Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Stroudsburg, PA: Wilkes Barre & Eastern (WB&E) Shops and Railyard

(Satellite, the railroad has been gone since 1939.)

William Rogers posted
Near Stroudsburg Pennsylvania actually trying to identity the locations.
Tim Stuy: It was located where a junkyard is today. Until about 10 years ago, one of the original building was still standing. Here are the coordinates: 40.978641822983626, -75.20280481222605
Pete Putman: Connected to the NYS&W in Stroudsburg and I think the Susie-Q station is still there. Very little of the WB&E ROW survives to this day.
Don Dorflinger: Pete Putman NYS&W freight house survives, but not in its original location. The building was originally located where the former Shop Rite plaza is today. It was moved to Ann St. and is currently situated on the former location of one of the three Stroudsburg Traction Company car barns sat.
Quite a bit if the WB&E right if way still exists, if you know where to look.
Nathan Hurst: These days it's almost always non-interlaced ladders everywhere. What motivates the use of three-ways and binary tree switches for some parts and ladders elsewhere?
Rolando Maggi shared

Mike Ballburn commented on William's post
Tracks appear to follow today's I-80. Yard was across from Stroudsburg Cemetery.
Tim Stuy: Mike Ballburn The WB&E has been gone since 1939.
Robert Davenport: Mike Ballburn this version of the USGS map confirms the location of the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern station at Stroudsburg. The station was located on the “extension of fifth Street” beyond Storm Street. The current bridge over McMichaels Creek replaced the bridge on this extension. The building that once housed the VFW and now houses a surgical center is shown on the extension. The WB and E station is shown next to that building at the end of the extension.
This map also shows the switch where the WB&E sprang from the New York Susquehanna and Western.
Currently, there are two roads on the south side of route 80 adjacent to Brodhead Creek. The one closest to the creek was Storm Street; the one furthest from the street was the NYS & W.

Tim Stuy commented on William's post
Here is the track layout from 1914.

Richard Shulby commented on Rolando's share
They were located just south of the cemetery, on the south side of I-80 where Alpha Recycling is at 40°58'43.31"N 75°12'10.56"W. Apparently, the engine repair and machine shop building lasted until sometime between 1970 and 1981, and the only early building left according to a brief history is the blacksmith shop- see attached 1912 Sanborn map. The Wilkes Barre & Eastern (WB&E) was apparently a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NYS&W. GREAT PHOTO! Thanks for posting!

And the NYS&W (New York, Susquehanna and Western) became the DL&W (Delaware, Lackawanna & Western).
1942 Delaware Water Gap Quad @ 62,500

Thebes, IL: C&EI Depot

(Satellite, 6th Street was used to get to the depot.)

Andy Zukowski posted
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Station in Thebes, Illinois.

Andy Zukowski posted
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad Depot in Thebes, Illinois (c. 1910)
Richard Fiedler shared

Andy Zukowski posted
Chicago & Eastern Depot in Thebes, Illinois. 1982
Dave Wallace: Nice brick! .. is this original location
Dennis DeBruler: Dave Wallace I don't think you could see the river that is in the background from the original location.
Andy Zukowski posted with a similar comment
Jim Kelling shared

Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post
6th Street goes down near the tracks because that was the location of the depot,
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.216584,-89.4596553,243m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu
 https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/alexander/flight3/0bfz1040.jpg

Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post
The C&EI met the St. Louis Sothwestern Railway (Cotton Belt, SSW) and Missouri Pacific Railroads here. So did the IC because the C&EI shared the riverfront tracks to the south of Thebes. So all four of these railroads had trains that rolled past this depot. (Topo maps do not label shared railroad routes. I used another map to confirm that the track under the Thebes Bridge that goes North to meet the SSW+MP was shared by IC and C&EI.) 1966 Thebes Quad @ 24,000

I'm learning that aerial photos vary a lot even though I think they are taken just a few seconds apart. Note how different the shadow for the approach of the bridge is in this photo.
1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

I got curious as to where C&EI and IC quite sharing the route south of Thebes. The answer is Olive Branch, IL. I had to go back to older topo maps because IC rather quickly abandoned this route. Also note that this map does label the route west of Olive Branch as shared between IC and C&EI.
1934 Thebes Quad @ 62,500

West Des Moines, IA: Rock Island Roundhouses

(Satellite, their land is now part of an industrial area.)

Rock Island had a larger yard east of Des Moines.

Tim Starr posted
Dual roundhouses of the Rock Island at Valley Junction, West Des Moines IA in 1929. (George Niles Collection)

1907/07 Des Moines Quad @ 62,500

1956/59 Des Moines Quad @ 62,500

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Hagerstown, MD: Western Maryland Roundhouse, Pennsy/CVRR & B&O Depots and Feed Mill

Roundhouse: (Satellite)
Pennsy Depot: (Satellite, torn down to build Walnut Towers.)
B&O Depot: (Satellite, Herald-Mail Media reused not just the depot's land, but a small B&O railyard.)
Feed Mill: (Satellite)

CVRR = Cumberland Valley RR

Jamie Adams posted
About four years away from the start of CSXT, Chessie System / C&O #7568 is outside the Western Maryland Railway's Hagerstown roundhouse in May 1982. - Kodachrome slide. No photographer listed on slide mount. Collection of J.L. Adams
Jeff Hammaker: CSX start date November 1, 1980.
Jamie Adams: Yes. CSX Corporation was formed on that date in 1980, but actual operations under the entire CSX 'corporate umbrella' didn't take place until July 1, 1986. Up until that time, all the roads that made up CSX were operated as if each were separate from one another.
 
Rick Shilling posted
Undated Western Maryland Railroad Roundhouse,Turntable, Water and Coaling Tower, Hagerstown, Maryland. Roundhouse was built 1939 and demolished 1999.
 
Terry B. Carlson commented on Rick's post
Rick, here is a 5-27-1989 Google Earth Image.
Location: 39.6410281,-77.7330292

1948 Baltimore Quad @ 250,000

1953 Hagerstown Quad @ 24,000

John Miller posted five images with the comment: "Here is a July 29, 1967 article from the Daily Mail Newspaper regarding the demolition of the Cumberland Valley Railroad train station. Walnut Towers apartments was going to be constructed on that property."
Dave Lep shared
Jim Kelling shared with the comment: ""Hagerstown Maryland (Cumberland Valley/PRR)
1

2
3

4

5

Dennis DeBruler commented on Jim's share
The church in the last image is extant: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZKmj6C7ig95xF4Ep9

 
Ken Norris posted
[Some comments indicate it was on Summit Avenue and the Dagmar Hotel building is extant.]
Jim Kelling shared
B&O station in Hagerstown Maryland (gone)

According to a comment, this is the Dagmar Hotel. And a Google Maps label agrees.
Street View, Aug 2024

The above topo map indicates that the B&O used to have quite a few tracks in the downtown area. I got this aerial photo to check it out.
Nov 19, 1959 @ 60,000; ARB593500500333

Street View, Jul 2024

I caught some of the feed trucks in a 2019 view.
Street View, Oct 2019

Eric M Ziegler posted three photos with the comment: "Lurgan Sub out of Hagerstown MD, servicing the grain elevator, Jan 1997."
Eric also posted these photos with the same comment.
1

2
[I wonder if it is a load of soybean meal.]

3




Marshalltown, IA: Lost/C&NW Depot and UP Turntable & Railyard

Depot: (Satellite, my guess based on the topo map below.)
Turntable: (Satellite)
Railyard: (Satellite, 14 photos, the yard still has most of its tracks.)
 
Mark Llanuza posted
Its 1995 the final year of the CNW were at Marshalltown Iowa station  .Its hard to believe its almost 30 years ago

Mark Llanuza posted
Its 1995 the final year of the CNW were at Marshalltown Iowa station with a highrail truck going by the station. It's hard to believe its almost 30 years ago.
Dave Zisler: That was one of our stops coming out of Des Moines. Drop a train off turn and burn with another load back to Des Moines.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Mark's post
In this 1958 aerial photo, it appears the depot was between Madison Street & the tracks and just west of 3rd Avenue, https://maps.app.goo.gl/HjYVwXNRcjnjumvdA. Also, the diesel locomotive service facility had been built, but the roundhouse was still standing.
[AR1VSM000010148]

And Mark got the other end of the depot.
Mark Llanuza posted
Its Sept 1995 a view of the west end of Marshalltown Iowa station

1960/62 Marshalltown Quad @ 24,000

Street View, Sep 2013

Street View, Sep 2022

It appears that the locomotive service facility does some heavy repairs.
Mundo O, Jan 2017

Mundo O, Jan 2017

I could not find any grain elevators in this Iowa town.

New Athens, IL: Lost/IC Depot

(Satellite)

Andy Zukowski
Illinois Central Railroad Depot in New Athen’s Illinois. Photographed by W.C. Thurman in September, 1966
Richard Fiedler shared
Stephen N. Brannon: Rode past it both ways aboard the St. Louis Section of the City of New Orleans, Nos. 101 and 102 many years ago, but vivid in memory.

Spring Street used to have a bridge over the Kaskaskia River.
1940 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

The depot is not marked on this map.
1954 New Athen West and East Quads @ 24,000

Monday, July 29, 2024

Carlisle, IA: Grain Elevator with Bolted-Steel Bins

(Satellite)

Wesley Peters posted five photos with the comment:
Carlisle, Warren County, IA.
Farmers Elevator Co. Built in 1959, Quad States Construction Co. 150,000-bushel capacity.
Believed to be one of just two surviving examples of a bolted steel bin elevator left in the state (the other one is located just south of Cherokee on Highway 59).
Photographed on 7/28/2024.
Photos courtesy of Wesley Peters.
1

2

3

4

5

I didn't realize bolted steel bins were that rare. I think I've seen at least a handful of elevators in Illinois that have them. But I haven't seen one as big in diameter as the one by the road in this elevator.
Street View, Jun 2024

All three railroad "spokes" were Rock Island. The southern spoke is abandoned and the spokes to the north and east are now owned by UP.