Vandalia, IL: Junction Tower: IC (now VRCC) vs. Penn

(Satellite)

Jacob Hortenstine posted
original interlocker at Vandalia Illinois ICRR PRR crossing
Jacob Hortenstine again posted
Vandalia Illinois interlocker IC and PRR crossed early 1900's

The IC line was the original charter line, so it got abandoned in the 1980s except for a short segment to the north which is the VRRC. CSX got the Penn route when Conrail split up. Of the three routes CSX had to St. Louis (B&O, which they severed a year or so ago, and L&N, which they sold as EVWR), this is the only route that CSX still uses across Illinois.

The tower was in the northeast quadrant with the connector track behind it.

See IC facilities for a picture of the buildings in the triangle below the Penn tracks.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

At photo resolution

Update:  Barry Simich posted two photos with the comment: "Pictures of the Vandalia, IL tower in 1994 (left) and in 1999 (right)."

1

2

Seven Tracks Photography posted

"The Vandalia Railroad"

With the old tower that guarded the Pennsylvania Railroad and Illinois Central's interlocking as their "headquarters," the Vandalia Railroad is a 5.5 mile long shortline owned by Pioneer Railcorp. Their only customer ships plastic and the rest of the line is used for storage cars. Currently on the property, there are two locomotives. The PREX 910 and 104. The 104 is currently for sale as Pioneer is chopping some units off their roster. The 910 is a recent addition that came from the Decatur Junction, another Pioneer property. With the old tower still in place, the SW1200, and the high-nosed GP9, this is a shot that throws you back in time. - 4/24/20

Hi-Res: https://flic.kr/p/2iUG25r
Jackson Vandeventer shared

Noah Haggerty posted
An old wig-wag crossing signal still stands in Vandalia, IL, in the late 1980s. This crossing, once part of the Illinois Central at Main Street, had been abandoned and paved over. Next to it, Vandalia Tower protected the IC and the former PRR, by then Conrail, seen to the left. To the right of the photographer, a tiny shortline serves  a single customer. John & Roger Kujawa Photo, Thomas Dyrek Collection.
Tim Shanahan shared