Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Wamac+Centralia, IL: CN/IC's Coaling Tower and Roundhouse

(Satellite)


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The key for taking these pictures of the CN/IC yards was finding Hudson Avenue in Wamac, IL. Looking at a satellite image, what we see today is a remnant of a 360-degree roundhouse. The yellow in the photo is the control house and girder of the turntable.

In this wide-angle view further to the south, we see the end of the roundhouse on the right and the coaling tower on the left.


Looking at a Street View, I was lucky that no trains were parked on the tracks while I was there. (The Bing "street viewer" did not go down this side street.) I then went back to the van to get my telescope (55-200) lens. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a clear shot of the coal tower because I was not willing to step onto railroad property. Even if I did trespass, I would not get a view without that overhead yellow fuel line that goes from a tank on the left to the fuel stands in the middle of the yard.


They did leave the tracks on the stalls in the northwest quadrant of the roundhouse area and do use them for engine storage.



Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
South Yard, Centralia, IL, Sept. 29, 1911. This photo shows most of the coal cleaning/sorting/crushing plant at this mine, plus the tipple where most of the coal produced here was dumped into hoppers for shipment elsewhere. To the right is a small tipple where coal was stored before being dumped into steam locomotive tenders. IC photo, Cliff Downey coll.
 
Andy Zukowski posted
Illinois Central 2-10-2 # 2710 in the "bone yard" near the Centralia roundhouse. Photo taken by Don Morice in 1959
Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post
The coaling tower still stands. https://maps.app.goo.gl/QnfTwZU6LLYJA23z8

John Gowler's posting of seven photos motivated me to find my photos of this yard. His comment was: "Pics taken on the Centralia il / Wamac il yards." It is nice that they still have the IC "death star" logo on the fuel tank. The slogan is "SAFETY, FUEL FOR THOUGHT."
James Patterson Helped paint the caboose and 3106.

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A comment on a posting of a caboose by James Patterson

Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
In 1912 the Illinois Central began construction of new shops at Centralia, IL, to service and repair locomotives and freight cars. The new facilities would be located approximately two miles south of downtown and would replace the old shops, some dating back to the 1850's when the IC built through Centralia.
An important piece of the shop complex was a 48 stall roundhouse that formed a near-complete circle, with two tracks exiting the south end of the roundhouse. As built, 39 of the stalls were devoted to running repairs, and the other nine were equipped with drop pits for the replacement of locomotive drivers or lead trucks.
Construction on both the freight car repair shops and the roundhouse began in July, 1912. In this view dated Sept. 6, about half of the exterior walls had been erected. The nine drop pits were located to the right, in the portion of the roundhouse that already has part of the roof erected. Construction moved swiftly, and the freight car repair facilities opened in January, 1913, and the locomotive facilities were completed in February, 1913.
More info (probably more than you ever wanted to know) about the Centralia shops can be found at the link below.
IC photo, Cliff Downey coll.
https://www.google.com/…/ed…/American_Engineer/Ido-AQAAMAAJ…
Greg Beal I still work in that roundhouse or what is left of it. As of the end of July this year the building will closed. Such is the Canadian way, not needed!

The sand tower.
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Canadian Railway Observations (CRO) posted
EMD-built SD60 locomotives CN 5469 and 5477 are seen in new paint, standing by the old ICRR coal chute at Centralia, IL on December 18th.(CRO Archives) www.canadiabnraiilwayobservations.com
Bradley A Rueter posted
Anyone know where a copy of this can be found? It’s a painting of Centralia car shops and roundhouse.
Bradley A Rueter posted
Centralia, IL roundhouse being built 1912
[The photo's caption: "On October 21, 1912, construction is well underway on the new roundhouse at Centralia, Illinois. When looking at construction pictures of this era, we see the abundant use of wheelboarrows and labor as well as steam power. ICRR photo. ICHS archives."]

Donald Morice posted four photos with the comment: "Some photos that I took in the Centralia Illinois roundhouse in the summer and fall of 1957."
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4-8-2 #2604 all cleaned up for display at the DuQuoin state fair in 1957.

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#2608 raising steam in the Centralia roundhouse prior to an assignment on the Carbondale local in fall 1957.

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# 2500 in the Centralia roundhouse just before her retirement from service. She would be saved from the scrapper and go on display in a Centralia park in which she resides to this day.

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#2410 resting in the Centralia roundhouse.

Gary Herring commented on the third photo posted by Donald
Sister # 2542, McComb

Mary Rae McPherson posted
August 9, 1981
Mary Rae McPherson posted
December 25, 1981
Mary Rae McPherson posted
November 29, 1981
[Need to research where the backshop was.]

Michael Write shared
Drone shot of the old Centralia, Illinois roundhouse. Looks to be a pretty good sized one. Shot from about 300’. Used to be Illinois Central now CN.

Michael Write shared
Just south of the old IC roundhouse is this coaling tower. Not many of these left. Centralia was once quite a railroad town. A lot of tracks and foundations of old RR buildings still around.
[I added three photos in comments to this share.]
Michael Write shared two photos with the comment: "Here is a couple of close up shots of the old Centralia coaling tower taken by the drone. This is a massive building."
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Andy Lighter another great picture, but this side doesn't look as well preserved.

Vintage Railroad Photos pre-1975ish posted
Illinois Central 2-10-2 2710 is spewing an impressive smoke plume outside the roundhouse at Centralia, IL, on Sept. 5, 1958. Hostlers and engine crews often were "called on the carpet" if managers saw a massive smoke display such as this one. However, by this date, diesels were quickly replacing steam locomotives, maintenance was being cut back on the surviving steamers, and it wasn't uncommon to catch a steamer spewing out generous amounts of smoke.

Number 2710 was built in July, 1921, by Lima, and originally numbered 2961. In April, 1943, she was rebuilt at Paducah "in kind" (ie, without any changes in wheel arrangement or major modifications) and renumbered 2710. During the rebuilding the boiler pressure was raised from 190 psi to 240 psi, and tractive effort was raised from 72,112 pounds to 91,088 pounds. Retirement came around 1960-61, and afterwards 2710 (along with all other IC 2-10-2's) was scrapped.

Sept. 5, 1958, Centralia, IL, Richard Wallin photo, Cliff Downey coll.

Cliff Downey shared
William H. Tolliver: I often wonder if there were alot of structure fires caused by burning cinders from steam locomotives.

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