Quincy, IL: 1899-1962 CB&Q and 1901-1934,1963 Wabash Depots and Camp Point, IL: Wabash Depot

CB&Q Depot: (Satellite, along 2nd Street across from Oak Street)

Wabash Depot: (Satellite, southeast corner of 6th and York Streets. And the freight house was just east of the depot.)

CB&Q Freight House: (Satellite)

Steve Brashears posted 11 images of the CB&Q depot and the description provides the dates 1899-1963.

Jim Kelling shared Paul Kevi Geer's post of 5 photos of the CB&Q facilities. Some comments provide these references: Sanborn Maps and a book.

Lisa Ruble posted

The depot was razed in 1962.

New Passenger Station of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad on Second Street at the foot of Oak Street - Quincy

Adams County

January 10, 1899 - It is currently believed that the coming summer will witness the building of a new depot at this point. The old structure is antiquated and hoary in appearance and has done good service from the time the "Q" was built through it. - The Quincy Daily Journal.

February 21, 1899 - The current Issue of the Engineering News and American Railway Journal contains a description of the new Quincy depot. It says: The station is a one-story building, placed at the side of the track, and having a tall central tower as its conspicuous architectural feature. The building is 304 feet long and 58 feet wide. The walls are of red pressed brick, with trimmings of Berea limestone and red and variegated terra-cotta. The roof tiles are of green slate. The main portion Is 22 feet 4 inches high at the top of the walls and 39 feet 1 inch to the tile crest of the roof. The tower is 20 feet square at the roof level and rises to a height of nearly 130 feet.

The main waiting room about 70x51 feet, is at the middle of the building, and forms the main thoroughfare from the street to the station platform, this arrangement being in accordance with the peculiar and almost universal practice of railway architects in this country. Nevertheless it is a very defective and inconvenient arrangement, and it is surprising that, railway engineers and officials permit it to be so frequently used, as pointed out In the article on "The Design of Railway Station,". A portico in front of the waiting room extends over the Cement sidewalk in front of the building, and is a light iron canopy to shelter passengers alighting from carriages. This portico has a groined ceiling, finished in mosaic. The waiting room has three sets of swinging doors at the portico, and another set opens upon the station platform, which is of wood. To the right of the waiting room are the ticket office, telegraph office, conductors' room, smoking room and men's toilet room, with a corridor leading to the chocking counter of the baggage room. Beyond this are the mall and express rooms, and an area with iron staircase to the basement. The boiler room is below the express room, with a smokestack on the track side of the building. To the left of the waiting room are the women's waiting and toilet rooms, news stand and lunch room, with corridor leading to the restaurant and kitchen. The floors of the baggage, mall and express rooms are level with the platform, while in the other rooms the floors are about eighteen inches above the platform, which is reached by three steps. The platform will be covered by a shed roof.

The interior finish consists mainly of enameled brick wainscoting, with plastered walls and ceilings, the wainscot being omitted in the ticket and telegraph offices, conductors' room and kitchen. The corridors. and baggage room have pressed brick walls, and the mall and express rooms have common brick walls, with plastered ceilings and cement floors. The waiting room has a marble tile floor, and the other rooms have mosaic tile floors, except that wood Is used in the ticket office, conductor' room, telegraph office and kitchen. The openings in the walls of the baggage, mail and express offices arc fitted with rolling steel shutters. The building will be heated on the direct steam system and will be lighted by 750 incandescent lamps. the current for which will be generated by a plant at the railway company's roundhouse near the station.

The architects for the building arc D. H. Burnham & Co., of Chicago. The contract has been let to the F. W. Menke Stone Co., of Quincy, Ill. The cost of the building is estimated at $75,000. - The Quincy Daily Whig.

The new C. B. & Q Passenger Station opened on Monday, July 31, 1899. The new station opened despite torrential rain. A crowd of people including thousands from outside the city thronged the station all day and into the evening to admire the new building. The beautiful depot opened without any set program. There was plenty of music and fireworks in the evening. Railroad Officials were at the opening. - The Quincy Daily Whig.

Photo Courtesy of the Quincy Public Library

Richard Fiedler shared

Joseph Obrien shared

The tower makes it easy to find the depot in this photo.

Lisa Ruble posted

Birdseye View of Quincy in 1912 

Mississippi River 

Adams County

Robert Daly posted two images with the comment: "CB&Q and Wabash stations in Quincy. Postcard of the CB&Q station was mailed May 2, 1918, and the Wabash station July 21, 1909."

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Gary Tetley posted buildings designed by architect Theodore C. Link, FAIA.

The CB&Q Depot was easy to locate. It was along 2nd Street across from Oak Street.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Robert's post
The CB&Q depot was along 2nd Street just across from Oak Street. [1938 aerial]
 https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/adams/flight10/00sa161496.jpg

CB&Q Freight House:

Paul Kevin geers
The Burlington route freight house at second and broadway, which is still there today, connected to the depot 3 blocks south of the old CB&Q depot.
[I added the label "just horses" because of this image. Freight houses were the "distribution centers" back at the interesting turn of the century.]

Dennis DeBruler commented on Paul's post
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GUfuUh5RQDdST5ja7

A colorized version of the Wabash Depot.

James Holzmeier posted
Also in FamilyOldPhotos

 

Andy Zukowski posted
Wabash Train Station in Quincy Illinois. 1908
Richard Fiedler shared
Danny Cole posted
This was the Wabash Depot in Quincy Illinois. Does anyone know where it was located?

Danny Cole: David Hahn So does anybody know, did they back The passenger train back to the main line

Erik Spoonmore commented on Danny's post
SE corner of 6th and York

David Hahn commented on Danny's post

Paul Kevin Geers posted three images with the comment: 

The old wabash station built 1901 and stopped service in 1934. Razed 1963.

A magnificent interior all marble.

Was one of three rail stations in Quincy.ill.  this was the only one of the 3 located in the City of Quincy.

Robert Weber shared

Richard C. Leonard: My father rode the Mark Twain Zephyr into this station in 1937. He write about the trip to my grandmother, and I still have the letter. You can read it here: http://www.keokukuniondepot.org/rdl_letter.html

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Erin Bristow posted
WABASH Depot Quincy, Il 1908

Tess Shaw: Where was this magnificent bu

Erin Bristow: Tess Shaw the 600 block of York street in Quincy

Richard Fiedler shared

Paul Kevin Geers posted, cropped

The large train weather vane on the tower was saved and at the Quincy historical society.

The CB&Q Station at Second and oak, 1899 and razed in 1962.

A great shame and black eye on Quincy.

Paul Kevin Geers posted
1906, train yard and STATION of the CB&Q. QUINCY ILLINOIS
[The clocktower of the station is easy to spot on the left side of the postcard.]
Thomas Whitt shared

Paul Kevin Geers posted
Just built, the new CB&Q station 1899. You can see in the background to the right, the Broadway bay swing bridge.
James Myers: Where at?

Dennis DeBruler answered James' question
Just west of 2nd Street at the end of Oak Street. 1938 aerial

 

Paul Kevin Geers posted
1899 picture of the new CB&Q station as you can see the Broadway bay swing bridge. I bet the post card was taken from this old picture.

Paul Kevin Geers posted four images with the comment: "The old CB&Q station in quincy.ill built 1899 razed 1962."

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From the 2005 SPV Atlas, I knew the Wabash had a branch that left their mainline just west of Bluffs, IL, and went Northwestish through Carthage to join the Keokuk Junction Railway/Toledo, Peoria and Western to get access to Keokuk, IA. At Clayton, IL, a branch from this branch went to Camp Point, IL, where it joined the CB&Q for access to Quincy. The oldest topo map that I could find was 1958. The "main branch" shows as an Old Railroad Grade, and the "branch branch" from Clayton to Camp Point is not even shown.

1948 Quincy and 1958 Burlington Quads @ 250,000

AdamsCountyHistory
Wabash Depot, built 1857, rail service discontinued 1934. Camp Point.

Wabash used the CB&Q route to access Quincy. For a few years, it used the depot of the CB&Q predecessor Quincy Omaha & Kansas City Ry. In 1903 it left the CB&Q on the north side and ran straight south down the middle 6th Street and then turned west to meet the CB&Q at Wabash Junction just west of the Woodland Cemetery. Their new depot was by State Street. (SPV Map and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co. Depots and Towers Illinois and Wisconsin Robert C. Brown, p. 166) But by 1925, only the northern and western parts of this 1903 bypass was left.

1925 Quincy Quad @ 62,500

After spending more time than I care to admit looking at 1938 aerial photos trying to find the route, it finally occurred to me to "Google it." The line was abandoned in 1930. The depot was on the southeast corner of 6th and York Streets (wabashrhs, search for "quincy"). The depot was designed by Theodore C. Link (RailroadStationHistoricalSociety).

Note the discrepancy in the sources concerning the State vs. York Street location. 

Actually, most of the bypass was abandoned by 1925. But the Wabash did still go up 6th Street past York Street.

1925 Quincy Quad @ 62,500

Given the freighthouse in the background of the postcard, I believe we are looking southeast from the intersection of 6th and York Streets.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Robert's post
The Wabash Depot was in the southeast Quadrant of 6th and York Streets.
 https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/adams/flight10/00sa161496.jpg

Note that a remnant of the Wabash bypass still exists on the north side, and it serves several industries. And that service must still be active because I found an industrial locomotive at the south end of the remnant.

Street View, Aug 2019

Paul Kevin Geers posted three photos with the comment: "The old river front in Quincy was quite busy in its day, and and old rail station above the background, you can see the old O. K. Station house located front and Maine street. Here is another view and close up of the station. Also an ad of the time table, my grandmother kept."

David Hahn shared

Paul Kevin Geers shared

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I wrote this in a previous draft before I learned how to find topo maps. I leave it in case you are in to finding the landscars of abandoned railroads.

I knew that CB&Q went through Quincy. But I needed to research how the Wabash got there. The Wabash had a branch that left their mainline a little west of Bluffs, IL. The track still exists to the CIPSCO power plant south of Meredosia. It used to cross the Illinois River just a little to the north of the power plant an basically followed IL-99. For example, we see a tree line and land scar north of Hersman. At Mount Sterling it went along the south side and followed the diagonal of US-24. You can then follow the land scar through Timewell (now part of Mound Station?). It then follows the diagonal of US-24 again until US-24 bends but it goes further north and then west. It went through Clayton along Railroad Street. The grain elevator has grown since Norfolk Western abandoned these branches because it covers up a branch that curved north out of Clayton and went northerly to Carthage and then west to join (the old) Toledo, Peoria & Western at Evanston, IL. It used the TP&W route to access Keokuk. But I'm interested in the branch that kept going west from Clayton until it joined the CB&Q at Center Point. Center Point is the label used by the SPV Map, but it must have been a control point name because Google shows the town as Camp Point, IL.

Andy Zukowski posted
Burlington Railroad Depot at Camp Point, Illinois 1912