Towns and Nature: Harrisburg, IL: Aban/Southern/NYC/Big Four (Egyptian) Yard, Roundhouse, Depot and Freight House

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Harrisburg, IL: Aban/Southern/NYC/Big Four (Egyptian) Yard, Roundhouse, Depot and Freight House

Depot: (Satellite, Hardee's sits on the site of the depot)

Railyard: (Satellite, since the Egyptian line was abandoned, there is nothing left of the yard.)

Roundhouse: (Satellite, the arc of the turntable? According to the bend in US-45, this is about the right location.)

I was surprised how big the yard was until I noticed on the 2005 SPV Map that there was a branch going west of town to some coal mines. I also learned from the map that the Southern Railroad bought the Egyptian route from Penn Central between Olmsted and Mount Carmel. Southern abandoned this route except for a remnant south of Mt. Carmel to the Wabash Mine. And Conrail maintained trackage rights over the spur to the Wabash Mine. The spur to the mine has been abandoned, but NS still supplies coal trains for the spur over the Wabash River to the Duke Energy Power Plant.

Bart Hileman posted seven pictures with the comment: "Harrisburg Illinois on the NYC."

1, cropped

2, cropped

7
Parked on a siding in Harrisburg

6
The Egyptian some time in the 1950's

A colored version of "picture 6."

John Morris posted
Views of New York Central (Big Four) trains in Southern Illinois are comparatively rare. In this faded photo, GP7 No. 5771 is shown here with the "Egyptian" passenger run at the Harrisburg station. Passenger service ended on April 28, 1957, although the line survived into the Conrail era. Other than a bicycle trail, no trace of the line exists today in Harrisburg.

1938 Galatia and 1937 Harrisburg Quads @ 62,500

This was posted as the second picture above, but it is worth repeating.

John Morris posted
New York Central's Big Four at one time maintained a sizable yard in Harrisburg to service the then thriving Southern Illinois coal mines. This view is assumed to be in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Adding to the intrigue is the rare 2,000 HP Fairbanks-Morse H20-44 diesel working the yard. Everything railroad related in this view is gone.
Edward Bridges I believe this image was taken in 1953...
Andrew Roth shared
Harrisburg, IL New York Central yard in approximately in 1953.

John P. Kohlberg posted

CR(NYC) Cairo Branch at Harrisburg, IL.

Michael J. Connor Kodachrome(s).

Ray N Tammy Gunning: I remember this well. It had caught fire in the late 80’s

Edward Bridges commented on the above posting, cropped
It was a hump yard...that picture was taken from the light tower near the hump. Here is a view looking north from the same light tower:

Rex Settlemoir posted
Back in February, Eric Berg posted a photo of the Southbound "Egyptian" arriving in Harrisburg, Illinois behind steam power. This photo of the "Egyptian" arriving in Harrisburg during its final diesel power days was taken by Dr. Louis Marre and appeared in one of David Sweetland's "Lightning Stripes" books.
[He posted a 2007 photo that explains that the Hardee's now occupies the land were the depot sat.]
Raymond Barr posted
It's @9:25 AM, and NYC Train #463, The Egyptian, has arrived in Harrisburg Illinois from Chicago on its run over the Cairo line. Unattributed photos courtesy of the Harrisburg Facebook group.
If you'd like to get dialed in on NYC/Big Four history from Harrisburg on South to Cairo, go to the group Fans of New York Central 's Big Four Lines and look up Rex Settlemoir. His daddy and granddaddy were long time employees on the Cairo Line and recorded much activity in their days.

This town also got hit hard by the 1937 flood.

SouthernIllinoisRailroads [This web page has many more railroad photos from this town.]
Chronicling Illinois
Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

The depot is probably one of the buildings between Walnut and Popular Streets. Picture 4 above was probably the freight house and the building on the west side of the small yard near Gum Street.

Dennis DeBruler commented on a post
I noticed that Big Four had a rather big railyard between Muddy and Harrisburg.
https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/.../0bhc01120.jpg

Satellite

The large, double-hump yard was north of town where there is curved "green land" in this satellite image. The roundhouse and engine servicing facilities were west of the two humps in the middle. This building is about where the roundhouse was. There was a smaller yard on the east side of town between Commerce Street and what is now a trail. These would have been their yards until they built the big one north of town.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Cliff Wartman posted
Harrisburg IL during 1913 flood. Yard office and freight house area.

Rex Settlemoir posted
This is the NYC/Big 4 passenger depot at Harrisburg Illinois during the 1937 flood. I suspect that the "Egyptian" turned at Mt. Carmel until the flood waters receded and the Cairo line was put back into service around Harrisburg.
Art Wallis In 1937 the main part of the train still operated to and from Evansville, so I suspect you're right.

Dave Cantrell posted two photos with the comment:

Harrisburg, IL, NYC/Big 4 line during 1937 flood.
Chronicling Illinois
Shared with permission
Henry Horner Collection
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

2
[Note how deep the water is even though it is quite a ways from the Middle Fork Saline River. The land must be really flat and a lot of the town went under water.]