Cairo, IL: IC (and Big Four?) Roundhouses

Jim Kindred posted
Can anyone confirm the location?

The above turntable was in Louisville, KY. But the comments indicate that there were two in Cairo: "between Commercial and the levee wall at about 17th Street" and " ic' s turntable pit is still there off of sycamore st."

I found remnants of two roundhouses.

Satellite, 17th, IC

Satellite, Sycamore? Actually, Washington
[There is a lot of information in the comments of
this post and its share.]

But I suspect the second (Washington) one was for the Big Four. The IC tracks were on the east (Ohio River) side of town and the Big Four was on the west and south parts of town. The Big Four did curve around and connect with the IC tracks along the river probably because the Union Station was close to the Ohio River.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP, Big Four Roundhouse

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP, IC Roundhouse

David Cantrell posted
Cairo IC Maintenance Yard

Kirk Reynolds posted
Real photo postcard of IC's roundhouse at Cairo, IL.

David Cantrell posted
Cairo, IL, 1913 Flood. Illinois Central Tracks, Lens towards Shawneetown and the railroad bridge.

David Cantrell posted

New York Central Railroad Yard at Cairo, IL, 1937

-- National Archives
Richard Shulby Great shot! At first I thought the upper portion was a normal portion of the Mississippi, but those are all flooded fields. The Ohio is in the foreground. Looking at more recent aerials, only the rectangular building just to the right of the roundhouse (with the lower step in a smaller portion of the roof) is still standing- and it's had several additions made to it. ALL the trackage is gone from that end of town, but the roundhouse footprint still shows. Thanks for the post.

Dave Durham posted eight photos with the comment: "Big4 and IC riverport structures at Cairo, Illinois; 'Transportation in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys', 1929, from Hathitrust."

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