Saline C: Eldorado, IL: Sahara/O'Gara Coal Mine #10

(Satellite, north of the IC tracks and below Eldorado Street.)

Andy Zukowski posted

O'Gara Coal Mine No. 10 was a major underground coal mine located in the Eldorado Quadrangle of Saline County, Illinois.

The mine was initially developed and operated by the O'Gara Coal Company(1905-31). During this multi-decade run, it produced 6,944,854 tons of coal. 

In 1933, operations were taken over by the Sahara Coal Company, which operated it as Sahara No. 10 until its permanent closure in 1941.

Dennis DeBruler: https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2026/09/saline-c-eldorado-il-saharaogara-coal.html

Directory

ilmines

The L&N and Big Four had routes through town while the IC had a branch that went to the town. The IC branch served the Dering Mine as well as the O'Gara #10 Mine.

Since the mine operated until 1941, it is in this aerial photo. It is just north of the IC tracks. Also, it looks like Big Four has an industrial spur that comes over to the mine.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

To my surprise, it is just the IC branch that still exists.

rail.guide

Gibbon, MN: Wood Grain Elevator

(Satellite)

Street View, Oct 2023

Wesley Peters posted

Grain Elevator Photography Trip 2, North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota.

Gibbon, Sibley County, MN.

Early history unknown.

Photographed on 7/20/2025.

Photo courtesy of Wesley Peters.

Tom Dueringer: I managed the feed mill there from 2013-2016

Given Tom's comment, I looked for the feed mill. It would be the brown building behind the wood elevator. 

Street View, Oct 2023

No Street View driver went down that road, but I can zoom in. In addition to a feed truck, we see the many downspouts to the bins that would hold supplements.

Street View, Oct 2023

The railroad was C&NW.

1964/65 Gibbon Quad @ 24,000

UP still owns this former-C&NW route. The top street view and Wesley's photo shows that there is a conveyor over a Class I railroad. That is rare. And the hopper car in Wesley's photo shows that UP is providing rail service. That is also rare, especially since there is no fall protector.

rail.guide

Valley Forge National Park, PA: Reading Depots

East: (Satellite, abandoned)

West: (Satellite, National Park Service Museum)

East: Valley Forge Park/Port Kennedy Station

Abandoned, Roadside and Historic Urbex, May 2023

Craig Richardson posted three photos with the comment: "Looks like a recent paint job on the lower 8’ of the building. Long out of use depot in Valley Forge National Park."

[According to the photo above, they painted more than the lower 8'.]

Jim Kelling: Reading Company station; can’t remember its original name.

Patrick Linebaugh: Jim Kelling This is the Port Kennedy Station at the far end of the park. The official Valley Forge Reading Railroad Station is located at the other end ... very close to Washington's Valley Forge encampment Headquarters.

Chuck Noonan: They really cleaned up the area by the station before Big Boy came through this summer [2026].

1

2

3

I cropped the top photo differently so that we can see how much chainsaw work they did for the Big Boy visit.

Abandoned, Roadside and Historic Urbex, May 2023

West: Museum/1911 Reading Valley Forge Train Station

nps
"The Reading Railroad company constructed the railroad in 1842, and the route along the Schuylkill River served to connect Philadelphia with the coal fields in western Pennsylvania."

Street View, Aug 2014

Cici, Nov 2024

A recreation of Washington's Headquarters is across the lawn from the depot.

Francisco Santiago, May 2021

Big Boy 2026:

Don Steckel, Jul 2026

La Salle, MN: Wood Grain Elevator

North Facility: (Satellite)

South Facility: (Satellite)

North Facility

Given the feed truck on the left side, this must be a feed mill. The C&NW railroad was on the other side of the elevator. The railroad is now abandoned.

Street View, Jul 2025

South Facility

Street View, Jul 2025

This elevator must be used for storage of grain going to the market.

Street View, Jul 2025

Both

Wesley Peters posted five photos with the comment:

Grain Elevator Photography Trip 2, North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota.

La Salle, Watonwan County, MN.

Southwest Complex- Early history unknown.

Northeast Complex- Farmers Grain Co. False-front combination headhouse/annex built in 1969, Hogenson Construction Co. Bushel capacity unknown.

Features Hogenson's signature mint green office and driveway.

Photographed on 7/20/2025.

Photos courtesy of Wesley Peters.

1

2

3

4

5

The railroad was the C&NW. It is now abandoned.

1967/69 La Salle Quad @ 24,000

Manville, PA: Reading Weston (WX) Tower

(Satellite, based on aerial photo below and confirmed by the railfan photos.)

Darren Reynolds posted six images with the comment:

Readings "Weston" (WX) tower
At: Manville, New Jersey
This tower is no longer standing

Tim Shanahan shared

1

"Weston" tower (WX) Wes in Manville, New Jersey on

December 5, 1981 in the Conrail era...

Phot by: Robert Staples

2

The CTC machine inside of "Weston" tower July 1969

Photo by: Rob Mandeville

3
A Reading track and interlocking diagram for Weston- Manville, New Jersey and interlocking machine information..

4

An RDC passes "Weston" tower with a Commuter train

1981

Photo by: Geoff Hubbs

5

A B&O train with Eng # 3700 passes "Weston " tower on July 1969

Photo by: Rob Mandeville

6

All Boarded up and not needed anymore "Weston" tower

1984... I'm not sure when this tower was torn down...

Photo by: Robert Staples

The track diagram above indicates that the tower was on the south side of the tracks. 

1955/63 Bound Brook Quad @ 24,000

Apr 24, 1953 @ 20,000; AR1XI0000060198

The spacing and the size of the shadows of the two buildings southwest of Kyle Street is consistent with the photos.

Digitally Zoomed

In fact, this house is in the background of Photo 5.

Street View, Jul 2026 (Satellite)

Greensburg, KS: Lost/Rock Island Depot and Old Grain Elevators

Depot: (Satellite, lost)

Wood Grain Elevator: (Satellite, lost)

Concrete Elevators: (Satellite)

Bob Summers posted
Stolen from another group

Bob Summers: can anyone date the automobile?

Jim Merrick: Bob Summers -- We sure can date the locomotives:

Rock Island FTs (3 of them) and a pair of FA-1s. The FT units were built in 1944-'45 and the FA-1s were built in 1948. Given the slight wear / lack of wear we can see on the units, I would date this photo to about the end of the 1940s, maybe close to 1950, but not much later than 1950.

Robert Chitwood commented on Bob's comment

Ag chemical supplies occupy more land than the grain elevator.

Street View, Sep 2021

The wood grain elevator is gone, but the slip-form and jump-form elevators still exist.

Street View, Sep 2021

The railroad is now owned by UP.

rail.guide

Royersford, PA: Restaurant/Reading Depot

(Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2019

Al Tillotson posted
Norfolk Southern Conway-Abrams 32A passes the former Reading Company Royersford PA station on the Harrisburg Line, Wednesday afternoon September 16, 2026.  Erie RR heritage unit SD70ACe 1068 leads.

Juliana Laury, Oct 2025