Joliet's web site about the station and tower
A Facebook post about the station and tower
The murals around and in the depot have their own notes.
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| Marty Bernard posted 2 at Once in Joliet Union Depot ATSF F7A 311C (will be rebuilt to CF7 2558) with the Texas Chief and GM&O E8A 100A (built as B&O EA and rebuilt as Alton E8A in 1953) with the Abe Lincoln at Joliet Union Station on April 1972. Roger Puta photo Darryl Van Nort: You can tell that the TX Chief had been at speed... the typical "wind lift" of the MU connector hatch in evidence. With sufficient speed, the wind off the nose of the loco, rushing up and over the top tended to get under that little door and lift them up. |
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| 20150418 0277 This view is looking south (timecard west) along the BNSF/Santa Fe tracks. Note the iron fence because Union Depot is no longer a train station. It is an "event center." The building across the tracks is the UD Tower. |
By the time I got my camera in 2014, I could not get the following view of the old platform because the fence along the platform had been installed.
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| John David posted Joliet as seen in the year 1992. Looking south from the Joliet Union Station platform, this Amtrak train #312 was known as The Loop - a state-supported train that operated from Chicago to Springfield in the morning and from Springfield to Chicago in the afternoon, with the locomotive leading southbound and the cab-car leading northbound (except Sunday). The Loop lasted for just over ten years eventually succumbing to budget woes between Amtrak and the State of Illinois, the last train ran in June of 1996. Cale Muzzarelli: It was the loop operated as a push pull train from Chicago to Springfield IL. It operated at the start with most the ex CNW bi levels with a cab car. Then had some of these ex metroliner cab cars. Also operated with a engine on both ends at times. Most the time the train was two cars. Steven Gray: So did this run at the same time as two trains a day service from STL to Chicago with the Eagle and the Ann Rutledge? Cale Muzzarelli: Steven Gray The loop was a morning departure from Chicago. The Ann Rutledge was late morning from Chicago. The State House departed Chicago mid afternoon. And the Texas Eagle departed in the evening from Chicago. The loop departed Springfield to Chicago mid afternoon with the same train set that came in to Springfield from Chicago. |
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| Looking east along the Metra/Rock Island tracks. Note three of the Rock Island tracks have been removed so the number of diamonds to be maintained has been reduced from sixteen to four. |
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On my May 23, 2015 visit there were a lot of trains in a short amount of time. I documented the highlights as comments in a Facebook posting.
And now some "before" pictures. I never knew it had canopies over the platforms.
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A southbound Chicago & Alton passenger train arriving at Joliet Union Station - 1917 postcard picture. From the Blackhawk collection. Bill Molony sharedBill Molony shared |
A different colorization of the same photo.
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| Steven Burns posted |
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| Bill Moloney posted |
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| Bill Molony posted Joliet Union Station was built in 1911 and 1912, using limestone quarried in Bedford, Indiana. My question for this group is, how would this limestone be routed from Bedford, Indiana to Joliet, Illinois back in 1911? From the Blackhawk collection. [Several different routes were suggested.] |
This is back when the Rock Island commuters crossed the diamonds and competed with GM&O and Santa Fe traffic and when GM&O and Sante Fe passenger trains competed with Santa Fe freight trains. BNSF runs their hot intermodal trains to the southern California ports on this route and that is one reason they wanted commuter and Amtrak trains out of the way of their tracks.
This photo shows the wide passenger loading platform that used to exist between the two BNSF/Santa Fe tracks. And of course there are no guard rails on the edge of the platform. I'm also reminded that Santa Fe used semaphores until 1990. Note that there are enough semaphores in this photo that you can see all three positions. The front wheels of the lead unit would be pounding the Rock Island diamonds.
Stuart's comment:
Dan's comment:
David Jordan Amtrak would have had to maintain otherwise unused ex-AT&SF trackage beyond Corwith. The Cameron Connection southwest of Galesburg enabled a shift to the ex-BN east of there and consolidation into a single depot (on the BN) at Galesburg.
Walt Del Calle And because Amtrak thought they would get more riders at Naperville than Joliet. And because BNSF wanted Amtrak off the Chilli.
(new window) Some drone shots of the new configuration.
Jim Kelling Is the 1912 Union Station open to visitors?
Union Station was built when the railroads were elevated. Before then, each railroad had its own depot.
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Paul Enenback took a 1969 photo of two Rock Island U25b's pulling a westbound TOFC.
Paul Enenback took a 1969 photo of the Texas Chief pulled by an A-A-B-B-B set of F-units. (It is approaching the Rock Island crossing, not GM&O. The GM&O tracks run parallel to the Santa Fe.)
Paul Enenback took a 1969 photo of a GM&O RS1 pulling a transfer over the connector in the southeast quadrant to the Rock Island while there is a westbound piggies train on the RI main. The paint on the steel work of the bridges looked a lot better in 1969 than it does now.
All of the pictures I took on May 23, 2015, from Union Depot and the new Amtrak platform.
A set of pictures taken on February 21, 2017, to celebrate a warm, sunny day in February and to capture the scene after all of the track construction is done.
Lots of interesting info in the comments on this posting.
May 4, 2017: A Behind The Scenes Look Of The Downtown Joliet Transportation Center It is too bad the diagram is unreadable.
Construction site tour offers vision of future Joliet train station “Precast concrete gives us instant gratification,” Lisa Dorothy said. “Two weeks ago I had nothing. Today, I have two stories.” Photos I wonder what provision there will be for cars to pick up people and their luggage.
Train station exterior nearly done; opening slated for early 2018
GM&O train waiting for the Rock Island Quad Cities Rocket to clear the crossing. (source)
Ramon Rhodes Facebook posting photo essay. I contributed some 2014 construction photos as comments.
Robby Gragg Nicely done, tower is not being demolished
Bill Molony posted Herald-News link about the new Metra Heritage Corridor platform opens.
Robby Gragg posted three photos with the comment: "Today was the grand opening of the new Joliet Gateway Center. Tours of the facility were given, including a first hand look at the restored UD Tower which will soon open up as a museum. I shot two trains from the tower."
Zachary C. Gillihan GRS Model 2
Until I saw Robert's first photo above, I did not realize the platform went so far North. But it makes sense because passenger trains were long in their heyday. It looks like the platform was three blocks long.
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| Bill Molony posted Three Burlington Northern "U-boats" of Northern Pacific and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy heritage were leading a unit coal train southbound on the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio tracks past UD Tower in Joliet on a sunny afternoon in April of 1971 when this photograph was taken. |
This photo shows the wide passenger loading platform that used to exist between the two BNSF/Santa Fe tracks. And of course there are no guard rails on the edge of the platform. I'm also reminded that Santa Fe used semaphores until 1990. Note that there are enough semaphores in this photo that you can see all three positions. The front wheels of the lead unit would be pounding the Rock Island diamonds.
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| Stuart Pearsson posted |
Stuart's comment:
Amtrak in the late 1970's as captured from the Joliet UD Tower.This shows why BNSF wanted the Amtrak trains and their platforms moved to the other (east) side. BNSF would have to stop their hot Z intermodal trains while Amtrak trains were stopped at the depot.
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| Dan Tracy posted |
The last run of Number 3 The Southwest Chief, calls its last stop at Joliet on July 31, 1996. The next day it was routed via the Mendota Sub of the BNSF.In response to the question of why did they change:
David Jordan Amtrak would have had to maintain otherwise unused ex-AT&SF trackage beyond Corwith. The Cameron Connection southwest of Galesburg enabled a shift to the ex-BN east of there and consolidation into a single depot (on the BN) at Galesburg.
Walt Del Calle And because Amtrak thought they would get more riders at Naperville than Joliet. And because BNSF wanted Amtrak off the Chilli.
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| Bill Molony posted Three Burlington Northern "U-boats" of Northern Pacific and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy heritage were leading a unit coal train southbound on the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio tracks past UD Tower in Joliet on a sunny afternoon in April of 1971 when this photograph was taken. |
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| Bill Molony posted Santa Fe diesel-electric motor car M.184, operating as AT&SF train #13, the all-stops Chicago-to-Pekin local, departing from Joliet Union Station.Kevin Kelleher Look at the length of that unit!!!! [Engineer in the front, then freight (LCL, express, mail), then passengers. Comments in another group placed the date as early 1950's.] |
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| William A. Shaffer posted Gulf Mobile & Ohio E7A #103 (Photographer Unknown - Collection of William A. Shaffer) |
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| Jack Ferry shared Donny Albertson's photo An IC caboose crosses the former RI at Joliet, Il on a w/b on 25MAR1990. [When I first saw this photo, I though Joliet UD Tower. But then I realized that the IC did not run through here. Then it occurred to me that 1990 must have been soon after the ICG was formed by merging IC and GM&O. These are GM&O tracks. ICG was pooling equipment but had not yet repainted it. And I never knew IC had a gray paint scheme.] |
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| Jeffrey Alexander-Kennedy posted Rock Island FA's 151 & 145 doublehead with 4-8-4 #5119 on a westbound freight, through Joliet, Illinois by JD Tower, the junction of the GM&O, Santa Fe and the Rock Island, in the fall of 1951...Picture by Wallace Abbey. [Note that all four Rock Island tracks are still present. So there are 16 diamonds and every train through the crossing pounds four of them. I have always seen it referred to as UD Tower for Union Depot.] |
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| Michael Jorgensen posted At the diamond. [The signal bridge in the background still has semaphores.] |
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| Metra posted Rolling past Union Station in Joliet on a sunny winter day, circa 2010. |
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| Mark Llanuza posted In the final month of operations everybody is out capturing the Mighty Rock. Were here in Joliet IL with eastbound 1980. [Mark catches some commuter trains parked on the extra tracks that the Rock Island used to have west of the Union Depot.] |
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| Mark Llanuza posted On March 31st the final day Rock Island commuter passes over the Santa Fe & GM&O |
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| Carl Venzke posted Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad (commuter) passenger train no. 17 and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad no. 5-9, the Quad Cities Rocket, in Joliet, Illinois, on May 18, 1972. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. |
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| Photo by Wallace W. Abbey
ATSF and CRIP, Joliet, Illinois, 1951
A Santa Fe freight train waits for a Rock Island train to cross the diamonds at Joliet, Illinois, on October 14, 1951. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-021-07 |
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| Donny Albertson posted Another Santa Fe w/b passes UD tower and JUS, crossing the former RI with a B23-7 and a GP39-2 on 26MAR1990 Donny Albertson Shadows were getting long and this freight just happened along. I ran out onto a junkyard canopy to gain some foreground, glad it didn't collapse! [This is another 1990's shot that cannot be taken today because the canopy he stood on is now a parking lot. I have yet to see a mixed freight on the transcon, but according to a comment by Andrew Stephenson, mixed freights do run between IHB and Galveston yards.] |
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| Donny Albertson posted An Amtrak e/b approaches JUS with two F40PH's on 25MAR1990 |
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| Photo courtesy of David Belden and the Local History Project from Herald-News from a posting Union Station was designed and constructed between 1908 and 1912 at a cost of about $250,000. |
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| BRHS posted This is a picture post card view of Joliet Union Station from about 100 years ago. |
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Bill Molony posted
This photograph was taken on the Santa Fe tracks looking railroad east (compass north) in 1960.
On the left is Joliet Union Station, constructed in 1912.
On the right is the Rock Island Railroad's UD interlocking tower, constructed in 1913.
In the background, just to the left of UD tower, is the former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern depot, constructed in 1892.
Bill Molony posted againBill Molony The upper level is leased out to a banquet hall and the lower level new houses a micro-brewery and sports bar business. Bill Molony posted again This is the Joliet interlocking, as it was in 1960. The photographer is looking north on the Santa Fe's westbound track. To the right is the Santa Fe's northbound track and farther to the right are the two tracks of the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio. The tracks going across belong to the Rock Island. The building on the left is Joliet Union Station, owned jointly by the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, the Santa Fe and the Rock Island, with each owning one-third; it opened for business in 1912. The building to the right is UD interlocking tower, owned and staffed by the Rock Island. It was completed in 1913. [Ed Brunner's comment below indicates this tower was staffed by Santa Fe.] |
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| Bill Molony posted Rock Island EMD E7A #638, arriving at Joliet Union Station with what is most likely train #13, the Peoria Rocket, in July of 1962. |
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| Bill Molony posted This is Joliet Union Station, at it looked in about 1917, five years after it opened for business in 1912. The photographer is looking east along the south station platform. The passenger trains of the Rock Island and the Michigan Central used the two platforms shown here on the south side of the station, while the passenger trains of the Santa Fe and the Chicago & Alton used the two platforms on the east side of the station. Tunnels and stairs allowed passengers access to the outer platforms on both the south and east sides, making it possible to two trains at a time on either side of the station. UD interlocking tower, completed in 1913, can be seen in the background. Brian Marra where was the MC yard or tower?! Bill Molony Metra's Joliet Yard - to the east of the interlocking - was the original site of the Michigan Central's yard. There had been an interlocking tower where the EJ&E was built across the MC. Richard Mead The curving bridge diagonally across from the station....this was so C&A could access Chicago by going down the MC before the direct line was built ?? Bill Molony The C&A was completed between Bloomington and Joliet in 1854, and between Joliet and Chicago in 1858.The elevated track connection in the southeast quadrant was used for freight transfers between the four railroads. Richard Mead Bill Molony Okay, I was going from what I read on a NYC webpage...The Alton line had reached Joliet when it completed the line up from Bloomington in August 1854. Alton trains ran between Chicago and Matteson over the Illinois Central, and between Matteson and Joliet over the partially completed MCRR Joliet Cutoff. The Alton had no line into Chicago until July 4, 1856, when the Alton's own line between Joliet and Chicago opened. Bill Molony Richard Mead The direct line from Joliet to Chicago was chartered as the Joliet & Chicago Railroad by the state of Illinois on February 15, 1855; it was surveyed later in 1855, completed from Joliet to Lockport in the fall of 1857 and from Lockport to Chicago in the spring of 1858, with the very first train operating on March 18, 1858. In 1855, a running agreement had been made with the Chicago & Rock Island with connections at Joliet was announced. Yes, the Joliet & Indiana was used between Joliet and Matteson and the Illinois Central between Matteson and Chicago, but that only lasted until 1858 when the Joliet & Chicago was completed. Also, keep in mind that at that time, all of the railroads in Joliet were at grade; the track elevation in downtown Joliet took place in 1908-1910. Richard Mead Did CM&G ever use the station? Bill Molony No; the CM&G did operate mixed (freight and passenger) trains in their early days, but they were freight-only by 1912 when JUS first opened. The EJ&E also discontinued their scheduled passenger trains in 1907 - five years before this station opened. Richard Mead Bill Molony I had thought I had seen a photo in a book in the Joliet library of a Milwaukee Road engine facing east at the station...but living in Oklahoma makes access to the library a problem. |
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| Bill Molony posted Rock Island EMD FP7 #402, leading a westbound train past Joliet Union Station in July of 1962. |
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| Carl Venzke posted June 1978: the ex-GM&O Chicago-Joliet Local, affectionately known as "The Plug," is now an RTA commuter train with F3 #883A and three "streamlined" ACF coaches from 1947. Photo by Joseph Petric Dennis DeBruler I just noticed the locomotive of a Rock Island route train parked at the east/west platform. (The Plug is at the north/south platform.) Ed Chambers Booth are headed to Chicago |
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| Donny Albertson posted More Amtrak at Joliet. F40PH 404 has a w/b in tow. A short consist, was this one of those Loops? 25MAR1990 Bill Molony This was a southbound train headed for Springfield and St. Louis - not a westbound. [Note that the photo is 1990 so Santa Fe still has semaphores. This also shows show the passenger trains on the BM&O/Alton route had to crossover to the Santa Fe tracks to park at he depot's platform.] |
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| Bill Molony posted Santa Fe GE U33C #8514 and GE U30GC #8004 leading a westbound manifest freight train past Joliet Union Station on the afternoon of August 31, 1978. John Govednik Had to research 8004. Never saw a u30cg before.Bill Molony Only six U30CG locomotives were ever built, and they were a special order for the Santa Fe. |
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| Bill Molony posted Santa Fe GE B40-8W #517 leading an eastbound piggyback train past Joliet Union Station - 1995. Dennis DeBruler  So the switch from semaphores to searchlights happened between 1990 and 1995.[Another view of the passenger loading platform between the two Santa Fe tracks.] |
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| Bill Molony posted Amtrak EMD F40PH #287, arriving at Joliet Union Station with a southbound train on the morning of August 31, 1978. Dennis DeBruler Did Amtrak normally use the GM&O route but, as it approached the depot, it crossed over to the Santa Fe side to access the platform? And then south of the Rock Island route it crossed back over to the GM&O route?Bill Molony Yes, that had been the practice from when Joliet Union Station first opened in 1912. The Chicago & Alton - Gulf, Mobile & Ohio passenger trains all crossed over to the Santa Fe tracks in order to be positioned by the station platforms, and this practice continued with Amtrak's trains. There were no station platforms by the C&A - GM&O tracks. |
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| Bill Molony posted A westbound Rock Island freight train approaching the interlocking at Joliet's UD tower. The two nearest tracks belonged to the Santa Fe, and the other two tracks belonged to the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio. Undated, but circa 1960. Today, the Santa Fe's tracks belong to BNSF, the GM&O's tracks belong to Union Pacific, the three Rock island tracks to the right are long gone, and the remaining Rock Island track belongs to Metra. |
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| Roger Holmes posted Joliet, about the time Amtrak came into being. Jacob Metzger Did the GM&O trains switch up one track to the AT&SF tracks to board? James L. Ludwig They did under AMTRAK because they went on Santa Fe trackage to go to Lorenzo Road where they accessed their peqout branch to get to the mainline westbound. Most eastbounds went the main through downtown Wilmington. This looks like The plug due to the time of day.The crossover on the north side was torn up years ago due to frequent derailments. The current interchange is south of this spot and is being reconfigured for the new AMTRAK station which is under construction south of the Rock Island interchange along track 4. on the east side.TERRIFIC MEMORIES ROGER!!!!!! Roger Holmes This would have been the Abe Lincoln. The plug, when I saw it, was always powered by an 880 class boiler equipped F3. James L. Ludwig Forgot that AMTRAK had leased the trainset in it's entirety rather than run rainbow. |
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| Paul Echols posted Several years ago I printed up some old negatives and this was included. I don't know where it was taken, but some of the other negatives had cars with Illinois license plates dated 1923. Anyone want to make a guess where this was taken? I know it isn't Southern Illinois--although that is where the negatives were found. Ned Carlson Looks like Joliet. Alton on the right, ATSF on the left, Rock Island crossing. Davis Shroomberg Yes, very definitely Joliet. No doubt taken from atop the signal bridge that, until 2015, still stood south of the diamonds. Joliet Union Station is clearly visible, and, while difficult to make out on my phone, you can see UD Tower as well. Dan Tracy Before Hendrickson lumber replaced the building to the left of the elevation. Evidence of original street level trackage to the right of the coal trestle. Definitely taken from the signal bridge. Original stairway canopy's on the Rock Island and Santa Fe/C&A side. I would venture that this shot was taken in the late 30's into the 40's. [Look at all of those smokestacks near downtown.] |
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| Bill Molony posted Gulf, Mobile &Ohio train #2, the northbound Abraham Lincoln, stopped at Joliet Union Station. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Bill's posting, 20180326 0181rc Note the GM&O train is setting on the eastbound Santa Fe track. The northbound GM&O train had to cross its southbound track to get to this track. This passenger train is not only tying up Santa Fe's eastbound track, it is forcing Santa Fe westbound trains to stop and wait as well because passengers have to cross the westbound track to get to the train. Amtrak and Metra passenger stops tying up BNSF trains is one of the reasons the platform was moved from the old depot on the west side to a new one that is being built on the east side. (There is a westbound intermodal train in the background of the photo below.) Bill was instrumental in the preservation of the UD Junction Tower on the right. It is to be opened for tours as a tourist attraction.The photographer of the above photo was standing among the several Rock Island tracks that used to go through this junction. |
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Golden State and Grand Canyon at Joliet Rock Island E7 634 eases to a stop with a late-running Golden State from Los Angeles at Joliet Union Station in 1951. In the background Santa Fe F units wait with the westbound Grand Canyon. Wallace W. Abbey photo |
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| Bill Molony posted Rock Island EMD E7A #640, leading RI train #3, the westbound Golden State, across the GM&O and AT&SF diamonds at Joliet. This extra fare Chicago-to-Los Angeles train featured reclining seat coaches, a dining car, Pullman sleeping cars, and a club lounge car. Dennis DeBruler A lot of views of UD have the passenger loading platform for Sante Fe + GM&O, but this is the first time I remember seeing it for the Rock Island. |
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| Bill Molony posted Rock Island Alco DL107 #622, pausing at Joliet Union station with a westbound intercity passenger train - 1953. Dennis DeBrulerYou and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicago Railroad Historians. I never appreciated how long the RI platform was until I saw this photo. |
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| William Shapokin posted Can't do that any more -- now that Metra has moved its Joliet psgr facilities east of the xing at Joliet, ROCK suburban trains no longer (on a regular basis, anyway), stop in front of the Union Station (opened 1912). This view (looking west) was taken December 1990 by Paul D Schneider. Wm Shapotkin collection. |
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| Bill Molony posted Camera-toting railfans clustered on the Rock Island platform of Joliet Union Station. Richard Mead Good photo of the REA elevator. |
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| Mark Llanuza posted Its 1975 at UD tower Joliet IL with westbound Rock Island ready to cross the Santa Fe and GM&O lines .I went back last month 2018 for the grand opening of the new Union station center and tried to match up as close as i could the before and after of what it used to be and now.The tower is now a museum .Most of the many tracks are long gone and the 20 plus Rock Island trains that used to cross here a day is down to two Iowa Interstate trains and two CSX trains a day on the old Mighty Rock Island .I wasn't sure if i posted this before with all the new member's that been added, Dennis DeBrulerYou and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicago Railroad Historians. Note the gap between the UP tracks (closest to the tower) is now wider. That is because the passenger platform was moved from between the BNSF tracks to between the UP tracks. It used to be that all passenger trains (two commuter lines and Amtrak) interfered with the BNSF tracks. Now none of them do. |
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| Dennis DeBruler replied to Jim's question Just a tunnel on the lower floor to walk through it. You can access the old train platforms with the stairs on the south side. The waiting room is leased to a caterer. I took pictures of the room through the glass window in a door during one of my visits. |
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| Dennis DeBruler replied to Jim's question From the other door to the platform |
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| Richard Mead posted Photo found online. Industrial blogspot ? Joliet Illinois. [Richard did not get it from this industrial blogspot because I got it from him.] Bob Lalich Wallace Abbey photo David Daruszka Thanks Bob, we need to credit the photographers whenever possible. More on Abbey here: http://www.railphoto-art.org/collections/abbey/ |
Union Station was built when the railroads were elevated. Before then, each railroad had its own depot.
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Paul Enenback took a 1969 photo of two Rock Island U25b's pulling a westbound TOFC.
Paul Enenback took a 1969 photo of the Texas Chief pulled by an A-A-B-B-B set of F-units. (It is approaching the Rock Island crossing, not GM&O. The GM&O tracks run parallel to the Santa Fe.)
Paul Enenback took a 1969 photo of a GM&O RS1 pulling a transfer over the connector in the southeast quadrant to the Rock Island while there is a westbound piggies train on the RI main. The paint on the steel work of the bridges looked a lot better in 1969 than it does now.
All of the pictures I took on May 23, 2015, from Union Depot and the new Amtrak platform.
A set of pictures taken on February 21, 2017, to celebrate a warm, sunny day in February and to capture the scene after all of the track construction is done.
Lots of interesting info in the comments on this posting.
May 4, 2017: A Behind The Scenes Look Of The Downtown Joliet Transportation Center It is too bad the diagram is unreadable.
Construction site tour offers vision of future Joliet train station “Precast concrete gives us instant gratification,” Lisa Dorothy said. “Two weeks ago I had nothing. Today, I have two stories.” Photos I wonder what provision there will be for cars to pick up people and their luggage.
Train station exterior nearly done; opening slated for early 2018
GM&O train waiting for the Rock Island Quad Cities Rocket to clear the crossing. (source)
Ramon Rhodes Facebook posting photo essay. I contributed some 2014 construction photos as comments.
Robby Gragg Nicely done, tower is not being demolished
Bill Molony posted Herald-News link about the new Metra Heritage Corridor platform opens.
Commuters will have access to the south tunnel entrance in the portico section of the train station. But the rest of the station will be blocked off. “We are still doing all of our finishing work,” Dorothy said, estimating that the entire station should open by early April.John Del Vecchio posted a photo of a Santa Fe train that shows the platform used to go to the otherside of the Jefferson Street overpass.
Robby Gragg posted three photos with the comment: "Today was the grand opening of the new Joliet Gateway Center. Tours of the facility were given, including a first hand look at the restored UD Tower which will soon open up as a museum. I shot two trains from the tower."
Zachary C. Gillihan GRS Model 2
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| Timothy Pitzen posted on Robby's posting |
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| Bill Molony posted Gulf, Mobile & Ohio train #2, the northbound Abraham Lincoln, departing from Joliet Union Station. Dennis DeBrulerYou and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicago Railroad Historians. This sequence shows how the GM&O northbound trains had to cross over their southbound track to get to Santa Fe's westbound track to access the old passenger platform next to the Union Depot. Then when it left it would have to crossover back to its own northbound track. With the new Gateway Center, the Amtrak and commuter trains can stay on the UP tracks and not interfere with BNSF train traffic. |
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| Bill Molony posted Gulf, Mobile & Ohio train #2, The Abraham Lincoln, paused at Joliet Union Station - undated. Dennis DeBruler  It's setting on a Stante Fe track. It looks like they have weeds growing in their own tracks.Mitch Markovitz Well there's 2 additional parlors in the consist if this helps put a date on it. By the way Dennis the train is on the joint passenger tracks. So called because they serve the passenger platforms. That's joint trackage, freight over on the right.Dennis DeBruler Thanks for the "joint passenger tracks" terminology. So I assume Santa Fe's freight trains used the two eastern tracks through here. |
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| Tony Raia posted One of Amtrak’s re-route today, January 14, due to a derailment. Joliet, IL. [Amtrak trains were using the connector to the former Rock Island because CN had a derailment up by Rowell Chemical that blocked both CN tracks.] |
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| John David Larson posted
This photograph of mine from 1994 shows the Amtrak Southwest Chief as it stopped in Joliet, Illnois for passengers. This used to be the legendary "Super Chief" run of the Santa Fe Railroad, of course that ended with the advent of Amtrak in 1971.
Just two years after this photo, Amtrak began rerouting this train, and an era of came to an end. No longer could a person if they were so inclined ride the old Santa Fe all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles like the old days.
Brandon McShane By that time the train had already been routed off the Second District through Pasadena, California and was running through Fullerton instead. |
Robert Rose posted three photos with the comment: "Three photos from a Chicago area trip taken at Joliet IL August 1971. Unfortunately the notes for this trip are among the missing so I have no info on these passenger trains."
[The third one shows how GM&O's passenger trains crossover and use Santa Fe's tracks at the station to access the platforms.]
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| Tony Raia posted Metra 425 pulling into Joliet. 3-26-19. DavidandLaura Greenberg Tony, drone shot or standing on top of the Will County Courthouse? Tony Raia DavidandLaura Greenberg courthouse. Craig Cloud Metra still control jct or hand off to BNSF? Mike Heiligstedt Craig Cloud BNSF and UP control their own traffic. Dennis DeBruler I knew Metra had an end-of-line coach yard in the former Michigan Central yard. But this is the first time I have seen that yard. |
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| Dan Tracy posted With the recent discussion of UP pulling trains off the BNSF Transcon in favor of NS rights from KC to Springfield I though I'd share this shot of this first SP train utilizing these rights with engineer Fred King rolling westbound through Joliet on Santa Fe in October of 95. John Morelli So the UP trains that use the transcon to get to Bedford Park will just use the CN Joliet sub then if they decide to use the NS from KC to Springfield? Dan Tracy Good question. Dennis DeBruler I would assume that they use their former Alton route between Springfield and Global 4. Especially since we taxpayers helped upgrade that route for them. Robert Metz Dennis DeBruler I hear the UP mention Global 4 on my scanner - - where is that ? Dennis DeBruler Robert Metzhttps://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4... BNSF and UP dump a lot of trucks on I-80, which is already choked because the bridge over the river is just two lanes. Mark Stoeckel Dennis DeBruler - The I-80 bridge is 3 lanes over the river. The state wants trucks for to BNSF/Elwood & Global 4 to use I-55 and exit @ Arsenal Rd. The I-55 bridge is only 2 lanes. IDOT does not want container trucks to use US 52 down to the Intermodal terminals. Dennis DeBruler Mark Stoeckel At least westbound, the third lane is exit only. That is good for me because I get off to check the action at Brandon Locks. But that is bad for through I-80 traffic. I know the state doesn't want trucks to use the side roads, but have you ever seen it enforced? I've seen IL-53 backed up with a lot of trucks on it. One time when I tried to turn north onto IL-53 from Mills, I couldn't during my green cycle because traffic was setting on IL-53. I was using Mills because I was looking for a way to get to the Brandon Locks without using I-80. |
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| ctr.trains.com (source) |
Joliet junket
An eastbound Rock Island freight, led by a red-and-black F unit trio — FT A-B 99/99B plus an F2 — passes the Joliet (Ill.) Union Station platform, on which several passengers wait. The Will County courthouse rises above the train and station.
Wallace W. Abbey photo
[The courthouse dates this as an older photo.]Wallace W. Abbey photo
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| One of six photos Marty Bernard posted The front of Joliet Union Station on March 29, 1971. Marty Bernard shared |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Marty's photo Dennis DeBruler: Access to the platform from the north is now gated off. And the south stairs can't be used because of construction. I sure hope that when the construction is done, the south stairs are usable again. July 9, 2021 |
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| The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society posted Happy Labor Day to all you workers out there! (Joliet, IL. 1974/1975. John Riha photo.) Dennis DeBruler shared The Joliet Union Depot is in the background. It still stands, but it is now closed to the public. |
Back when the platform was on the west side.
Robert Daly posted four photos with the comment: "Joliet Union Station had an interesting collection of semaphore signals governing the crossing of the Santa Fe and GM&O (later ICG) with the Rock Island. See photos for dates and descriptions."
Nelson Gregory: I was on both of the signal crews that rewired much of the plant, dug in all new underground cable and replaced the semaphores with color lights.
South end starting in 85, north end after that.
I later maintained that plant from 95 to 2015.
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| 1 Looking east, 8/16/86. [That must be Timecard East for Santa Fe, so this is geographic North.] |
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| 2 View west, 8/16/86 |
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| 3 Closeup of eastbound signals, 02/19/90 |
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| 4 02/19/90 |
Until I saw Robert's first photo above, I did not realize the platform went so far North. But it makes sense because passenger trains were long in their heyday. It looks like the platform was three blocks long.
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| Google Earth, May 2008 |
A small correction to a detailed compilation. UD Tower was staffed by Santa Fe employees. Rock Island Tower (on the EJ&E) was staffed by EJ&E employees. MC Tower (in between UD and RI) was staffed by Rock Island employees.
ReplyDeleteMC seems to have been originally a tower designed to direct the Michigan Central trains across the Rock Island tracks, using crossovers (rather than a crossing) that Rock Island trains could use to shift from eastbound to west bound tracks or vice versa.
In 1944-45, when CTC was installed from the RI double track Blue Island to Morris, the CTC board was installed at MC in two separate segments: Morris to Joliet and Joliet to Blue Island. When I worked in the tower briefly in 1978, the third shift was covered by an employee from the dispatcher's roster, the other shifts covered by train order clerks. The DS employee covered the job sequentially for several weeks with no down time, then was off for ten sequential rest days (I think it was ten but it could have been eight), and the job was then protected by a DS from the Des Moines office, which is how I showed up there, covering the regular guy's down time.
Ed Brunner
Thanks for the insight. I don't want to change Bill's quote, so I added your information next to his. I also copied the UC+MC Towers information to their notes:
Deletehttps://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2016/06/joliet-il-jc-and-mc-towers-ej-vs-ri-and.html