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| Robert McNeill >> Follow the Flag Wabash Railroad |
Office Building: (Satellite)
Robert's comment:
The white buildings in the red rectangle would be these backshops. The transfer table is between them. Note the roundhouse on the left side of the photo.
Robert's comment:
Part of the WRHS activity in Decatur included a tour of former Wabash shops with a stop by the transfer table for pictures. Follow the Flag!I tried using the Sanborn Maps to determine the location of the transfer table, but I needed Sheet 82 and this is what I found:
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| Sanborn Thumbnail |
The white buildings in the red rectangle would be these backshops. The transfer table is between them. Note the roundhouse on the left side of the photo.
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| 1941 Aerial Photo from ILHAP |
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| Viral Media posted 1930 Wabash Shops Locomotive shops in foreground, still in the steam era. The car shops are in the upper left. The Staley viaduct cuts across the center of the yard, recently constructed in 1928. The Wabash’s major freight line was from Kansas City to Detroit, without going through St. Louis or Chicago. Despite being merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1964, the Wabash company continued to exist on paper until the N&W merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1982. Decatur was the mid-point of the Kansas City to Detroit mainline, which made it an ideal location for the main shops. Seventy-eight acres of land were purchased on the east side of Decatur, Illinois, which became the primary back shops until the end of steam. By the 1920s the East Decatur Shops employed 1,500 workers, with an additional 1,000 employed in the adjacent yard and offices. Decatur Public Library Local History Photo Collection - H&R photo Richard Fiedler shared Richard Fiedler shared Steve Roberts: Site of a deadly explosion (killing 7 and injuring 140) 50 years ago this summer [2024, so 1974]. Reported, a punctured tank car with isobutane gas was the cause. |
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| Viral Media posted Wabash Shops The Wabash’s major freight line was from Kansas City to Detroit, without going through St. Louis or Chicago. Despite being merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1964, the Wabash company continued to exist on paper until the N&W merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1982. Decatur was the mid-point of the Kansas City to Detroit mainline, which made it an ideal location for the main shops. Seventy-eight acres of land were purchased on the east side of Decatur, Illinois, which became the primary back shops until the end of steam. By the 1920s the East Decatur Shops employed 1,500 workers, with an additional 1,000 employed in the adjacent yard and offices. Aerial photo 1954 - Decatur Public Library Local History Photo Collection Richard Fiedler shared |
Viral Media posted three images with the comment:
Former Wabash Car ShopsNear the top of the photo are the Wabash railcar shops where cars were both repaired and built new, welded from steel parts. Both the locomotive and railcar shops remain in operation today by the Norfolk Southern, although they are greatly reduced in scope and scale. The former coach shops still are standing as storage.Locomotive shops in foreground, still in the steam era. The car shops are in the upper left. The Staley viaduct cuts across the center of the yard, recently constructed in 1928.The Wabash’s major freight line was from Kansas City to Detroit, without going through St. Louis or Chicago. Despite being merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1964, the Wabash company continued to exist on paper until the N&W merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1982.Decatur was the mid-point of the Kansas City to Detroit mainline, which made it an ideal location for the main shops. Seventy-eight acres of land were purchased on the east side of Decatur, Illinois, which became the primary back shops until the end of steam. By the 1920s the East Decatur Shops employed 1,500 workers, with an additional 1,000 employed in the adjacent yard and offices.
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| Viral Media posted Wabash Yards 1963 Decatur was the mid-point of the Kansas City to Detroit mainline, which made it an ideal location for a major yard and shops. The Wabash’s major freight line was from Kansas City to Detroit, that bypassed St. Louis and Chicago. Wabash joined Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1964. The Wabash company continued to exist on paper until the N&W merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1982. Decatur Public Library Local History Photo Collection – H-R Photo Richard Fiedler shared |
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| Mid-Century Decatur posted A view of the Wabash East Decatur yard taken on December 16, 1951, 73 years ago today. We look west toward the city. On the left is a string of cabooses and some kind of powered car traversing a switch. Middle left is the ice factory. In the distance are the smokestacks of the A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co. and the Wabash shops. Major changes in the layout of yard tracks are underway. Photo: H&R |
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| Satellite |
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| William A. Shaffer -> RAILROAD HISTORY BUFFS OF ILLINOIS Wabash Shops - Decatur, IL (Photo by William A. Shaffer) |
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| Herald&Review 1926: The locomotive shop at the Wabash Railroad |
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| James Holzmeier posted |
Whiting crane inside the Wabash Shops at Decatur, Illinois. WRHS members were allowed to tour the inside of this shop building during our Annual Meeting last year in Decatur and many pictures were taken that day.1960 photo of freight car construction.
It certainly pays to be a WRHS member...please send in your dues today.
1953 photo of locomotive shop updates with 250-ton overhead crane. Kenny Wolff Check out the engine rebuild going on at the bottom of the photo!
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| Cerita Sakura posted Wabash Shops Photograph of the Wabash R.R. Alco-GE Model PA-2 no. 1020 and the Wabash Alco-GE Model FA-1 no. 1203 at the Decatur, Illinois locomotive shops taken on March 11th, 1953. (Decatur Public Library Local History Photo Collection) The Wabash’s major freight line was from Kansas City to Detroit, without going through St. Louis or Chicago. Despite being merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1964, and then merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1982. Decatur was the mid-point of the Kansas City to Detroit mainline, which made it an ideal location for the main shops. Seventy-eight acres of land were purchased on the east side of Decatur, Illinois, which became the primary back shops until the end of steam. By the 1920s the East Decatur Shops employed 1,500 workers, with an additional 1,000 employed in the adjacent yard and offices. Richard Fiedler shared Richard Fiedler shared Viral Media posted a plagiarism of Cerita's post |
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Norfolk Southern Corp posted A Norfolk & Western staff photographer snapped this view of the Wabash car shop in Decatur, Illinois, in the fall of 1964. Soon afterwards, the local newspaper, the Herald and Review, announced “N&W, Wabash, and Nickel Plate to Merge at Midnight Thursday—October 15.” Three other railroads were part of the merger: the 110-mile Sandusky, Ohio, line of the Pennsylvania Railroad; the 171-mile Akron, Canton, & Youngstown Railroad; and the 132-mile Pittsburgh & West Virginia. All six railroads combined to form a 7,800-mile N&W system through 14 states, crossing into Canada near Buffalo, New York. Decatur’s rail history dates back to 1834 when Governor Joseph Duncan proposed a transportation network that included a rail line. Today, Decatur is home to a Norfolk Southern intermodal terminal, rail yard, and car shop. Then and now, railroads and railroaders deliver the goods and work hard every day to keep the steel wheels rolling. Tim Stuy: Interesting that the boxcar in the photo still has a walkway on top. Any idea what year those walkways were removed? Allan Johnson: Tim Stuy 1965 AAR rules changed on roof walks. Happy Merger Day! https://www.nkphts.org/merger |
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| Tim Starr posted John Barriger III was president of the Monon, Boston & Maine, Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (Katy). He had a giant photograph collection, one of the largest. This one is of Wabash shop managers and other officials in East Decatur. |
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| Mid-Century Decatur posted Workers are preparing a diesel service pit just south of the Wabash locomotive shops on March 17, 1961, exactly 63 years ago today. Photo: Decatur Public Library Richard Fiedler shared Dennis DeBruler shared |
I think this is looking the other way along the long building.
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| Mid-Century Decatur posted The Wabash locomotive shop in Decatur in 1954. The conversion from steam to diesel has been fully completed for a year, and the level of activity and employment, while substantial, is reduced by half. Photo: J.R. Quinn, Collection of William A. Shaffer Richard Fiedler shared |
Viral Media posted three images with the comment:
Norfolk Southern Decatur ShopsAlthough a good portion of the original Wabash locomotive shops in Decatur, Illinois have been demolished, some of the structures are still in service. This is a view of what is still existing, and also historical drawings that show what was tore down.The Wabash’s major freight line was from Kansas City to Detroit, without going through St. Louis or Chicago. Despite being merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1964, the Wabash company continued to exist on paper until the N&W merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1982.Decatur was the mid-point of the Kansas City to Detroit mainline, which made it an ideal location for the main shops. Seventy-eight acres of land were purchased on the east side of Decatur, Illinois, which became the primary back shops until the end of steam. By the 1920s the East Decatur Shops employed 1,500 workers, with an additional 1,000 employed in the adjacent yard and offices.
Richard Fiedler shared
Richard Fiedler shared
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| Bray Bray commented on the above post 1954 |
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| History of the Heartland posted This aerial shows the ongoing open house celebration of the Wabash Railroad Centennial held at the railroad's Decatur shops on May 16, 1954, exactly 70 years ago today. Because of the shops, Wabash was the largest employer in Decatur, and Decatur was the largest location of Wabash employment. The diesel engines on display are an E-8 passenger engine and a pair of F-7 freight locomotives, displayed in line with a railroad crane. The enormous steam engines, then held in reserve status, from left to right, are a O-1 Class 4-8-4, a P-1 Class 4-6-4 Decatur, and a J Class 4-6-2. In front of a pair of busses are additional 4-8-4 behemoths, which a decade earlier had been the backbone of Wabash freight power. Photo: H&R, Collection of Decatur Public Library Richard Fiedler shared Paul Jones: That's where we found the retired F7 that now works at the Monticello Railroad Museum |
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| Richard Fiedler commented on the above post Sandy Goodrick photo |
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| Richard Fiedler commented on the above post Sandy Goodrick photo |
Brush Tower
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| Mid-Century Decatur posted The Wabash East Decatur yards at their peak on November 5, 1963, exactly 61 years ago today. It would be the last November of the Wabash. Photo: H&R Steve Drassler: Looking west from Brush College Road area with Brush Tower in the foreground. |
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| Rick Boland commented on Steve's comment Brush Tower was torn down earlier this year [2024]. |
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| Rick Boland commented on Steve's comment |
I'm saving the tower's satellite image since it will be disappearing.
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| Satellite |
Office Building
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| Street View, Aug 2024 |
The horse image above the door is interesting.
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| Street View, Aug 2024 |
Viral Media posted four photos with the comment:
Wabash Railroad RelicThe Wabash Railroad offices at 1735 East Condit were built in 1928. The offices housed the engineering and management staff for Wabash’s extensive locomotive and railcar shop operations. The building is still in use by the Norfolk Southern as the Illinois Division General Offices. The first photo was taken in 1949.
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