Towns and Nature: Effingham, IL: Union Station for IC+Pennsy

CN/Amtrak/IC is on the left and CSX/Pennsy is on the right.

Steven J. Brown posted
Effingham, Illinois - PRR/IC crossing - April 1987.

In the above photo, it is easy to see the Iron Man for the Pennsy tracks. I didn't notice the Iron Man for the IC tracks until I saw the photo below.

Noah Haggerty posted
Here is the Effingham depot on an unknown day. John & Roger Kujawa Photo, Thomas Dyrek Collection.
Alex Wood: Thankfully a gentleman and his wife have brought this place back to its former glory of being a happening place featuring Amtrak, a barber college, a cosmetology school, tattoo shop and catering service all while tastefully restoring the grounds and landscaping.
Noah Haggerty shared
Jim Kelling shared
Effingham Illinois

Steve Rogers posted
Effingham Illinois, PRR and IC crossing. Barriger photo from sometime in the 40s
[I looked at the Barriger Collection on Flickr. but I could not figure out how to find specific photos in the Flickr collection. ]

IC coal tower (click next for another photo)

A better exposure of the above photo.

Jim Arvites posted

View from bygone era of the Effingham Union Station and crossing Tower at Effingham, Illinois. Picture looking north on Illinois Central mainline between Chicago and New Orleans crossing the Pennsylvania Railroad's mainline to St Louis circa 1925. The brick Union Station was built in 1924 and is still standing today.

(John W Barriger III Photo)

Christian Goepel Safe to assume that the stub-ended tracks and platform at far right were for IC passenger trains to and from Indianapolis? I’ve never seen a photo with those tracks present.Erik Coleman Effingham was an IC-manned tower, until the tower was wrecked in a derailment, then the IC operator moved to the depot.
Matt McClure When I caught the Panama Limited in 1977, the station was still a busy place with six IC -Amtrak trains (3 each way) plus the National Limited on the ex-PRR. The station had giant chalkboards with updated train information. In 1977 there was still three IC tracks across two CR tracks for six diamonds.
John Morris posted
View of Effingham, Illinois with IC mainline looking north. The PRR tracks cross horizontally. The station building still stands today, unfortunately in a boarded-up state. Long gone are the interlocking tower, semaphore signal bridge, multiple mainline tracks, and platform sidings to the right of this assumed 1930s vintage photo. (My collection, from John Barringer photo archive).
Christian Goepel Fantastic image; I could stare at it all day. Is this one of the John W. Barriger photos? 1920s-1930s timeframe seems correct. We know it’s before 1951, as the IC centennial monument doesn’t show in the one-time garden at the front of the depot yet (area bounded by curb on the platform). That’s always one good clue for dating photos at this location. And would you believe that the tall pole on the platform holding code line (or its predecessor) for IC and PRR still stands today?
Skip Luke Christian Goepel .... Phone and telegraph lines. CTC was a long way off yet.

Greg Bilbrey I thought at least part of the station was still open for Amtrak. Do they just have an adjacent shelter or something for passengers?
Christian Goepel Greg, when I was last here in September 2017, Amtrak had a waiting room in the former baggage room section of the depot on the east side of the IC mains.
John Morris Christian Goepel still the same as you describe.

Christian Goepel commented on John's post, cropped
Oldest IC Illinois Division condensed profile I can put my hands on at the moment is from 1945. Here’s what Effingham looked like at that time.

Dennis DeBruler commented on John's post
A 1938 aerial photo
https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/.../0bgk05026.jpg

Jim Arvites posted
View of the Effingham Union Station in Effingham, Illinois in 1926. The Pennsylvania Railroad on the right and the Illinois Central Railroad on the left both stopped at this depot. The station, built in 1924, is still standing and used by Amtrak today.
(Effingham County Court House Museum)
Scott Nauert: Well, it is still used by Amtrak, but not the actual station (center). The waiting room is housed in the former IC baggage room to the north of the main building.
Mark Niceley: Hopped off the train from Chicago, and onto the National Limited there in the late 70's. Impossible now. Amtrak axed the National and Conrail pulled up most of the former Pennsy!!

Mary Rae McPherson posted

The Illinois Central 2500 Class 4-8-2s, rebuilt from 2900 Class 2-10-2s, are known as some of the railroad's best freight power. They were more than capable of heading up a passenger train as well, as seen here.

In this photo, #2540 is seen with a passenger consist in tow at Effingham, Illinois. This could well be a troop train running as an extra, as the locomotive appears to be flying white flags. It also appears this train isn't stopping, as that exhaust suggests the train is moving at a good clip. The fireman is waving at the people standing on the platform, who are perhaps waiting for one of the many scheduled passenger trains.

#2540 was rebuilt in September, 1940, from #2970, a 1921 Lima. The smaller smokebox door on the front of the locomotive suggests this photo is from the early to mid-forties, as larger doors later became standard on big I.C. power. The box on the pilot between the air compressors is for Automatic Train Stop equipment, which was required for an engine to run on the Champaign District.

Unusual is the big six-axle tender. These large tenders were usually seen on the Lima 2-8-4s and the 2600 Class 4-8-2s. These tenders were also seen on the 2300 Class passenger 4-8-2 rebuilds, and were occasionally used on the 2400 Class 4-8-2s. They were seldom used on the 2500s, which would use four-axle tenders with large coal bunkers and a smaller water tank, mated with an auxiliary water canteen.

#2540 lasted late into the steam era but being scrapped in January, 1959, was not one of the locomotives to make it to the end of steam.

No date or photographer credit is available for this photo, which was scanned from a negative (newly added to) my collection.

[This catches the tower on the left and the depot on the right.]

Mary Rae McPherson shared

Lawrence Thomas posted
December 26, 1969, Effingham, Illinois and Illinois Central's City of New Orleans, stops for patrons southbound - who can blame them. Penn Central tracks, St. Louis-Indianapolis, are in the foreground. (Larry Thomas photo)
Jack Franklin shared
Dennis DeBruler shared

Rick Smith posted

Effingham [IL] Union Station

This passenger station, dedication and opening being in 1924, is one of those curious-appearing “corner” depots, once generally abandoned but fortunately partially repurposed as a means of preservation. Having served passengers of the Illinois Central (ICRR) and Pennsylvania Railroads (PRR) until 1971, the structure is situated on the northeast quadrant of the diamond crossing of these two former railroads ─ the ICRR (now CNR) single track (North-South), and the PRR (now CSXT) double track (East-West). The depot actually consists of three unattached structures ─ one parallel to each railroad route and the third positioned forming an equilateral triangle, with respect to the facing diamond rail crossing. The center building had been the ticket and waiting rooms for both the PRR and the ICRR, while each of the two buildings directly in line with each track are the former freight and express stations ─ one of each former railroad.

Many named and nameless passenger runs passed this major crossroads, of few of which were PRR trains: the “American”, “Penn Texas,” “Spirit of St. Louis”, “St. Louisan”, and “Jeffersonian”;
and ICRR trains: the “Seminole”, “City of New Orleans”, “City of Miami”, “Panama Limited”, “Creole”, and “Louisiane”.

Today, Amtrak’s “City of New Orleans”, “Illini” and “Saluki” trains serve Effingham, with the utilization of the former ICRR freight depot reserved as the current passenger station. The hipped-roof structures currently are owned by National Trail Development, LLC. Despite the presence of boarded-up windows in the photo, all buildings have been renovated and have become occupied. -==-

[photos - courtesy, Ralcon Wagner]

David Harris posted
Paducah rebuilds lead a sb across CR at Effingham in April 1982.
Beau Minnick Still a great spot to watch trains.

Christian Goepel posted two photos with the comment:

The other joint IC / PA joint depot in central Illinois that was of that sturdy brick IC vernacular style was that erected in Effingham, where IC's Centralia District main line crossed the PA St. Louis Division at grade. The facility is actually three separate buildings: the joint waiting room and agent's office in the building right at the diamond, which was flanked by the separate freight / express / baggage buildings for each railroad. Amtrak trains operating on the CN (IC) today still stop here, and the IC baggage building hosts the updated waiting room.
One of the interesting historical reminders here, besides the venerable buildings themselves, is the hefty stone monument that once held the brass IC centennial medallions. IC placed these medallions at several key locations on its network in 1951, and most have been pried lose and stolen by thieves since then. Effingham's monument has been similarly defiled, sadly.

Dennis Gunning The biggest thief I have ever seen was the Illinois Central "Special Agent" based in Champaign. He traveled most of the main line, hacking and prying away all of these he could find. Being the great person he was, he also stole money from the Central Station safe in Chicago while they were preparing to tear it down. He bragged about all of this years later. My Father worked for the Illinois Central in the Superintendent's office and was also aware of his activities. I worked as a Ticket Agent for 32 years. He did allot to preserve the history of the Company and leave us with what you see, a bare stone monument. Very sad.