Akin Junction, IL: and Abbott, IL: Towers: IC vs. IC

Akin Junction: (Satellite)

Abbott: (Satellite?)

Stephen N. Brannon posted
Has to have been one of the loneliest train order jobs anywhere, especially on third trick in wintertime. Akin Jct. on the I.C. Bluford District, St. Louis Division "Edgewood Cutoff" with a connection to the Eldorado District line was one of those in the middle of nowhere places that could be, well, "spooky" in the nighttime darkness when lashed by wind and rain with lightning flashing.

Bill Irwin: My neighbor was the bridge man for the IC he stated a lot of work was done and started out Akin Junction as he called it.

Dennis Bowsher: I would loved to work there.

Stephen N. Brannon: Dennis Bowsher Then you would have loved working other "in the middle of nowhere not in any town" train order jobs on the I.C. Edgewood Cutoff such as Greendale, Kegley, Delta, and Abbott, especially Abbott out in the hilly, densely wooded, Shawnee National Forest!

I'm going with the black rectangle on the east side of the tracks a little north of Bobtail Road and next to the turnout.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

I noticed the southern leg of the wye is not in the above photo. A topo map confirms that it has been added since the 1930s. It does appear on a 1974 map. It is unusual for railroads to add tracks. This is coal country and there is a modern coal mine, Energy Sugar Camp/Viking, just north of here with a loop track to support unit trains.

1939/39 Ina Quad @ 62,500

Neal McDaniel commented on Stephen's post

Dad started at the Abbott depot in 1945 between tunnels 1 and 2 south of Akin on the cutoff, 2nd shift.

That was isolation! He rented a room from a family at the top of the hill for one year before he could bid out. But he was always proud of it and loved the IC.

Talk about isolation, neither Google Maps nor USGS Maps know about Abbott in Ilinois.