Louis, to East St. Louis, East Alton, Brighton, Medora, Greenfield, White Hall and on to Beardstown, IL that went by my fathers farm daily south of Medora. I enjoy Railroad History, especially about this Line.
Glen Carbon, IL.
When I started this e-mail I made mistake. I meant CB&Q Railroad, not CQ&Q.
aricat Were the trains military mains taking Army recruits to basic trainning at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri ?
Were the trains military mains taking Army recruits to basic trainning at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri ?
When I was drafted into the U.S. Army in July 1960, our group from Pinckneyville, Illinois, and surrounding towns were ticketed on an Illinois Central passenger train at DuQuoin for the journey to the Saint Louis, Missouri Recruiting Main Station for processing.
From Saint Louis to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training, we were taken on a Greyhound Bus. I don't know if any military trains were still in use at Fort Leonard Wood back then.
I have a Pentrex DVD entitled, "Classic Saint Louis Railroading" which covers the late 1940's through the 1970's. Railroads that entered Saint Louis as they appear in the video were the Alton & Southern; Chicago & Eastern Illinois; Chicago & North Western; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Cotton Belt; Southern Pacific; Frisco; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Illinois Central; Louisville & Nashville; Manufacturer's Railway; Missouri-Kansas-Texas; Missouri Pacific; New York Central; Norfolk & Western; Wabash; Nickel Plate; Penn Central; Pennsylvania; Terminal Railroad Association; and early Amtrak.
I am interested in the CB&Q Railroad Line, that went from St. Louis to East St. Louis, East Alton, Brighton, Medora, Greenfield, White Hall and on to Beardstown, IL. In answer to your questions, the Line was abamdoned in 1980 . The last passenger train went through Medora in 1961. I emailed BNSF and as I recall I think it was Steve Fosberg who answered, he said the CB&Q used the the NYC or Union Pacific Tracks there at Toland, I think he called it Train Crossing. I enjoy histoey about this CB&Q Line, inthe 1940s I watched the trains on this Line go by my farm daily just south of Medora, IL.
Harold
Glen Carbon, IL
The 1910 Official Guide shows the CB&Q running passenger service between St. Louis and St. Paul over its own route and in conjunction with the Rock Island through Burlington, IA. Between St. Louis and Rock Island via CB&Q, there was the option of through Galesburg, IL and also Monmouth, IL.
The Zephyr Rocket streamliner was an up grade of conventional equipment service. The Zephyr Rocket entered service just prior to WWII. In the 1960's, it was heavy with mail and express cars. This service was discontinued when mail contracts were dropped.
Rock Island trackage from Burlington, IA to Cedar Rapids, IA was abandon when the Rock Island went bankrupt in the early 1980's.
Concerning freight today, does any St. Louis to Galesburg go via West Quincy, MO?
As Aricat says above, the Rock Island handled the trains beywond Burlington. I Have a passenger timetable - May/Oct. 1962 - that shows the Zephyr-Rocket still in sevice, but local service is only from St.Louis up to W.Quincy station.
Freight service only thru E. Alton, IL, but the station list goes from St. Louis to Rock Island.
The line from Old Monroe to Mexico is freight only (now ripped up I believe); strangely the trackage rights from Mexico to K.C. via the Alton are still shown.
Art
MP 173 brought up Twin Cities St Louis trains. There was the all Burlington routing through Galesburg and Savanna Illinois which he explained. I have heard that Burlington may have run passenger extras between The Twin Cities Savanna and Galesburg and maybe points south like St Louis up through the early sixties; but was usually freight only.Were the trains military mains taking Army recruits to basic trainning at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri ? Burlington did operate a bus service between the Quad Cities and Savanna to connect to both the Empire Builder and the Afternoon Zephyr westbound and the Morning Zephyr eastbound, operated by Scenic Stage Lines.
The Burlington and The Rock Island did operate a joint service between St Louis and Minneapolis. The Burlington operated the train between St Louis and Burlington Iowa via Hannibal Missouri.then Rock Island would operate the train from Burlington Iowa to the Twin Cities via Cedar Rapids and Waterloo Iowa. Train was an overnight operation and in the 1960's operated with one coach and one sleeper until 1962 when the sleeper came off. The train at one time was called the Zephyr Rocket.
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