Towns and Nature: Yates City, IL: CB&Q Depot & Caboose and Old Grain Elevator

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Yates City, IL: CB&Q Depot & Caboose and Old Grain Elevator

Depot, original: (Satellite)

Depot, current: (Satellite)

Elevator: (Satellite, it is interesting that Google Maps doesn't have a label for this elevator)

Maybe the grain elevator is extra storage for Graves Milling, which is obviously a feed mill.

Of note is that the branch to the south was removed just a year or so ago. I've encountered the southern part of this branch when I studied some abandoned coal mines. Unfortunately, the operative word is "abandoned."

Fred Lewis posted two photos with the comment:

Playing Games With My Memory
When I hired on to the Burlington Northern April 16, 1977 I was 18 years old. We lived in a little farming community called Yates City, Illinois population 850 at the time. The railroad ran a lot of coal through there. Other than getting blocked at a crossing or hearing my dad talk about things that happened on the rails I didn’t know much about it. Dad was the local constable and occasionally would have occasion to talk to the operator there or some of the other workers. There was a signal maintainer, a conductor, one engineer I remember and a couple of operators that lived in town.
There was a park called Harvest Home south of the tracks directly across the mainline from the Yates City depot. I must have passed that depot a hundred times in my youth. Then I probably passed it another hundred on the rails! I have been in it more times than I can count and probably have about as firm a memory as anyone about the place and the people that worked there.
Last year I had occasion to go home. Mind you I have been removed from the area since 1982. Sure I went home occasionally to visit but not south of the tracks. So imagine my surprise when I crossed the tracks for the first time in many years only to find the depot on the south side next to the park! I’m thinking did I imagine this all these years? Have I finally been confronted with a vivid memory that was not true? I was seriously perplexed.
I reluctantly brought up the story to my brother who lives near by. I was definitely fearing he would laugh at me and ridicule my old age. I’m all of three years older than him. He did laugh but not for the reason I thought. He said the village and the railroad moved it across the tracks to preserve it! What a relief. I thought I was losing my fool mind!
https://a.co/d/5pYusJz

John Slover: That's where the agent went home years ago and forgot to set the order board and led to a head on if memory serves me right

Jeffery Hergert: John Slover I recall the train order signal at the time was still a CB&Q lower quadrant semaphore. The signal had been properly set to indicate stop but the position of the sun made it look like the green lens was illuminated.

Jan Smith posted a 1:47 video. This is at 1:23
CB&Q depot in Yates City, Illinois. Its not in its original location. That was acrossed the tracks. The Buda to Rushville later BN/BNSF Yates City sub branched off the Peoria sub nearby. All tracks are now gone from Yates City to Canton. The last use of this part of the line was storeage for Autorack cars around 2002. Tracks from Canton to Farmington was pulled in 2017. Yates City is more recent probably within a year or so. Last train through Canton was 1999. The Coal mines closing as well as the International Harvestor plant doomed the line. The line was built in the 1860's.
Passenger trains ceased about 1961.

I guess the street view drivers were not impressed by this town. None of them got off Main Street. The caboose side of the depot is peaking through.