Savanna, IL: Milwaukee Road Railyard and Roundhouse

(Satellite, the yard was the trees between the CPKC mainline and the BNSF/CB&Q yard.)

Satellite

Notes on the depot and 1911 flood

A railroad history of Savanna, IL

You can still see the land scars of some of the roundhouse stalls. According to the 2005 SPV Map, the branch that went south still existed south of Albany, IL and was shared by BNSF and ICE. But according to a satellite map, that is now the Great River Trail. Following the trail south, I see the branch does still exist to an industrial area south of Albany.

William Brown posted
A Postcard of the Milwaukee Road's Savanna, Illinois Roundhouse in the early 1900s.

W. J. Manon Flickr

Gary Sturm posted
Milwaukee Road roundhouse and water tank at Savanna, Illinois in July 1975.

Gary Sturm posted
Milwaukee Road's Savanna, Illinois roundhouse in July 1975.
Tom VanZuiden: How many usable tracks did it have in it last years - two, three, or??
Greg Brinkmeier: Tom VanZuiden 5 inside. 3 work tracks on the left. 2 tracks to the turntable. 2 fuel tracks 3 storage and make up tracks. 1 store department track
Tom Schultz: I hired out in 74 lay offs came and went I know the Savanna boys came East to Bensenville a couple years. Carman were in Ottumwa from Savanna. 80 may be 81.

 

Rick Shilling posted
2 undated photos of Chicago, Milwaukee, St.Paul and Pacific Railroad Roundhouse along Mississippi River in Savannah, Illinois.

 

Cory Drowns posted
Tripping through Savanna, IL. Was once home to a major railroad hub. This was the roundhouse. The land scars are still visible today and you can see the stalls. Most has been covered in concrete and businesses.
Dion Sunderland: Some early RR background on Savanna, IL
https://www.savanna-il.us/history/rail_road.php

Brian West posted
MILW H10-44 # 727 @ SAVANNA IL JUL 1974.

Bacon Keven D posted
Railroad Yards at Savanna, IL 1908

Bacon Keven D posted
The previous map that I posted of the rail yards in Savanna, IL was cropped from this larger map of the west side of the city from 1908.

The 1939 aerial photo that would have had the roundhouse has been lost. The Milwaukee Road had a pretty big classification yard in this town.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Update: I found a US Army Corps of Engineers photo that includes the roundhouse.

1927 Aerial Photo from ILHAP, rotated 180 degrees

  

William Brown posted
From the Savanna Historical Society Collection. A view of Savanna's CB&Q and Milwaukee Road Rail Yards during the 1965. The CB&Q Yard is on the right and dry. The Aurora Sub is slightly flooded. The Milwaukee's Nitrin Line is crossing the CB&Q at the bottom of the picture on five diamonds. This line had one turn five days per week. The boxcars in the bottom right of the picture are on the former Intrchange Tracks between the Milwaukee and CB&Q. These were active before the Aurora Sub was built. This is early in the flood as at it's peak the White Building(Milwaukee Road Depot) was completely surrounded by flood water.
Jeff LewisJeff and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicagoland Railfan. I had no notion of the extent of operations in Savanna before.
William BrownWilliam and 10 others are consistently creating meaningful discussions with their posts. Jeff Lewis In 1960 the Milwaukee Road Yard handled 1M cars.
Jeff LewisJeff and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicagoland Railfan. It looks nearly as large as Bensenville.

Chris Ness posted
Savanna, Il 1965 Flood
Every once-in-a-while I come upon one of my really old pictures. This was taken in April, 1965 during a flood on the Mississippi River about a third of a mile ahead. The tower is the one for the Milwaukee Road classification yard, not the one for the CB&Q crossing closer to the river. The Milwaukee dusted off one of their old steam engines to move the cars out of the yard since the diesel-electric engines don't do well in water.

William Brown posted
At the Milwaukee Road's Savanna, Illinois Roundhouse in the Fall of 1974, is a Milwaukee Road FP7A. The slide says it is 61C which which was built as 91C in May of 1950. It was renumbered to 61C in May 1959 and sold to PNC in April 1975. The building in the right rear of the photo is my Grandfather's Blacksmith Shop. The Water tank made it to very end and was knocked down with the Roundhouse in the 80s.

Gary Sturm posted
The Milwaukee Road roundhouse at Savanna, Illinois in 1975.

Mark Llanuza posted
Its 1984 westbound leaving Savanna IL