Towns and Nature: Meredosia, IL: Grain Elevator and Wabash Depot

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Meredosia, IL: Grain Elevator and Wabash Depot

Steven Johnson -> Grain Elevators of North America
Cargill grain elevator in Meredosia, IL.

If you click the link, you should be able to access three more photos posted by Steven.

I like to research the railroad that serves, or at least served, an elevator. But when I studied the satellite image (below), I could not find any evidence of an abandoned RoW. So I looked at my 1928 RR Atlas to see from which direction a railroad approached the city. I could not find one in the vicinity of this town. Meredosia was not only a river town, it was just a river town. So this elevator seems to be a regional elevator that is served by barges instead of rail cars.

Satellite

While studying the Google Map, I noticed that there is a track coming from Bluffs, IL terminating on the south side of town in a loop. The loop evidently serves a coal power plant. Spurs south of that plant serve Celanese Emulations, a plastic fabrication company, and a couple of other agricultural service companies.

According to the Illinois State Road Map, Norfolk Southern built the spur towards Meredosia from Bluffs, IL. Bluffs sets on the NS/N&W/Wabash mainline between Decatur and Kansas City.

Bill Crisp posted
The Wabash depot in Meredosia. Looks like someone is helping themselves to a few souvenirs.

Richard Fiedler: That’s the late Rod Irwin’s car. He originally got the order boards from Meredosia but I have no clue who has them now. Rod worked for both the Wabash and N&W and retired as second trick operator-lever man at Chicago Ridge Tower.