Notes on the roundhouse & railyard and the backshop
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| Bird's Eye View |
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| Karl Hauffe commented on a post Although this is a vintage photo of when it was in use, this coaling tower still exists in Decatur IL. |
Rich Barnes asked for info, and he got it:
James Holzmeier 450-ton capacity coal tower at Decatur was built in 1937. IIRC it was a Roberts & Schafer structure. There's a nice center spread photo and two others of it inside the WRHS Banner, No. 73. http://www.wabashrhs.org/p/publications-index.html?m=1
The N&W/Wabash Railroad did try to get rid of it, but gave up. A comment by Kyle McGrogan on a posting:
The one in Decatur, Il is still there as the Wabash used old railroad rail for the rebar. N&W tried to blow it down....No luck. To the railroads, they meant these to go 1000 years at the time they built them.
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| William A. Shaffer posted Site of Wabic Tower - Decatur4, IL (June, 2012) (Photo by William A. Shaffer) [Note the coaling tower in the middle background. The Wabash Depot would be behind the photographer. The CN/IC tracks are crossing the NS/N&W/Wabash tracks.] |
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| John Pescitelli posted Wabash coaling tower Decatur Illinois 2004 |
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| William A. Shaffer posted Decatur, IL (October, 2013) Norfolk Southern SD40-2 #3228 approaches Wabic in Decatur, IL. It is mid-October, 2013 and I am in Decatur for the day to shoot photos and relive my youth! Much has changed---too much, but the City still holds a fascination for me---maybe not so much the City as the railroad! For me, Decatur is the Alpha & Omega of Photography & Trains. So when I die, "Take Me Home to Decatur"! (Photo by William A. Shaffer) Dennis DeBruler I always enjoy photos of that coaling tower. I was surprised by the heavy industry in the background. I see from a satellite image that must be Tate & Lyle Ingredients. |
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| Roger Holmes posted Dennis DeBruler I didn't realize Decatur still had some impressive smokestacks until I saw this photo and looked for some: https://www.google.com/.../@39.8457925,-88.../data=!3m1!1e3 [Obviously I have a short memory because I did see these smokestacks in William's photo above. Handling more information than my brain can deal with is the reason I write this blog. The office building on the right of Roger's photo is also part of the Tate & Lyle Ingredients complex in Decatur.] |
Delaware & Hudson Railroad coaling tower in Oneonta, New York. 450 tons capacity. About 300 feet south of Roundhouse Road, between the intersections with Ceperley and Fonda Avenues. (42.44813, -75.08718) 15 July 2018. Similar to coaling towers still standing in Flomaton, Alabama, and Decatur, Illinois.I include the D&H photos here because it notes they are of the same design, and I'll never get a chance to get closeup photos of the Decatur tower because it is in the middle of NS property.
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| William A. Shaffer posted The "Wabash Cannon Ball" is approaching Wabic Tower in Decatur, IL. Staley Tower is in the background. Check out the string of Illinois Terminal Hoppers, too! Back in the Day when Decatur was "The Place to Be"! (Photo by William A. Shaffer) |
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| Kent Miller posted [I skip his comment because it is wrong.] Tim Shanahan shared |
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| Pat Shediack commented on Kent's post Here's my July 2015 photo of the same coal dock. It's pretty massive when viewed in real life. |
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| Rick Smith commented on Tim's share That tower actually *IS* on former Wabash RR property, and it's been on the NS since the N&W merger with Wabash and NKP in 1964. The D&E (D&EI since 2018) runs along the former B&O Decatur Subdivision (Indianapolis Division), on an alignment about 200 ft south of this tower (opposite this view), before it veers southeasterly alongside Hywy US-36 before running due east about a quarter-mile north of the highway for the next 70 miles (east of Dana IN). The D&EI interchanges with the NS and the CN at points just east of and west of this coaling tower. The telephoto zoom with a vantage slightly away from the perpendicular to the side makes it appear as if the tower were about to "pancake" and flip on its side. Another view from west of the tower from the WABIC Crossing diamonds (WAB+IC), with the "Castle in the Cornfields" A.J. Staley Building in the distant background, to the right of the WAB passenger train and the poles. [photo - © William A. Shaffer] |
Moberly, MO had a similar coaling tower.
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