Monday, October 14, 2024

Cresco, IA: Lost/Milwaukee Depot and Lost Wood Grain Elevator

(Satellite, south of the tracks, which were south of 1st Ave., and halfway between Elm and 2nd Streets.)
West Grain Elevator: (Satellite)
East Grain Elevator: (Satellite)

John Harker posted two images with the comment: "Thomas J Post captured Milw train #601, Marquette - Austin via Calmar, at the Cresco, Iowa freight station in June 1976.  It was being pulled by GP9 328 and an unidentified SD9.  Based on the timetable, the train was a daily except Monday and was scheduled to arrive in Cresco at 11:36 am from Calmar.  It was either running later on this day or it was overcast.  I scanned and edited this image from an original Kodak Ektachrome processed slide in my collection.  Attached for reference is an aerial map showing the location of the freight station."
Tim Schneider: when was this line yanked?
Mark Montague: Tim Schneider Last run November 1983. Pulled up around June-July 1984.
James Ziegler: Wish this line was still there.
Mark Montague: James Ziegler This line had its advocates. Lower ruling grade of 0.9% versus 1.4% for the Austin-Mason City-Calmar routing. It carried approximately 15,000 overhead cars per year plus generated 600 online carloads in the late seventies.
By 1982, the rail was completely worn out. Speed had dropped from 25 mph to 10 mph. The country was in recession. So the Milwaukee II plan was adjusted to drop this segment in favor of rebuilding the shorter Austin-Mason City line.
Years later I read in Railway Age that Soo Line wished this 68 mile segment had been retained.
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There were house tracks behind the depot. Those sidings probably served the grain elevator that we see in the background of the first image.
1981/82 Cresco SE Quad @ 24,000

Mike Cunningham posted two photos with the comment: "Here's a couple of pictures to add to John's pictures and notes on this line. I have a date of 1984 on the back."
Lynn Wood: Is this the Cresco Iowa that a Milw: ukee Road Maintenance of Way worker who found a young American Buffalo wandering on the right of way, no open gates spotted, brought it into the local bar and gave it beer out of his work helmet? Before calling the sheriff to find out whose livestock had been sauntering down the right of way?
Patrick Young: Is this Cresco, Iowa? The locomotive there is looking pretty sad and needs a makeover.
Mike Cunningham: Patrick Young yup..Cresco..looking sad when I drove by in 84. Locomotive brought in for display in the park...
Hugh Jassel: Patrick Young I believe the locomotive.. a boxcar and caboose were either pushed or pulled with a payloader to Cresco. They had to get the train to Cresco quickly because scrapping was already starting on the line.
Mark Montague: Yes. This is the accurate account of getting the 101-A to Cresco. It was non-operational at that time, later restored to running but not much track to move on.
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Grain elevators were built on the east and west sides of town to replace the one we see in the top photo.

Cresco East
[This location stores grain and supplies fertilizer.]

Cresco West
[The part in the foreground is probably their feed mill and the bigger gins in the back would be their grain storage.]

The two wood grain elevators on the west side caught my eye. Unfortunately, according to this satellite image, the tall one is gone. (York Street was built on the Milwaukee RoW.)
Satellite

The street view coverage of this town is very poor, so I fired up Google Earth. The satellite image above was taken in Nov 2023. This previous image does have the wood elevator.
Google Earth, Jul 2020

Schiller Park/Kolze, IL: WC Depot & Roundhouse and CPKC Railyard

Depot: (Satellite, the land is now part of a lumber storage yard.)
Roundhouse: (Satellite, the land is now more container storage.)
Railyard: (Satellite, it is now an intermodal and auto unloading yard.)

I don't normally note the depots of the Chicago suburbs, but this one looks different, and I want to note the name change.

Andy Zukowski posted
Soo Line Railroad Depot in Kolze, Illinois,. 1912
Richard Fiedler shared

This map did not mark the location of the depot, but it did show me where the roundhouse used to be.
1953/55 River Forest Quad @ 24,000

Kolze was a bedroom community even back in the 1930s. That is, it did not have a downtown around its depot.
1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Winchester, IL: Preserved/CB&Q Depot

(Satellite)

Even the platform was preserved.
Street View, Aug 2024

Opie Dyrek posted
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy depot at Winchester, Illinois on April 11, 2023. Thomas Dyrek photo.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Opie's post
This topo map accurately marks the location of the depot, https://maps.app.goo.gl/DDbg8n1pkdedSFH6A. 1983/83 Winchester Quad @ 24,000

This is on the Vermont to East St. Louis route.
1902


Sunday, October 13, 2024

Montreal, WI: Underground Iron Mine and Company Town

(Satellite)

"White framed houses, curved streets and gracious landscaping mark the now named, City of Montreal - the only planned company mining town in Wisconsin." [TravelWisconsin]

Thomas Kangas posted seven photos with the comment: "Montreal Mine late 40’s, early 50’s. Ironwood Daily Globe article."
Andrew Roth shared with the comment: "This iron ore mine was originally on the Soo Line and was a large ore producing mine."
Paul Hillmer: This is cool ! The machine shop is still there in Big Snow Country.
When I was in high school, we went on a Homestead High School ski trip for ski club. Our lodging was The Montreal Motor Lodge. We got there and it was this machine shop. With large rooms and army cots. And I was one of the few that knew it was an old mine building. Hey 1970s, it was what it was.
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Jason DeJoode: Pretty impressive stockpile system.

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mines
"A miner stands in a fire and ventilation door at the Montreal Mine. The Montreal Mine was an underground iron mine in the Gogebic Range near Montreal, Wisconsin. The Mine was in operation by the 1880s with other early mines in the Range, and closed by the late 1960s. It was one of the deepest iron mines in the world. The Mine was operated by the Montreal Mining Company, which was reportedly incorporated around 1894."

This building used to be the mine's medical clinic. The hill is a tailing pile. "The Montreal had produced 45 million tons of iron ore when it shutdown in 1962. Competition from cheaper sources of iron, not the lack of ore, forced the closing." [hmdb]
Street View, Aug 2023

The mine is over 4000' (1.2km) deep. There is a trail with signs describing the many preserved buildings. [MineSpotter]

TheDiggings describes the geology of the mine.

Three photos from mindat.
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Montreal Mine Shaft No. 6

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Loading ore at the Montreal Mine

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Underground at the Montreal Mine

1956/57 Iron Belt and 1955/77 Ironwood Quads @ 24,000

Reading, IL: 1888-1919 Santa Fe Moon Depot

(Satellite)

Thomas Dyrek posted
The Santa Fe depot at Moon, Illinois, in May 1973. Photo by G. E. Mansfield, Thomas Dyrek collection.
John Burt: Santa Fe combination depot at Moon (Reading), near Streator, built in 1888. This station closed in 1919 and was moved back from the tracks in the 1950’s. For many years it was used as a hay barn but now appears to be abandoned. Much of the wood has rotted and several support beams are gone. The depot is currently leaning to the east and is being held up by a single tree. I’d say this one is too far gone for restoration and it probably doesn’t have much time left. A slightly larger depot of the same design still stands in Roanoke, about 30 miles to the southwest, and is in much better condition.

Richard Fiedler commented on Thomas' post
Pete Zimmermann posted
Moon Illinois(aka Reading) depot that once sat between Streator and Ancona. The post I got it from and another group said that the station still exists though not in good shape. The depot was built by the lines original builder Chicago Pekin and southwestern Railway circa 1876
Shawn Volpe: I was told by a pretty reliable source that moon closed in 1920 or 21. That building was erected by the Chicago pekin &southwestern between the years 1869 and 1873( the line from pekin to Streator was competed in this period ). The farmer who lives to south stored hay and straw in the back of the building all through the 70’s and 80’s.Ive explored every square inch a half dozen times over the years, it sits on flagstones and was very well built.
Evan Eisenmenger: And a link to a forum on it: http://rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40024
Richard Fiedler posted
Santa Fe depot at Moon now called Reading IL. Was erected by predecessor the Chicago Pekin and Southwestern RR. The agency was closed around 1919, and the depot sold but the structure survives, at least sort of in terrible shape. It may be gone by now.


John Burt commented on Thomas' post

Larry Candilas commented on Thomas' post
Still was Moon in 1925 - looked like it was a real booming suburb of Streator

John Burt commented on Thomas' post
A few years back.

Thomas Dyrek commented on his post
Still standing (barely) today. Thomas Dyrek photo.

Excelsior Springs, MO: 1927-1933 BBQ Restaurant/Wabash Depot

(Satellite, 734 photos)

Art LH posted
WABASH STATION in EXCELSIOR SPRINGS MISSOURI
now a BBQ joint

wabashbbq_history
The branch line that came north 8.7 miles to this town operated just six years between 1927 and 1933.

It doesn't exist on any of the available topo maps. So I got this larger scale map so that we can see the Wabash mainline from where the branch came. I noticed that there are quite a few other railroads in the area.
1954/54 Kansas City Quad @ 250,000

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Armada, MI: Lost/GTW Depot and Wood Grain Elevator (Feed Mill)

(Satellite)

safe_image for Flickr photo
Grand  Trunk Western Railroad depot in Armada, Michigan, circa 1940.  
Photograph by Robert Hadley; Hadley-03-149-03.JPG; © 2016, Center for  Railroad Photography and Art

Jun 1, 1951 @ 23,600; AR1PN0000050040

This map accurately marks the location of the depot.
1952/54 Armada Quad @ 24,000

Once again, a feed mill has preserved its wood grain elevator.
Street View, Jun 2023

I looked for this feed mill after I spotted the Armada Grain building because Google Maps label called it an "Animal feed store."

Street View, Jun 2023