Custer Park, IL: Wabash Depot and Water Tower

(Satellite)

Richard Fiedler commented on Richard Mead's posting
Depot and wood water tower about 1910

 

Andy Zukowski posted
Wabash Depot in Custer Park, Illinois. 1946
Richard Fiedler shared

Richard Mead posted
1904 Shinaberger Hotel in Custer Park IL. photo north of Wabash depot.

Because Richard's photo shows the view north of the depot is the bridge and the Kankakee River, I think the red rectangle below shows the depot and tower. The hotel in the aerial photos has a white roof.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP plus Paint

Andy Zukowski posted
The Wabash station at Custer Park Illinois. Photo by Bill Raia
Richard Fiedler shared
Richard Fiedler shared

Richard Fiedler posted seven photos with the comment: "Wabash depot facilities and surroundings Custer Park IL. The depot was a Telegraph agency early on but was not a telegraph agency after the turn of the century thus no semaphore train order signals. All structures except the bridge are long gone and the ROW is now a nature and bike trail owned by the Will County Forest Preserve District. Photo credits given as known."

Richard Fiedler shared

Richard Fiedler shared

1
Article about the derailment at Custer Park on August 22, 1968 that took out the northernmost span and derailed 29 cars of which 23 went in the river. A thru girder replaced the truss span. I remember that N&W passenger trains detoured over the GTW and then on to the IC via Gibson City to reach Decatur for a while until the span was replaced. I believe a shifted load of a damaged boxcar strapped to a flat car snagged a girder and the rest was a mess.

2
2nd Wabash bridge at Custer Park built 1902 over the Kankakee River. The new bridge culminated a major line relocation in Ritchie that bypassed the town center of Ritchie and greatly straightened the line. Custer Park was to the right (south) and Ritchie was about half a mile to the north (left). The new steel bridge replaced an earlier wrought iron truss span from when the line was built 1879-80. One of the old iron spans survived until the late 70’s by being moved in 1902 and replaced another wrought iron span over the Vermilion River in Pontiac. Note the pump house that fed the tank at Custer Park on the right approach. No doubt pump tenders kept the steam pump working 24/7. The leftmost span was demolished in the late 60’s and replaced by a thru girder span after a spectacular derailment that put 23 cars in the river. 

3
Undated postcard view of the Custer Park depot best guess 1880-1890. Note the Tri-Color paint scheme of buff or crème, over gray, with red oxide trim but with a variation of what looks like white window sashes. Note as well the “Nunn” type train order signal that was later replaced by “Ecipse” semaphores. That alone dates this photo to pre 1890. WRHS c/o James Holzmeier 

4
View from atop the wooden water tower looking north. Train is coming off the Kankakee River Bridge. Note the hotel as this was quite the resort for people escaping from Chicago to vacation,fish, and connect with tranquility on the river. Depot roof in foreground. Photo David Zima collection. 

5
Depot and wood water tower 1910-15. Robert Fiedler collection. 

6
Depot mid 50’s. You can barely see the newer steel water tower in the far left corner. 

7
Blue Bird heading south about 1960. By this time the depot appears to be not staffed anymore or perhaps staffed part time. Note the high grass in the platform area. William Raia photo