Friday, March 11, 2016

Danville, IL: Danville, Cory, and North Yard Junctions

David M Laz posted
David's comment:
This crossing was known as "Cory", just southeast of here where the CSX main crossed the former P&E. However, the diamond was removed in January, 2006. Just east of Cory, is the former C&EI passenger station. This once grand structure is now a dilapidated shell awaiting demolition.
This picture took a lot of study to figure out where this junction was. First of all, I studied all of the railroads that went through Danville.
Note the triangle in the middle of town that had the Big Four/P&E along the bottom, the NS/Wabash on the left, and the CSX/C&EI on the right. I believe David's comments are wrong. More details about the picture below.

Satellite

Lower-Right Triangle Vertex


The SPV Map indicates the lower-right crossing where the C&EI used to cross the Big Four was the Cory Junction. The Big Four has been abandoned so that junction is now gone. But you can still see a land scar where it crossed the C&EI. In fact, the tracks are still in place just east of the crossing.

Lower-Left Triangle Vertex


According to the SPV Map, this vertex is called the Danville Junction by Wabash and Big Four. As mentioned, the Big Four segment has been abandoned, but you can still see a land scar in the satellite image of where it crossed the Wabash.

Satellite plus Paint

Top Triangle Vertex


This is the subject of the David's photo. The C&EI track is going across the foreground. The NS train is on the Wabash tracks. And the CSX train is on a connector between the Wabash and C&EI tracks. I added a red arrow for the approximate photographer's position.

The picture below is a picture that David posted a little later. It also is of the top C&EI vs. Wabash vertex. The curve in the train rules out the other vertexes. This picture clearly shows that Wabash also called this junction Danville Junction. So one tower on the Wabash must have controlled both the top and lower-left vertexes. The C&EI called this junction the North Yard.
David M Laz posted
David's comment:
Norfolk Southern's ex-Wabash main line here crosses CSX's ex-Chicago & Eastern Illinois main between Chicago and Evansville, Indiana.
Stan Stanovich ...though the numbers on the cab side are crooked, this is one of very few former Conrail NS engines that didn't have a white or black patch over the original number! Nice photograph!!!

I added a yellow arrow for the approximate photographer's position of this picture.

Robert Gibson Jr. posted
Here's a photo from the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Historical Society archives of a northbound passenger train making a station stop at Danville. This may be the Whippoorwill that ran from Evansville, Indiana to Chicago in the late 1940's. The engine is sitting on the Wabash Railroad tracks in Danville.

1 comment:

  1. My Granddad was a telegrapher for the C & E I in Danville, Ill and worked at the Cory Tower second trick. I remember it was east of North Bowman Ave. approximately one block. I have his copy of the last communication from this tower when it was closed.

    ReplyDelete