Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Omaha, NE: CB&Q Tower and Depot

Tower: (3D Satellite)
Depot: (3D Satellite)

Thomas Dorman posted six photos with the comment: "Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad tower near 14th Street at Marcy Street, Omaha, Nebraska. (41.25119, -95.93392) 11 May 2017." Unfortunately, there were no comments indicating what it is used for today. The tracks by the tower are UPBNSF has the two tracks furthest away from the tower.


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Amtrak
I can't figure out what such a large tower did when it was built. The yard in front of the former Union Station looks like a UP yard. This CB&Q line would be just a branch because their mainline was down by Plattsmouth, NE. However, if today's Amtrak Zypher is a good example, the passenger trains did make the detour up to the Omaha station. So maybe this tower controlled a bunch of crossovers that allowed CB&Q passenger trains to get next to Union Station. That would explain why Amtrak built an "amshack" across the tracks from Union Station to be next to the BNSF tracks and why Union Station is now a museum.

Update: the tower was not used for Zephyrs to access Union Station. CB&Q had their own station on the opposite side of the tracks.
Jim Arvites posted
Aerial view of the CB&Q depot on the left and Union Station (Union Pacific) on the right at Omaha, Nebraska circa 1947.

Jim Arvites posted
View looking east of the Burlington Depot on right and the old Omaha Union Station on left with an Omaha streetcar crossing over the CB&Q and Union Pacific tracks at Omaha, Nebraska in August 1911.
(Durham Museum)

Beatrice Area Railroad Enthusiasts posted
Burlington Station Omaha, NE 1906.
Mike Bartels
: Remodeled in 1929-30 into the current building. The columns were eventually re-erected on the campus at Lincoln east of Memorial Stadium, although they are now stored awaiting construction of a permanent new site off 11th Street.
 
Michael Emerson Avitt posted
Postcard with a 1908 cancellation. Omaha, NE.

Jamison Nicholls posted
Opened in 1898 for the CB&Q railroad, this historic station served Omaha, Nebraska for 76 years until its closure in 1974, following the construction of the current Amtrak station next door. It sat vacant for years, until local news station KETV-7 bought the building in 2013. By 2015, it was fully renovated into a state-of-the-art broadcast and web media facility.

Steven J. Brown posted
Union Pacific SD40-2 3239 (built 1973, became SD40N 1880) passes the CB&Q depot in Omaha, Nebraska - September 23, 1990.
Stephen Young: Been completely refurbished and is the home of the ABC television affiliate.




Sunday, May 28, 2017

Springfield, IL: Union Stations

(WayMarking3D Satellite south side, 3D Satellite north (track) side)
Jimmy Fiedler posted
First Union station Springfield IL
Rick F Most likely it is along Madison St as the O & M became the B&O's line from Flora to Beardstown in 1893 and would have shared trackage with the IC along Madison.
Kenneth Baker same location as the current union station 5th-6th & madison spfd,il
As with many towns, the Union Station did not serve all of the railroads. The Alton and Wabash had their own depots. This station served the railroads that shared track on Madison Street --- IC, B&O, and CS&StL. The CS&StL was the name on the 1928 RR Atlas and stood for Chicago, Springfield & St. Louis Railway. Its predecessor was Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad.

By 1939 this depot had been replaced by the current depot. Madison Street must have been an industrial area back then. I put a red rectangle around the depot, and I included the Old State Capitol in the lower-left corner for reference. (As an aside, it looks like the Illinois Building was built before 1939. I noticed it in the photo because of its height.)

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
The B&O was a branch of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. It was a B&O route that was abandoned by B&O rather than CSX. I'm using the label "abanBaOSW" to document towns that were on this north/south B&O route in Illinois.

Randy James commented on Jimmy's posting
The Madison Street (north) side of the depot looking eastish.

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This is less of an angle. You can see more of one of the dormers peaking out from behind the shelter roof.


The south side.


The south side in the context of the park.


The east side was the freight and baggage side because it had this scale and large freight door. Unlike most depots, the road and tracks were on the same side of this building.


Update:
George W Lane posted
[The comment called this the Chicago & Alton station because that is what was noted on the back. But the comments correct that.]
George W Lane Building on the left reads St Nicholas Hotel and the water tower reads Capital City Paper Co.
Bill Edrington Springfield Union Station, shown in the photo, was actually the IC and B&O station. The C&A/GM&O station, still used by Amtrak, is at 3rd Street between Washington and Jefferson.
[There are several comments about the plans to move the Amtrak station from 3rd Street to 10th Street. It sounds like the plans will remain wishful thinking.]

Jim Arvites posted
View of a passenger train at the Springfield Union Station in Springfield, Illinois circa 1900. The station was built by the Illinois Central Railroad and opened in 1898. For the next 73 years, until Amtrak, IC trains used the station. Today the building has been restored and is part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Complex.
[The comments include a couple of contemporary photos.]
This is the second "street running" addition I have done today. The first was Amtrak/Monon in Bedford, IN.
Classic Streamliners posted
Illinois Central GP9 No. 9190, two coaches wait to be added to Train 22, The Green Diamond at Springfield, Illinois on May 5, 1966. Photo by Roger Puta.
[I did not realize they had to restore the clock tower.]
Steven Kent posted
Springfield, IL
One of several images posted by Dave Durham concerning the B&O RoW
Rick F The CSX railroad ended up with this property along Watch Ave due to it owning the B&O railroad which orginally had this property. The B&O also had control for a while of the Chicago and Alton Railroad, which became part of the GM&O, and used the yard and shops at what is Ridgely yard till they no longer serviced the Springfield area. I am not sure when these tracks were built along Watch Ave but they seemed to always be in B&O control. They use to have an interchange with the C&IM where they crossed and then a Y where they joined in with the GM&O tracks.Bill Edrington The line paralleling Watch Avenue belonged to the Cincinnati, Indianapolis & Western Railroad, which became part of the B&O in 1927. It connected the Chicago & Alton main line with the C&A’s former St. Louis, Peoria & Northern (“P&N”) line. This was part of the route by which the CI&W/B&O line coming in from Indianapolis, Tuscola and Decatur connected to the C&A main. Christopher Kunz’s map (above) shows this clearly. I wouldn’t have guessed that CSX still owned any real property in the Springfield area, but the sign certainly indicates that they do.Christopher Kunz Sr. I use to play baseball on some diamonds off of 11th St and Black Ave and CSX has been trying to sell that land for 25 years

Christopher Kunz Sr. commented on Dave's posting
My brother found this map
Lots of information in the comments about the staffed towers that were in Springfield. (More information than I can hope to understand.)

Paul Jarvert shared
On a sunny day in October, 1950, an IC train makes a station stop at Springfield, IL. Leading the train is E8A 4021, one of four E8A's (numbered 4018-4021) delivered the previous June. Note the old style diamond emblem on the nose. Cliff Downey collection.
Aaron Sims: Didn't know there was street running in Springfield.
Vintage Railroad Photos pre-1975ish: I don't recall the specifics, but there was probably 12-15 blocks of street running in Springfield. Trains would have to leave the mainline and navigate the streets to reach the Springfield station, then they would backtrack to the mainline. When the Green Diamond was inaugurated in 1936 a small station was built along the mainline. However, this station was abandoned after a few years and the GD returned to serving the downtown station.
Will Rasmussen: Train is eastbound. B&O / IC trackage was on north side of depot. Signals in background protect the B&O branch to Beardstown diamond with the GM&O Chicago to St Louis.
Rick Powell: Will, if the train is facing east, that means it would back up to get to the station and then head out, locomotive ahead, when it departed. I seem to remember a shrill whistle, kind of like a toy whistle instead of a train horn, that the crew would sound from the rear car at the grade crossings when the train was backing up.
Will Rasmussen: Correct, IC trains used the wye at Avenue Tower to back in or out of Springfield to continue to Chicago or STL.
Joe Crain: The Union Station depot now serves as the welcoming center for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The tall clock tower that was part of original construction in the 1890s and later removed by the IC was rebuilt in accordance with original blueprints as part of the restoration prior to the museum opening in 2005.

Aurora, IL: Lost/BNSF/BN/CB&Q Depot

The depots were in the downtown area before the tracks were elevated.

Amtrak moved their suburban station to Naperville in 1985, and Metra moved their commuter station to an old CB&Q backshop in 1986. [TrainWeb] The remaining backshops were torn down to make the all important parking lot for commuters. The old station was torn down April 22, 2013. (Part of the roof had caved in during a rain storm!) But once again, Bing's birds-eye view is a time machine and still shows the building.

Birds-Eye View

Bill Molony posted
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy depot at Aurora.
In the birds-eye view, the long platforms along the mainline were gone. We can see the platform covers as long white lines along the tracks in this 1939 aerial. (It is a shame that platform covers are no longer built/maintained. I've seen old photos of the Downers Grove station that showed they used to exist.)

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
Satellite
The foundation is still evident in the satellite image to the right.

Fortunately, not all railfans took pictures of just trains. There are photos by Chuck Zeiler 1, Chuck Zeiler 2Brian LonganonymousCheck Zeiler of an E9A at the platform, and Matthew Kantola of a steam locomotive at a platform.
Marty Bernard posted seven photos with the comment:
Sunset at the old Aurora, Illinois Commuter Station, Dec. 1984
This was the end of the commuter zone for decades. It was downtown, with no parking, and poor access. Everything except for three or four tracks are gone. The railroad from Chicago still splits here to go to Savanna and Galesburg.
The commuter facility was moved in the mid-1980 to a large location north and east but still within the city.
Aurora is now the second most populous city in Illinois.
Roger Puta took these seven photos in December 1984. They are presented in the order he took them.
The depot/office building in the first photo was torn down in April 2013. I was in the upstairs CB&Q offices a couple of times but did not pay attention to what was happening there.
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Similar view by Chuck Zeiler

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Railroad Glory Days posted
Thomas Whitt shared
David Zachmeyer: I lived in Burlington at the time. There was passenger train through Burlington every hour, one direction or the other.

I tried using a link instead of a copy of this photo, but the map option is broke, the "Fallen Flags" has just locos and cars, the search "aurora depot" found nothing, the date didn't even go back to 1999, and "Location" is all of USA.
Tom Casady posted
Eerie photo of the old Aurora depot and yard area with the tracks removed, but the platform overhangs remaining.
Photo by Steve Junas in 1999


Robert Daly posted five photos with the comment:
CB&Q station, Aurora, 1969-1987. The station closed Dec 7 1986 when the "Aurora Transportation Center" opened on the former shops site. Q stations were not known for architectural beauty but they had an air of solidity and functionality.CB&Q station, Aurora, 1969-1987. The station closed Dec 7 1986 when the "Aurora Transportation Center" opened on the former shops site. Q stations were not known for architectural beauty but they had an air of solidity and functionality.
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Similar view by Chuck Zeiler

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Don Crimmin posted
CB&Q conductor on No. 17, the California Zephyr, waves a highball at Aurora, IL, and prepares to follow the Pullman porter into the vestibule of Western Pacific dome-sleeper-observation "Silver Planet". May 28, 1969
Michael Hundley The old Aurora station had character with it's sheltered platforms and underground subway to get to the other tracks or to the station. I work about 2 minutes from there and used to eat my lunch a couple of times a week on the platform back in the late 70's until it closed in the 80's. Took many Amtrak trips from there. I sure miss it.

Tom Casady posted
CB&Q Aurora, IL platform back in the day.
Photo by Bill Raia.
Bryan Howell The first cab control cars didn't arrive until 1965 and it was only 6, so there were still trains that ran diesel first into Chicago until the next order of cab cars arrived in the early BN era.
[Closed 1988]

Robert Daly posted
A cold, snowy January 16 1974 at BN's Aurora station.
Bob Haag The platforms were removed many years ago. The station proper was torn down about 2015 or 2016 due to storm damage.

Lance Erickson posted
Went by the former Aurora Station many times on the California Zephyr. Moving the stop to Naperville was just one of the things done so Amtrak could not benefit in any improvements to commuter service that would benefit them. Commuter rail is allowed to grow, while Amtrak service is always under possible discontinuance. This property is still empty and unused.
[Several comments about the merits and demerits of moving the Amtrak stop from Aurora to Naperville.]
Scott Posadzy added two photos as comments to Lance's post:
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RobertPiers
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad streamlined train “Pioneer Zephyr” speeds through Aurora, Illinois on its way to Union Station, Chicago, Illinois, on its “Dawn to Dusk Dash,” May 26, 1934.
[Note the platforms in the right background and the depot to the left of them.]
Why is the overpass staggered on the north side but not on the south side?
Satellite

Kevin Qualkenbush posted four photos with the comment:
Having grown up part of my life in Aurora Illinois I can remember the old old Burlington Northern train station on Broadway. We lived on LaSalle St. which was within walking distance of the station. I always thought it was cool how you used to walk underneath the tracks to get to the platform to wait for your train.  I also remember that in grade school we took the train into Chicago from there. I remember we put on a show for the parents after the trip and I was the train whistle! 
I remember we would catch the train from Aurora to Chicago during the Christmas season and go downtown Chicago to see the Christmas window displays at Carson's and Marshall Fields. 
Unfortunately the station was demolished due to damage it had received and the roof collapse. It was no longer safe and today it's just an empty lot with the tunnel to the platform closed up. 
I included some pictures I found on Google to show what it was like.
Jim Kelling shared
Aurora Illinois (Burlington station, demolished)
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City of Aurora, IL, Government posted
🏛️ THE HISTORY OF AURORA: BURLINGTON ZEPHYR 🏛️
On May 26, 1934, the Burlington Zephyr undertook a record-setting 1,015-mile, dawn-to-dusk run, leaving Denver, Colorado at 5 A.M. and arriving in Chicago 13 hours later for the Century of Progress World's Fair!
With Aurora engineer Jack Ford at the controls, the Zephyr averaged 77.6 miles per hour, while hitting a top speed of 112.5 miles per hour!
After decades of passenger service, the "Pioneer Zephyr" was retired in 1960 and given to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
Photo Credit: Mickey Hanks
Ken Bailey: The drawback of the Zephyr's futeristic design was that the engineer had no crash protection. EMD designers would subsequently raise the winhshied up over the headlights, then slide it back down along the roofline a bit to give the locomotive a "nose". This "bulldog" design would become the public face of diesel locomotives for the next forty years. Interestingly, the Burlington railroad would paint stripes and triangles around and beneath the headlights of its later passenger locomotives to hark back to the original windshield and air vent locations of the original "Zephyr" locomotive design.
Tracy Duran: Love the history of the Zephyr! Jack Ford's son, Merritt Ford, used to sell Christmas trees and Merritt's son, Forest Ford, was my 4th grade teacher at Gates School!
Plus, there was a suspense movie made in 1934 called "The Silver Streak" that featured the Pioneer Zephyr with a suspenseful mystery and the Dawn to Dusk race. Jack Ford was the primary engineer during the movie but was not acting in the movie. It is really neat to see the Pioneer Zephyr in action in this movie.
Here's a fun history video on the train history in Aurora and has a segment on Jack Ford and the Pioneer Zephyr:: https://youtu.be/LEw3dPtKjyA?si=b1Uht2orbOxKr0vN
Michael Riha shared

Marco Plascencia commented on the above post
Former CB&Q station that used to be on Broadway.

Davis Shroomberg shared a link to some Flickr photos after the roof collapsed.