McComb, MS: CN/IC Coaling Tower, Roundhouse and Backshop

McComb was on the IC, not Mobile & Ohio, part of ICG.

Gary Herring posted
McComb Memories

Satellite

Bird's Eye View

Update: Edward Jarolin shared Michael Palmieri posting of a link to his 1983 photo of the McComb coaling tower. It shows the yard and tower overrun by vegetation.
Randy James Sad that IC industries let the physical plant get in such bad shape, the Southern didn't even want it when IC industries was trying to sell it

Gary Herring shared
[The comments talk about lights on a painting on the Coal Chute.]

7 photos of the tower

Tim Starr posted
The Illinois Central had several major back shops sites, since it stretched north to south from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. This drawing of its McComb, Mississippi shops comes from The History of the Illinois Central in 1915.

Barry Boyd posted
Gary Herring shared
McComb MS ICRR early 1900’s
Raymond Storey posted
McCOMB CITY MISS

Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook And Occasionally Other Railroads posted two photos with the comment:

The Illinois Central's car shops in McComb, MS, were a beehive of activity when photographed on June 30, 1915.  Most of the cars appear to be reefers, not surprising considering the high volume of strawberries shipped from the area, not to mention bananas unloaded from the docks at New Orleans.

These photos were taken during the valuation project of the 1910's (more info about this project can be found at the Wiki link below).  As part of this project, field surveyors had to document every

piece of rolling stock (ie, locomotives, freight and passenger cars, caboose, maintenance-of-way equipment, and barges, ferries, tug boats, etc.).  The surveyors also had to document E-V-E-R-Y structure, including depots, lunch rooms, office buildings, railroad shops, railroad crossing guard towers, interlocking towers, and even old carbodies that had been placed on the ground and were being used for storage, housing for section crews, etc.  These structures were photographed and for each structure a form was filled out, listing the dimensions, date built, when it was last repaired and/or repainted, physical condition at the time of the survey, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valuation_Act  

IC photo, Cliff Downey collection

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