Silvis, IL: (Actually, Carbon Cliff, IL:) Rock Island Railyard

(Satellite)

Merle Althafer -> Real Abandoned Rails
Also posted by William L. Brushaber
Greg Benco Only 3 buildings left here, plus that short water tank.
Tom Lemkau also posted, "Photography by Phil Hutchison, Mov. 6, 1952"
Michael Maitland Believe there was also a large hump yard to the top right of the photo.
Tom Lemkau Correct towards carbon cliff
Brandon Holland The entire hump yard is gone. Most of the buildings ( in the black and white pic ) except for the roundhouse are still there and used by NRE and they rebuild locos. Most of the rock island yard tracks in the right of the photo were ripped up in the early 80's. In recent years the Iowa interstate has put in new tracks in the same location.
Terry Predmore also posted
Dennis Ryan Sr. posted
Rock Island round house and yard at Silvis, Il in the 1940s Dennis Ryan Col.
Ian Rock posted
Silvis, circa 1940s     Photographer unknown.

B.K. Bell posted the first photo and then added the remaining three photos in the comments.

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Fortunately it is expensive to remove the pits from the roundhouse stalls, so they tend to remain as rather unique landscar that identifies where the roundhouse was.

Satellite

Berriger

Finding the Sanborn Map was tricky because a search for Silvis came up empty. Searching for Moline allowed me to find the west part of the yard. I still haven't figured out how to find the east part.

Sanborn Map, Moline 1912-1950 Sheet 74, Top Part

Sanborn Map, Moline 1912-1950 Sheet 74, Bottom Part

Martin O'Connor shared

B.K. Bell posted
older photos of Silvis Illinois yard from steam era.

 

B.K. Bell posted
Top center the ice house can be seen, left of all the smoke. i remember visiting to get block ice in my youth

Craig Larson posted a couple of satellite views as to what it looks like now as a National Railway Equipment (NRE) facility.

 

Retro Quad Cities posted
Construction begins on the Rock Island Railroad's hump yard in Silvis in 1949. In the background is the 70 year old Carbon Cliff stockyard that demoed to make way for the new yard.

Classic Trains Magazine posted
In 1952, a handsome Rock Island 4-8-4 rides the turntable in Silvis, Ill., in a Charles H. Kerrigan photo. The roundhouse today is gone, but the Silvis shops are still going strong, thanks to the work of a determined group of preservationists. A recent visit left columnist Kevin P. Keefe astounded. This week in the Mileposts blog for Classic Trains:  
https://www.trains.com/ctr/community/mileposts/the-promise-of-silvis/

 

Todd Roberts posted
During the 70's, railfaning Silvis was my 2nd home.

David Sebben posted
A 1919 photo of the Silvis depot and yards.

Jim Arvites posted
Postcard view of the Rock Island Railroad passenger train "Rocky Mountain Limited" steaming past the yards and depot at Silvis, Illinois circa 1910.

Andy Zukowski posted
Rock Island Railroad "Rocky Mountain Limited" Steam Passenger Train in Silvis Yards, Silvis, Illinois. 1913

Jeff McDowell posted
Employee working on the ramp at the Silvis shops

Jeff McDowell posted
Box cars rolling down the hump at the silvis yard.
Jack Fuller Best-designed hump yard I ever worked at.

William Wozniak posted
Silvis 1980.....another view of the yard....Dave Woz photo.

It is full of "bankrupt blue." The yard is all gone now. IAIS built a smaller yard in the area.

Kyle Graft Was the largest Hump Yard on the Rock Island...

Jack Fuller Looking west from the Trim tower.

William Wozniak posted
Silvis IL June 1980.....The Rock is DEAD. Dave Woz photo.

Joseph Tuch Santucci The Bessemer and Lake Erie acquired a large number of the newer coal hoppers and they operated in their original blue Rock paint into the early 2000's before finally getting repainted. CNW and Milwaukee acquired some of the covered hoppers and others went to car leading companies. I recall seeing many of them wearing RUSX initials for years still in their blue Rock paint.

Chad Cowan Some of those brown 100ton open hoppers made their way to the Paducah and Louisville and are in service today in PAL black.

Jason Jordan shared
Aerial Train Yard - Silvis, IL.

Steve Howard Found on 'Retro Quad Cities' group page.

"An aerial view of the Rock Island yard in Silvis, Illinois. Unknown date and photographer."

Tom Klimczak E8's 652 and 643 are there along with the last E7B on Earth: the 610. Ach!

The source of the photo?

William brown posted three photos with the comment: "From the Retro Quad Facebook Page. Photos of the Rock Island Railroads Silvis, Illinois Jump Yard. No date, but all of this gone."

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Craig Larson posted 8 pictures, a couple are of the control panel inside the control tower.

David Sebben posted
A 1910 view of the Silvis Yards....check out all these caboooses!!
(or is that caboosi?)
Patrick Lenahan Every one with their own assigned crew!
Bill Davis It was their home away from home.

Jeff McDowell posted
A switcher working in the Silvis classification yardJack Fuller Looks like taken from the bridge at the trim end of the yard. YM's 'tower' was accessed from that bridge.William Brown Boxcars and roof walks.Jack Fuller The boys are headed to the shanty for some coffee.

David Sebben posted
The Silvis Shops and yard, 1909.

David Sebben posted
A 1949 aerial view of the Kelly Yards at Silvis.
David Jordan It was southeast of the present-day Rt. 92. The space taken up by the hump yard is clearly visible in Google satellite photos.
Erik Gordon Jonasson So is this view looking north or railroad east ?
B.K. Bell posted
lower half of silvis yard upon completion. looking towards 2/92

JP Langan: The hump is at the top of the photo, bottom is the pull out end of the yard. One can clearly see the retarders and the clear area around each group retarder.

I grew up at Kelly yard my father was a yardmaster there. There used to be a elevated road with a dotting tower on the pull out end. Looks like it hasn't been built as of this photo. Great shot though...

Joseph Obrien shared

William Brown posted
A photo of the Rock Island's Kelly Yard in Silvis, Illinois from the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa photo collection.  This shows the Operating Center for a 1950's Hump Yard.  The far Tower in the Center controlled Master Retarder.  This was controlled by the Tower man's Mark One Eyeball.  The Towers on the right and left controlled the secondary Retarders that controlled speed entering the Bowl Tracks.  Also controlled by the Tower man's Mark One Eyeball.  All of this to avoid a Brakeman riding the cars and using the Hand Brake to control speed.  The CB&Q Outside Braced two bay Open Hopper was one of my first HO cars.

Satellite

Thanks for Jordan's comment or I would have never guessed this brown spot was a hump yard.

David Jordan posted

Here's another photo of Kelly Yard at Silvis. View looks south. It is from the booklet, THIS IS THE ROCK ISLAND (c 1970). It says:

"Kelly yard is a gravity retarder yard, consisting of 50 bowl tracks, plus five makeup departure tracks and a 20-track receiving yard where the trains are put prior to being run over the crest. Approximately 26 through freights are scheduled daily between Silvis and Chicago, and these, coupled with the many locals and transfers, add up to a train in and out of the yard every 30 minutes, all day long.

The retarder yard, built at a cost of $4.5 million, went into operation on Thanksgiving Day, 1949. The Silvis complex sprawls between 17th street East Moline to the Rock river bridge, a distance of 3.6 miles. At its widest point, Kelly yard is 59 tracks wide. It has a capacity of nearly 7,000 cars."

Jack Fuller Best designed yard I've seen. Was designed to fulfill an operating plan that was basically unchanged right up to the end. Solid run-thru trains to Chicago connections were built in tracks 6-10, which extended from the hump to the Rock River. Thus, Chicago cars were humped into a departure track. There were slip switches east of the trim, that could be used if multiple blocks were needed. All eastward trains were humped. Westward, trains came from Chicago and could be yarded in the south side tracks, which also had slips in the middle. Silvis fill was added to the rear, and the slips closed for departure. Westward terminators could enter the Rec yd and not foul the hump, as there were two inbound leads. And, praise the gods, a receiving yard of sufficient width and length - like old Roseville on SP.Duayne Riley This is the best picture that I have seen of the Yard Office, Hump, Retarder Control Tower, Bowl and the Carbon Cliff bridge where the East End Yard Master office was located.

Satellite
David Jordan The long tracks below NREX and shop facilities at far right belong to the Iowa Interstate, which has rebuilt the yard here during the last decade.

David Sebben posted
Another view of Rock Island's Kelly Yard in Silvis, IL
.Sam Sandoval THIS IS THE HUMP IN CARBON CLIFF KELLY YARD WAS FROM THE BOARDER OF EAST MOLINE , SILVIS BORADER TO I - 5 OR JOHN DEERE EXPRESS WAY . GREAT PHOTO :) LOOKING WEST :)

Nathan Sol posted a Paul Strang photo from RailPictures.Net without the link. It shows 18 locomotives in marron, yellow, and white colors. His comment: "All the Rock Island U30Cs in a dead line more than 3 years after the shutdown. And there used to be a yard in the foreground. Silvis, IL. Shot by Paul Strang, July 19, 1983."
Phil McCall A foreman at Silvis said that at the end the Rock Island trustee would only authorize a set amount per locomotive in repairs and parts, and GE parts were expensive (by design, they sold their units at or below cost and made it up on parts, and didn't allow aftermarket manufacturers). But they needed units, so they ran the GEs even when something serious was wrong until they dropped dead. That is why no one wanted them even though they were only around 10 years old and had sat for four of those years.
Jim Merrick Max repair allowed by '79 was $5,000.

Andy Wellman shared
Aerial Train Yard - Silvis, IL.Hawkins Carl the bridge is a walk bridge from the diesel shop to the crew barracks walked it many times...Glenn Lawson Bicentennial unit lower right corner of pic.Jeff Worones My guess is summer of 81. Only RI cars in the yard, BN and UP locos, RI locos sorted by model, and E's are still there (most scrapped by August). (Operations ended March 31, 1980 [rits])

Ian Rock posted
Silvis, circa now-ish    Photographer unknown.

Harold J. Krewer posted
On a Sunday afternoon in February, 1980, I headed west to Silvis, IL to try and catch some of the final weeks of action on the Rock Island. A headlight appeared in the west and a few minutes later this unusual consist arrived from Iowa.
Unusual in that all four units are different models (GP38-2 4355, GP7R 4544, GP40 373 and U28B 268), yet all were in matching ROCK blue-and-white paint! The last two were a real catch, as 373 was the only unrebuilt GP40 to get the blue paint and 268 was one of only two U28Bs (280 was the other).
This photo was taken from the pedestrian overpass that spanned the arrival yard and connected the crew room near the shop with the crew dormitory and the rest of the village of Silvis.
Photo by Harold Krewer

Harold J. Krewer posted
One more very powerful shot from that February 1980 afternoon on the Silvis footbridge: RI 244 leads a train just arrived from Blue Island into Silvis. I had never seen such a large yard so completely empty...really brought home to me that this really WAS going to be the end.
Harold Krewer photo.
Jack Fuller Silvis was such a well-designed yard - built to accomplish a specific program, which it did very well, even in the later years.
Patrick Lenahan So, in specific terms what was its program? Was it primarily to classify traffic gathered up in Chicago for destinations north, south, and west? Or primarily to classify traffic from those directions to Chicago destinations and connections? Or some combination? And then, in a related question, how did Armourdale relate to Silvis' function and vice versa?
Jack Fuller In 1977 Silvis had eastward program that keyed off 02. Cars were humped into bowl 6 thru 11, long tracks that extended all the way to the east end of yard. There were enough IHBs to build a solid 1-block train. The other Chicago i/c trains might be multiple-block trains, the makeup of which was facilitated by crossovers in the middle of the long tracks, that were used by the Trim to fold in blocks. No eastward trains bypassed Silvis - all were humped.

Jack Fuller Westward, many trains filled and reduced at Silvis, using the south side tracks as pictured here. They too had XOs in the middle. Blocks were added or reduced by trim engs, then at departure, the "slips were closed", and train departed. Trains thus handled were 01 {El Paso], 23 [Dallas], 57 [Auto Parts, which usually had no work at Silvis], and 59 [Denver]. Other westward trains like 92 from Peoria, and 97 from S. Chgo, all were humped. Westward trains could enter the south side receiving tracks while north side tracks were humped, as there were two inbound leads from the east.

Jack Fuller Armourdale's purpose, both in the RI days and under SP ownership, was mainly to handle interchange at KC. There were many RRs there, with whom i/c would be received and delivered. Different program there, and a different layout, in part because of being 'surrounded' by other RRs: UP west of Armourdale - KCT east. Only RI track in KCK was the yard itself.

Jack Fuller The average arrival-to-depart time for non-run-thru trains was 16 hours - which had everything to do with having a scheduled railroad. Long before Hunter Harrison took credit, RI ran that way, as best as conditions would allow. Have to do that when only 1 train per day operated between most points.

Jack Fuller My memory fades a bit about the details - it's been 40 years! The men there, and everywhere on the RI, were splendid. Very good Yardmasters there! Like Master Sergeants, they make the RR run!

Jack Fuller Christian Goepel 40 years afterward, it is still painful to see the Silvis bowl, local, and departure yards covered with trees and grass. Easy to still see the outlines on Google Earth. The hump was just east of the 92 overpass. The yard was well-maintained, compared with 'normal' RI - two section gangs there. However, IAIS is making use of the property, so in a way, Silvis still lives. https://railfanatlas.com/?x=-90.388158&y=41.5082404&z=16...

David Sebben shared Shannon Hall's photo.
Pedestrian bridge across the Silvis Yards from 1st Street to the shops.

Brian Bell posted three photos with the comment: "Three over head shots of Rock Island yard. Imagine these aren't new to you all."

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Brian Bell posted two photos with the comment: "Silvis Yard, my childhood playground."
William L. Brushaber It should be noted for newbys, the left picture remained as the receiving yard( looking east). The hump on the right is all new construction, with make-up tracks on both sides of the bowl (view looking west), Put the two together and you have a yard 4 miles long .
Brian Bell Wondered why it looked pristine and empty, any idea of time?
William L. Brushaber Brian Bell '49 or'5

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William Brown posted four photos with the comment: "From the Retro Quad Cities Facebook Page. Shots of the Rock Island's Silvis , Illinois Yard in 1912. Caboose Track, Yard, Depot and Shops."
Tyler Simons What do they do at this yard now?
William Brown Tyler Simons It was torn out. Iowa Interstate has rebuilt 6 or 7 tracks.
Dennis DeBruler National Railway Equipment bought the backshops.
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4...
Dennis DeBruler It appears the former hump yard is, literally, brownland.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.5057828,-90.../data=!3m1!1e3

William Brown posted
From the j Quinn Collection, Rock Island Outside Braced Wooden Caboose 17729 is in the Arrival Yard at Silvis, Illinois. I believe this Caboose is a Boxcar converted to a Caboose during WW2. These were allowed to run inside a State, but not Interstate. This is after the El Reno/Biddle FRA Funded Railcar Program has started. The three Bay open Hopper has been through the shop, but is Bad Ordered. It looks like the outlet gates were damaged by a fire/heater used to thaw frozen Coal. The Equipped 50' Boxcars are also bad ordered, I would guess the Load Dividers are damaged. The Bad Orders were routed to Silvis for a Repair Estimate before being scheduled into the FRA program. The doors are open because the Carmen doing the estimate could not close the doors without a Fork Lift. Probably taken from the Employee Foot Bridge. The John Deere Foundry in East Moline is visible in the distance. No date or photographer noted.
[Of particular interest to me is the gantry crane in the background. Was this the typical crane over the team tracks until the 1960s?]

William Brown posted with the same comment