Saturday, September 30, 2023

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.

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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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









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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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



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