Springfield, IL: Union Stations

(WayMarking; 3D Satellite south side, 3D Satellite north (track) side)

Jimmy Fiedler posted
First Union station Springfield IL
Rick F Most likely it is along Madison St as the O & M became the B&O's line from Flora to Beardstown in 1893 and would have shared trackage with the IC along Madison.
Kenneth Baker same location as the current union station 5th-6th & madison spfd,il

As with many towns, the Union Station did not serve all of the railroads. The Alton and Wabash had their own depots. This station served the railroads that shared track on Madison Street --- IC, B&O, and CS&StL. The CS&StL was the name on the 1928 RR Atlas and stood for Chicago, Springfield & St. Louis Railway. Its predecessor was Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad.

By 1939 this depot had been replaced by the current depot. Madison Street must have been an industrial area back then. I put a red rectangle around the depot, and I included the Old State Capitol in the lower-left corner for reference. (As an aside, it looks like the Illinois Building was built before 1939. I noticed it in the photo because of its height.)

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

The B&O was a branch of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. It was a B&O route that was abandoned by B&O rather than CSX. I'm using the label "abanBaOSW" to document towns that were on this north/south B&O route in Illinois.

Randy James commented on Jimmy's posting

The Madison Street (north) side of the depot looking eastish.

20160629 3491c

This is less of an angle. You can see more of one of the dormers peaking out from behind the shelter roof.

The south side.

The south side in the context of the park.

The east side was the freight and baggage side because it had this scale and large freight door. Unlike most depots, the road and tracks were on the same side of this building.

Update:

George W Lane posted
[The comment called this the Chicago & Alton station because that is what was noted on the back. But the comments correct that.]
George W Lane Building on the left reads St Nicholas Hotel and the water tower reads Capital City Paper Co.
Bill Edrington Springfield Union Station, shown in the photo, was actually the IC and B&O station. The C&A/GM&O station, still used by Amtrak, is at 3rd Street between Washington and Jefferson.
[There are several comments about the plans to move the Amtrak station from 3rd Street to 10th Street. It sounds like the plans will remain wishful thinking.]

Jim Arvites posted
View of a passenger train at the Springfield Union Station in Springfield, Illinois circa 1900. The station was built by the Illinois Central Railroad and opened in 1898. For the next 73 years, until Amtrak, IC trains used the station. Today the building has been restored and is part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Complex.
[The comments include a couple of contemporary photos.]

This is the second "street running" addition I have done today. The first was Amtrak/Monon in Bedford, IN.

Classic Streamliners posted
Illinois Central GP9 No. 9190, two coaches wait to be added to Train 22, The Green Diamond at Springfield, Illinois on May 5, 1966. Photo by Roger Puta.
[I did not realize they had to restore the clock tower.]

Steven Kent posted
Springfield, IL

Ross Brocksmith posted four images with the comment:

Illinois Central RR Station

Springfield

—-

500 E Madison Street

Constructed 1896-1898

It once had a clock tower.  Then, as in this image, she was towerless for a time. More recently, she is re-towered. 

Francis T Bacon, Architect 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Image Source/Credit: 

Ernest Grassel Collection

Only seen in-person in the Local History Collection

Downtown Branch of Peoria Public Library

#peoriapubliclibrary  #peorialocalhistory  #ernestgrasselcollection

From Grassel’s volume titled  SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS.

Richard Fiedler shared

Ken Morrison: That's the Green Diamond parked there. Train had to back in; and would drop the last car, full of Springfield passengers. Then when the GD returned from St. Louis later in the day, they'd reattach it to the end of the now Chicago-bound train. (I know, because I've "danced that dance". My grandfather took me to the Illinois State Fair. Despite having more trains, the GM&O surprisingly lacked a morning train to St. Louis. The IC Green Diamond was the only way for a Chicagoan to take the train to/from a day at the Fair)

Richard Fiedler shared

Bob Alkire: I believe it now is the entrance to the Abraham Lincoln Ptresidentia Library. Technically it was Springfield Union Stqtion since trains of the C&IM also used it at one time.

[I think the B&O also used it.]

1

1

3

4

One of several images posted by Dave Durham concerning the B&O RoW
Rick F The CSX railroad ended up with this property along Watch Ave due to it owning the B&O railroad which orginally had this property. The B&O also had control for a while of the Chicago and Alton Railroad, which became part of the GM&O, and used the yard and shops at what is Ridgely yard till they no longer serviced the Springfield area. I am not sure when these tracks were built along Watch Ave but they seemed to always be in B&O control. They use to have an interchange with the C&IM where they crossed and then a Y where they joined in with the GM&O tracks.Bill Edrington The line paralleling Watch Avenue belonged to the Cincinnati, Indianapolis & Western Railroad, which became part of the B&O in 1927. It connected the Chicago & Alton main line with the C&A’s former St. Louis, Peoria & Northern (“P&N”) line. This was part of the route by which the CI&W/B&O line coming in from Indianapolis, Tuscola and Decatur connected to the C&A main. Christopher Kunz’s map (above) shows this clearly. I wouldn’t have guessed that CSX still owned any real property in the Springfield area, but the sign certainly indicates that they do.Christopher Kunz Sr. I use to play baseball on some diamonds off of 11th St and Black Ave and CSX has been trying to sell that land for 25 years

Christopher Kunz Sr. commented on Dave's posting
My brother found this map

Lots of information in the comments about the staffed towers that were in Springfield. (More information than I can hope to understand.)

Paul Jarvert shared
On a sunny day in October, 1950, an IC train makes a station stop at Springfield, IL. Leading the train is E8A 4021, one of four E8A's (numbered 4018-4021) delivered the previous June. Note the old style diamond emblem on the nose. Cliff Downey collection.
Aaron Sims: Didn't know there was street running in Springfield.
Vintage Railroad Photos pre-1975ish: I don't recall the specifics, but there was probably 12-15 blocks of street running in Springfield. Trains would have to leave the mainline and navigate the streets to reach the Springfield station, then they would backtrack to the mainline. When the Green Diamond was inaugurated in 1936 a small station was built along the mainline. However, this station was abandoned after a few years and the GD returned to serving the downtown station.
Will Rasmussen: Train is eastbound. B&O / IC trackage was on north side of depot. Signals in background protect the B&O branch to Beardstown diamond with the GM&O Chicago to St Louis.
Rick Powell: Will, if the train is facing east, that means it would back up to get to the station and then head out, locomotive ahead, when it departed. I seem to remember a shrill whistle, kind of like a toy whistle instead of a train horn, that the crew would sound from the rear car at the grade crossings when the train was backing up.
Will Rasmussen: Correct, IC trains used the wye at Avenue Tower to back in or out of Springfield to continue to Chicago or STL.
Joe Crain: The Union Station depot now serves as the welcoming center for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The tall clock tower that was part of original construction in the 1890s and later removed by the IC was rebuilt in accordance with original blueprints as part of the restoration prior to the museum opening in 2005.