 |
| One of several photos posted by Eric Berg, flipped per the comments In case some people haven't seen these...photos from 1935 and by John W. Barriger III. |
I've studied this town before, but I could not find a posting. One issue is that neither Google nor Bing Maps can find the town! So I determined it is at the intersection of the old Wabash Chicago-Mainline-Altamont route and TP&W. I looked along US-24 west of Gillman to find it. The town is not small, I don't know why both map services list streets and other towns with "Forest", but not this town even when looking at the town. (Update: because this town is spelled "Forrest," not "Forest." I have merged the material from the other post into this one.)
 |
| 1940 Aerial Photo from ILHAP |
Jesef Kleffman shared his album of 25 photos. Since the link is public, I'm including just a sample of his photos.
The industry switched from cupolas to side-bay windows when taller freight cars such as hi-cube boxcars and autoracks were introduced. The view from a cupola was blocked by the taller cars. This is the first interior shot I have seen of a side-bay car.
 |
| Jesef Kleffman shared |
 |
| Jesef Kleffman shared |
 |
| Jesef Kleffman shared |
 |
| Jesef Kleffman shared, looking West with the depot on the left and the turntable on the right. |
 |
| Richard Fiedler posted Wabash engine terminal Forrest IL. Note the Forrest House Hotel in the background. William Ankrom: This photo has to be looking NW. Richard Fiedler shared Kevin Endres: Forrest was the operation before they moved it to Decatur and then back to Forrest and back to Decatur. The house I grew up in is just a couple hundred feet from the turntable. It's not functioning now but when I was younger I had the good fortune to operate that turntable to turn the "local" engine around. One of the yard staff had seen me multiple times and asked me if I wanted to operate it. I said, "YES, who as a 15 year old wouldn't?" William Ankrom: I remember a time when the guy threw the wrong switch and we dropped 6 cars in the turntable pit instead of the east wye. Took 30 minutes for the dust to settle. IT wasnt me and the guy is still with us who did it Lips are sealed. The caboose track and the wye switch weren't 10' ft apart . |
 |
| Rich Whittington commented on Richard's share took this last summer [of 2023] Richard Fiedler: That is the same turntable pictured in the post. It was the final turntable installed there. There were at least 3 turntables that served there since 1880 and each one was progressively longer. |
The copper thieves in the Chicago area don't know about this old electric motor. I hope it stays that way. Fortunately, the readership of this blog is low, so I'm not giving the secret away.
Update:
 |
| Jesef Kleffman shared |
 |
| Richard Fiedler commented on Josef's sharing James Holzmeier posted this Sanborn Fire Protection map of the Wabash engine terminal and roundhouse that existed prior to 1930 or so. |
 |
| Richard Fiedler commented on Josef's sharing Wabash depot and Forrest House hotel about 1905. Part of the old depot exists within the restored depot |
 |
| Richard Fiedler commented on Josef's sharing 1955 |
 |
| Richard Fiedler commented on Josef's sharing After abandonment about 2001 |
 |
| Mark Llanuza posted I'm at Forrest IL 1982 the Jct N&W and TP&W cross each other .This was the N&W Orland Park line that went to Decatur IL .This Jct had a agent working here and a N&W yard with turntable and interchange track with TP&W .By late 1989 the N&W took this line out of service.I went back in 2012 to match my older shot and the only thing left was the lonely station and deep weeds. |
 |
| John Stell posted Depot at Forrest. Not sure of ownership. Wabash agent and operators copied TP&W train orders. Date and photographer unknown. John Stell collection. Richard Fiedler: About 1949. This shows the configuration after a recent fire and rebuilding. Richard Fiedler posted Forrest IL early 1950’s as steam support facilities are still in place and the operator section has been reconfigured and shortened after a fire without the turret. Asbestos siding followed later. Chet French: The depot was rebuilt about 1951. At the same time the interlocked was installed for the TP&W crossing. Before then there were stop boards for both railroads. Richard Fiedler shared Chet French: I believe the order boards were always displaying red serving as stop boards for the TP&W crossing. There were stop boards on the TP&W. The interlocking was installed in 1951. Later photos taken in that location show the southbound home signal north of the depot and a concrete bungalow at the south end of the depot. Steam facilities served the Streator branch engines and the main line locals engines from Landers and Decatur that tied up at Forrest on Mon., Wed., and Friday nights. William Ankrom: yep you're looking north Maybe some cars on the east wye great picture. Had to take a grain train to fairbury, west wye out of service so we shoved out the east wye and delivered. That was fun! TPW |
 |
| Comments on John's post |
 |
| Sam Carlson posted You can't see this anymore! NW 8076 heads north across the TP&W diamonds at Forrest on November 13, 1982. An eastward TP&W train waits in the background. David Jordan: NS abandoned it in 1990 but TP&W purchased this section to serve Hagar Lumber south of town. Hagar closed a short time later, and the line was removed in late 1992. Brian Knight: Wabash Changed crews at Forrest years ago. |
 |
| Doug Kaniuk posted this and four other pictures Forrest Illinois, 9/3/2016, where the Wabash crossed the TP&W (see map).The TP&W still there, Wabash line abandoned. Both railroads interchanged freight cars here. Pictures of the Wabash station at Forrest. There is a picture of the turntable, small, probably to turn small steam engines. And a picture of the small bridge over the creek that the interchange track was on. Enjoy. |
 |
| Richard Fiedler commented on the above posting Forrest was a division point and terminal on the Wabash. Prior to around 1930 there was a complete engine terminal there inclining s 12 stall brick roundhouse, coal, water, and ash pits. There was a large wood hotel the Forrest House just to the north of the depot that survived into the 40's. Mainline local's worked south from Landers yard and turned back from here and locals from Decatur worked north and turned here as well. Local freights and passenger trains from the Streator branch originated here as well via trackage rights via the TP&W to Fairbury. Forrest declined in the 70's when the branch was embargoed and Industries in Streator declined. N&W still ran to Streator from Forrest into the 90's via the Kankakee Belt at Reddick. The depot burned in the 40's and was cutback and remodeled into a spartan looking building but it was indeed the same 1895 building. The city of Forrest remodeled the surviving structure to a good copy of what it looked like in 1895. Foundations exist of the water tower, ash pit, and water column. |
 |
| 2 |
 |
| 4 |
 |
| 5 |
 |
| 6 |
 |
| Jay Schmitt detail |
 |
| One of ten photos posted by Roger Kujawa Wrapping up a rainy day in Forrest Illinois was a walk around the Wabash Railroad turntable. There was a branch off the Wabash Chicago line here that traveled on the TP&W for a while and then headed Northwest to the clay and glass manufacturing town of Streator. David Jordan: N&W kept a short section of its Fairbury-Streator line to serve Honneger & Co. until the plant closed in 1989. It was then that N&W filed to abandon trackage rights on the newly-reborn (2-3-89) TP&W between Forrest and Fairbury. |
 |
| John Stell posted Wabash-TP&W depot. Date and photographer unknown. John Stell collection. |
 |
| Richard Fiedler commented on John's post Earlier view about 1905. |
 |
| Thomas Dyrek posted A westbound road freight passes the restored depot at Forrest a few months ago as a fellow railfan looks on. Thomas Dyrek photo. Jason Jordan: They finally got a motor car for a display. Several years ago I went to one of their railroad days festivals and they were looking for some Wabash Rwy. equipment. I suggested that they contact the Indiana Transportation Museum, as they did have the most Wabash boxcars. |
Rob Garst Sr. posted ten photos including a NW caboose on display.
I found this [caboose] is a little west of the former junction. Is the interior intact?
 |
| Tod Riebow comment Wabash Yards - Forest Illinois [I'm not the only one that sometimes leaves out the second "r". Fortunately, the photo verifies that this yard was in Forrest.] |
No comments:
Post a Comment