Willow Springs, IL: Lost/Santa Fe Depot

(Satellite, the tracks have been elevated since this 1970s photo.)

Gregory Russell posted
Willow Springs Santa Fe depot. I recall taking picture late 1970s.

Dennis DeBruler: Do you recall where it was in Willow Springs? I see the town stretches between IL-83 and US-45 and that the downtown is on the other side of the river and canal.

Gregory Russell: Dennis, recall just west of willow springs road on north side of river.

Richard Fiedler: Dennis DeBruler just one or two hundred feet west of Willow Springs Rd on the North side of the tracks. I passed it frequently on the way home from work and around 1981 or so one day it was gone like it never was there. It was painted in fading and peeling yellow paint then.

Dennis DeBruler: Richard Fiedler I noticed a wider embankment, https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y3EqBFcVveHEdqZJ6. Although in Gregory's photo it looks like Willow Springs Road was a grade crossing rather than an underpass.

Richard Fiedler: Dennis DeBruler the time frame I went by was 1980-83 and it looks like everything there changed. If I got my directions right its was in the clearing near the trees in the NW quadrant. There was no yard there then either.

Richard Fiedler: Back in the early 80’s it was at grade.

Dennis DeBruler: Richard Fiedler I remember reading an article about the new intermodal yard that BNSF built for UPS. An employee that was interviewed said that they shipped in a lot of rock to elevate the yard so that they did not have to worry about flooding. Now I understand that it was indeed an immense amount of rock.

Mark Bilecki Sr.: Dennis DeBruler on the west side of the tracks south of Willow Springs road.

Ron Rodriguez: There was a Santa Fe employee who lived just south of tracks in early 80’s his name was Bingo I think?

Richard Fiedler shared

Andy Zukowski posted
Santa Fe Chief Diesel Train when at Willow Springs, Illinois. 1940’s
Edward Kwiatkowski shared

Gregory Russell commented on the above post
Willow springs in late 1970s.

Andy Zukowski posted
Santa Fe ALCO PA's passing Depot in Willow Springs, Illinois. 1948

Eilleen Jostes Hulme posted two photos with the comment:

Can anyone help us identify these two photos?   Yesterday at the WS Historical Museum we thought this is the old Santa Fe or Chicago Alton Station.    Who if the fellow at the controls?

Joseph Obrien shared

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Richard Fiedler commented on the post and share
This would be the Santa Fe depot before its 2 forward facing bay windows were boarded over most likely in the 50’s. The levers in the foreground controlled the switches on the mainline there and the model board diagram behind the operators head depicts the track switches controlled from those levers. The Chicago and Alton depot didn’t have a bay nor any track switches at least controlled from within. I’ve attached a photo of the Alton depot.

Bruce Beveridge: Richard Fiedler I agree completely. I was going to suggest checking if the windows matched re the two stations. The Alton did not have a switching system. It was only a depot. As for the man in the photo. He looks like a very young Clarence Black. I know that Clarence retired as the switchman at the Santa Fe Depot in WS when it was closed down. Not quite sure how long he'd been working there but that looks like him.

Eileen Jostes Hulme commented on her post
The guys got it first then Alice put it together between these two photos from our History Book and the name Clarence Black. It's an interesting read.

Eileen Jostes Hulme commented on her post

Eileen Jostes Hulme commented on her post

Michael Studnicka posted
Year unknown.
Joseph Obrien shared

Richard Fiedler posted two photos with the comment: "Santa Fe depot Willow Springs IL. Second photo by David Wilson Sept 1967, first photo unknown date and photographer."

James Brown: The bottom shot (with caboose) was taken by David Wilson in September 1967. The top shot is later. The front of the bay area was covered with the asbestos siding by 1972.

James Brown: There was an open agency in the Willow Springs depot until sometime between Jan-Oct 1965. After the agency was closed, signal maintainers used the depot until about 1981, and the depot was demolished after that.

Richard Fiedler shared

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