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| 1 Paul Jevert Postcard showing the ICRR shops in Paducah, KY which opened in 1927. |
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| 2 Jim Arvites posted On this Day in History on January 22, 1937 the Illinois Central Railroad halts all passenger and freight service to Paducah, Kentucky after the Ohio River floods the city. Note the huge IC engine facility in the upper right of the picture. (Cliff Downey Photo Collection) |
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| Randy James posted IC's Paducah shops, This looks like the rebuild conversion of the 2-10-2's central types boilers that was to be used on the new 2500 series 4-8-2 mountain locomotives, during the reassembly process, the IC built some heaviest 4-8-2's of any u.s. railroad. Frank Smitty Schmidt National Railway Equipment is reopening the Paducah shops. Edward Bridges The 2600s were built all new from the ground up at Paducah, the 2500s used boilers from 2-10-2s on new 4-8-2- frames. Raymond Barr What's the little guy that's lifted up in the air at the far end of the bay? Randy James Looks like a 4-6-2 Pacific or a 2-8-2 mike. Randy James also posted with the same comment as above Richard Scott Marsh Yep 4-8-4 had very little on them. Tom Hamilton The 2500 and 2600 Mountains had a grate area of 88 sq. ft. Quite a few Northerns had 88 or less sq. ft. of grate area. |
A different exposure:
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted Four IC 2600-class 4-8-2's are seen under construction in this photo taken inside the Paducah, KY, shops, in January, 1943. According to the note on the back of the print, the frame for 2608 is on the near track, while 2607, 2606, and 2605 (with the cab installed) are on the next tracks over. 4-8-2's 2600-2619 were built between November, 1942, and August, 1943. After the steam era ended, several tenders from the 2600's were saved and reused to haul diesel fuel, but all of the locomotives themselves were scrapped. Photographer unknown, Cliff Downey coll. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted Most of us have probably watched a crime show where the detectives are investigating a (fill in the blank crime), and there are no obvious clues. So, the detectives keep digging, and eventually they discover a seemingly minor clue (i.e., a leaf from a tree that only grows in Outer Mongolia was found at the crime scene). Using that seemingly minor clue, the detectives eventually nab the culprit, who <gasp> had just returned from hiking through Outer Mongolia. In a roundabout way, researching railroads can be the same way. The attached photo is a good example. There's no writing on the back. However, from having visited the place, and seeing tons of photos taken there, I definitively know the photo was taken inside the machine/erecting shop at IC's shops in Paducah, KY. Out of view to the left there are 100+ machines of all sizes used to repair, rebuild, overhaul, or make new parts for steam locomotives. The locomotives are on the erecting side of the building, where locomotives were stripped down. Within the erecting bay there are overhead cranes capable of lifting smaller parts, and if need be, the entire locomotive. Some of the parts will be repaired/rebuilt/overhauled in the machine shop off to the left. Other parts will be sent to the boiler shop and/or tank shop. Once all the parts are ready, the locomotive will be reassembled in the erecting shop. The photographer is looking eastward; Paducah's large 36-stall roundhouse is perhaps 100 yards on the other side of the far wall. OK, the photo was taken in Paducah, but when? The sleuthing now becomes a bit more difficult, and requires knowledge of IC's steam locomotive fleet. After spending several minutes looking at the print using a magnifying glass, looking for a clue (ANY clue), I found two clues that helped crack the mystery. RF575 is painted on one of the connecting rods on the locomotive in the foreground, and RB575 is painted on the other. The markings are deciphered as such: RF575 refers to the "Front rod on the the Right side of locomotive 575", and "RB575" refers to the "Back rod on the Right side of locomotive 575". Next, I consulted R&LHS Bulletin 140. This small book, IMO, is THE "go-to" source for data about the history, rebuilding, renumbering, and retirement of IC's steamers. 575 was a 2-6-0, and was rebuilt in Sept. 1943 as 0-6-0 359. Ten other 2-6-0's were rebuilt in 1942-43 as 0-6-0's. Several of these rebuilds took place in mid-1943. There are at least four other 2-6-0's in the photo. Although the road numbers aren't visible, I'm positive they are 2-6-0's, and all are being rebuilt as 0-6-0's. The process of researching the "clues" from this one print took about 10 minutes. Yeah I know the Earth won't come to an end if I just post the photo and say "Date/location unknown" and didn't write SOMETHING about the photo. But I dislike posting photos with just a barebones caption. OK, so we know "when" the photo was taken and know what's happening to some of the locomotives in the photo. But alas we don't know "who" took the photo. Over the years I've gathered several thousand train prints, slides and negatives. Unfortunately about a fourth of the prints and slides lack any ID, and very few negatives came in sleeves with the photographer's name. That bums me out, because I always want to give proper credit to the photographer. Len Mysiewicz: I am working in that building today. Although there aren’t any Steamers inside. Just diesels. NRE owns it now. But I was there back in ‘79 when I was with the ICRR. Hasn’t hardly changed at all.Chet Sears: I worked there for about the last ten years with ICG. There was 27 tracks. We moved the line mostly on second shift so not to stop so many men from work.. Karl Snyder: Love the details, that massive overhead crane and I beams construction even the beams have vertical support, the useful sturdy ladders, Engine scaffolding, bulk speedy dry, windows for added natural day lighting, selective heating units, the rotor floor track, massive Engine boilers, look to be sand blasting an Engine cooker, the bells on top, the steel spoke wheels, even on the carts, so much to see, even 17 workers I see with my mobile phone. Thanks for sharing the story, and picture. My father in law loved his engineering job of 44 years ICRR. RIP Iron Horse...Roger Miller from Clinton Illinois.❤️ |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted Between November, 1942, and August, 1943, the IC's Paducah (KY) shops built 20 new 4-8-2's, numbered 2600-2619. These were the only steamers built new at Paducah. Construction of the 2600's was recorded by a series of photos taken throughout the shops, starting at the start of the process and going right the final product. Over the years I've collected about 20 different of these photos, some of which were taken by a local studio rather than IC's staff photographers. In this view the boiler and firebox for 2608 can be seen, suspended above its frame and drivers. Over in the tank shop 2608's tender is also under construction. In a few days the locomotive and tender will be mated. After a test run (usually to Princeton, Central City or Louisville) the locomotive will go back to the shops for some minor adjustments and hit the road hauling wartime freight. The initial assignment for the 2600's was from Chicago's Markham Yard south to East St. Louis and Cairo. In the mid-1950s new GP9's replaced the 2600's and ultimately all were scrapped. Randy James: I wonder how much the boiler weighed ? Josh Trevathan: Randy James I don't know but that's that 250 ton crane. I never got a chance to run it. Did the others. I worked there from 2004 till 2004-2017. Paul Jervert shared I.C. Mountain 4-8-2 under construction in erecting shop at Paducah, Paul Jervert shared |
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| Tim Starr posted Satellite view of the Illinois Central's terminal and heavy back shops at Paducah, KY in 1956. The roundhouse was torn down soon afterwards. Dennis DeBruler: In the 1950s, it would be an airplane (aerial) view. |
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| Vintage Railroad Photos pre-1975ish posted "The Illinois Central will build new shops at Paducah costing about $6,000,000. The new construction will consist of a large locomotive erecting shop ...car repair shed, blacksmith shops, carpenter shop, wood mill and store room." Thus read part of a telegram sent by IC Vice-President H. B. Hull to newspapers in Paducah, KY, on the afternoon of January 15, 1925. For months the IC had secretly began exploring the idea of building a new locomotive shop at Paducah to replace the original shops, which dated to 1884. The project was approved by IC's directors at their meeting on December 16, 1924. However, no public announcement was made until all of the necessary land had been purchased. The final land purchase was made on the morning of January 15, 1925, and a few hours later Hull sent out his telegrams. Construction began almost immediately. A contract was let on February 5, 1925, to the Joseph E. Nelson & Sons Company for all excavation, foundation, and pile driving work. Then on March 5, 1925, crews began construction of the tin and electric shop. Measuring 67 feet by 315 feet, this was one of the smaller buildings to be constructed. The first large building to be constructed was the locomotive erecting/machine shop, which is the building closest to Kentucky Avenue. Construction began on April 1, 1925, when crews began driving 3,760 red cedar piles into the ground. Once the pile driving was completed, crews began erecting the steel framework on July 11, 1925. As seen in this photo taken July 29, 1925, work on the steel framework progressed quickly. A total of 2,865 tons of steel beams and 1,659,000 bricks were used to construct the locomotive erecting/machine shop, which covered 3.9 acres and is the largest building in the shop complex. The new shops formally opened on September 1, 1927, and served the IC (and successor ICG) until 1986 when it was sold to two local businessmen and renamed VMV. After being resold in 1988 and 1994 the company abruptly filed for bankruptcy on April 2, 2002. On May 29, 2002, the shops were resold to NRE and reopened on July 1, 2002. Employment has fluctuated over the years as the economy rose and fell, and just last week NRE announced that 65 employees will be laid off. IC photo, Cliff Downey coll. Justin Gillespie: I didn't realize there were shop buildings already there before the current structures were built. Anyone have any info on these facilities? Vintage Railroad Photos pre-1975ish: The first Paducah shop complex was built in 1884 by the Chesapeake & Ohio Southwestern RR. There were 7 buildings, located on the east side of the current shop property and about 200 yards south of Kentucky Avenue. None of the original buildings survive. They were torn down when the new shops opened. Joe Dockrill shared nice rail crane in the foreground Paul Giske: I see a roof truss in the gondola ahead of the crane. Speaking of the crane, the access door is about to fall off... LOL! Paul Jevert shared |
Cliff Downey posted two photos with the comment:
Cliff Downey The canvas sun shade always tickled me. It feels like a hold over from the steam era. Plus it seems like it could be ripped off at 65mph.
Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted. The comments on the photos are from this post.
When the IC received new diesel locomotives, they were sent to the shops at Paducah, KY. At Paducah, custom items such as radios, cab accessories, etc., were added before the locomotives entered service.Jim French Notice the company features getting added: Can type radio antenna; padded arm rest; canvas sun shade; grab iron above right number board; and likely the ATS and cab signal equipment. Great image.
On February 12, 1966, an unknown photographer uses an overhead vantage point to capture GP40's 3026 and 3015 while they are being set up. Work on 3026 is well underway, but 3015 has just arrived from EMD, as evidenced by the cover over the turbocharger stack.
3015 and 3026 were from IC's first order for GP40's, numbered 3000-3-3039. This order is a bit unusual, for the the builder's numbers are in reverse order of the road number and were also built in reverse sequence. Thus, 3026 was delivered before 3015!
IC eventually bought 75 GP40's, numbered 3000-3074. Many were retired and retired to their lessors in the mid-1980's. Between 1987 and 1991 forty of the GP40's were rebuilt by VMV, reclassified as GP40R's, and renumbered 3100-3139.
The second shot shows the machine shop inside the erecting/machine shop at Paducah, which is the building closest to Kentucky Avenue. Originally the south side of the building had 27 tracks and is used for tearing down and reassembling locomotives. The north side of the building is filled with a variety of machines used to rebuild/repair locomotive components. Although not marked, it is believed this photo of the machine shop was also taken on February 12, 1966. Both photos from the collection of Chris Thompson.
Cliff Downey The canvas sun shade always tickled me. It feels like a hold over from the steam era. Plus it seems like it could be ripped off at 65mph.
Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted. The comments on the photos are from this post.
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| 1 When the IC received new diesel locomotives, they were sent to the shops at Paducah, KY. At Paducah, custom items such as radios, cab accessories, etc., were added before the locomotives entered service. On February 12, 1966, an unknown photographer uses an overhead vantage point to capture GP40's 3026 and 3015 while they are being set up. Work on 3026 is well underway, but 3015 has just arrived from EMD, as evidenced by the cover over the turbocharger stack. 3015 and 3026 were from IC's first order for GP40's, numbered 3000-3-3039. This order is a bit unusual, for the the builder's numbers are in reverse order of the road number and were also built in reverse sequence. Thus, 3026 was delivered before 3015! IC eventually bought 75 GP40's, numbered 3000-3074. Many were retired and retired to their lessors in the mid-1980's. Between 1987 and 1991 forty of the GP40's were rebuilt by VMV, reclassified as GP40R's, and renumbered 3100-3139. Feb. 12, 1966, Chris Thompson collection. |
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| 2 Overhead shop of the machine shop inside the erecting/machine shop at IC's shop in Paducah, KY. The erecting/machine shop is the building closest to Kentucky Avenue. As built the south side of the building had 27 tracks and was used for tearing down and reassembling locomotives. The north side of the building is filled with a variety of machines used to rebuild/repair locomotive components. February 12, 1966. Chris Thompson collection |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
"The Illinois Central will build new shops at Paducah costing about $6,000,000. The new construction will consist of a large locomotive erecting shop ...car repair shed, blacksmith shops, carpenter shop, wood mill and store room."
Thus read part of a telegram sent by IC Vice-President H. B. Hull to newspapers in Paducah, KY, on the afternoon of January 15, 1925. For months the IC had secretly began exploring the idea of building a new locomotive shop at Paducah to replace the original shops, which dated to 1884. The project was approved by IC's directors at their meeting on December 16, 1924. However, no public announcement was made until all of the necessary land had been purchased. The final land purchase was made on the morning of January 15, 1925, and a few hours later Hull sent out his telegrams.
Construction began almost immediately. A contract was let on February 5, 1925, to the Joseph E. Nelson & Sons Company for all excavation, foundation, and pile driving work. Then on March 5, 1925, crews began construction of the tin and electric shop. Measuring 67 feet by 315 feet, this was one of the smaller buildings to be constructed.
The first large building to be constructed was the locomotive erecting/machine shop, which is the building closest to Kentucky Avenue. Construction began on April 1, 1925, when crews began driving 3,760 red cedar piles into the ground. Once the pile driving was completed, crews began erecting the steel framework on July 11, 1925. As seen in this photo taken July 29, 1925, work on the steel framework progressed quickly. A total of 2,865 tons of steel beams and 1,659,000 bricks were used to construct the locomotive erecting/machine shop, which covered 3.9 acres and is the largest building in the shop complex.
The new shops formally opened on September 1, 1927, and served the IC (and successor ICG) until 1986 when it was sold to two local businessmen and renamed VMV. After being resold in 1988 and 1994 the company abruptly filed for bankruptcy on April 2, 2002. On May 29, 2002, the shops were resold to NRE and reopened on July 1, 2002. Employment has fluctuated over the years as the economy rose and fell, and just last week NRE announced that 65 employees will be laid off.
IC photo, Cliff Downey coll.
Dustin Chandler Yes it is still there. I currently work in that building the machine shop engine rebuild. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted Construction of IC's new locomotive repair shops in Paducah, KY, began in early 1925. The first large building to be constructed was the locomotive erecting/machine shop, which is the building closest to Kentucky Avenue. The steel skeleton of this building is under construction in this photo dated July 29, 1925. IC photo, Cliff Downey collection.Randy James Note the mule and cart ! [Just to the right of the roof.] |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted In early 1925 construction began on the IC's new locomotive shops in Paducah, KY. An army of contractors and railroad workers descended on the site and by the summer of 1925 the skeleton of the machine shop/erecting shop was taking shape. In this view from July 29, 1925, an IC company photographer has pointed his camera northward towards the machine shop/erecting shop (that is Kentucky Avenue behind the wooden fence in the background). The concrete pits for the 27 tracks in the erecting shop have already been poured. In the foreground, piles have been driven in the ground where the boiler shop and tank/paint shop will be built. The shops officially opened on September 1, 1927. IC photo, Cliff Downey collection. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted The completed interior of the locomotive erecting shop at Paducah, KY, is seen in this panoramic photo taken on July 21, 1926. This photo is actually two separate prints, one which faded much faster than the other, thus the odd colors (before anyone says it, yes, I know the color fading can be corrected. I have software and the knowledge to correct the fading and seamlessly "stitch" the two prints, but why does everything have to be heavily retouched?). To the left of the locomotive erecting bay is the machine shop. When the shops first opened, 181 different machines were installed in the machine shop. Photo from collection of Cliff Downey. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
Around 1950 an IC company photographer captured this view of the IC's shops at Paducah, KY. Although the lighting isn't the best (the photo appears to have been taken almost at high noon) the photo provides a rare aerial view of the shops. This view is looking roughly southeast.
The street running directly in front of the roundhouse and shops is Kentucky Avenue. The street running diagonally along the right border is 16th Street.
In the foreground (closest to Kentucky Avenue) is the machine shop/erecting shop, where locomotives were torn apart and reassembled, and parts were rebuilt.
In the middle is the boiler shop, with the center bay rising 100' into the air. Boilers were raised vertically and riveted together using a massive riveting gun.
Behind the boiler shop is the tank/paint shop, where locomotive tenders were rebuilt/repaired and locomotives, tenders, and other equipment were painted.
Due to this angle the locomotive erecting/machine shop, boiler shop, and tank/paint shop appear to be one single building but they are actually three separate buildings.
In the middle, with the twin smokestacks, is the power house. Off to the left is the 36 stall roundhouse, completed in early 1919. Way off in the distance, but partially obscured by smoke from the power house, is Paducah Union Station.
Note the large piles of coal along the east and west borders of the shop property. It was customary for facilities like Paducah to have stockpiles of extra coal. However, due to the frequent post-war coal strikes, which often led to train cancellations, IC decided to build a massive stockpile behind the shops.
IC photo, Cliff Downey coll.
Cherry Coffrin Is this still active today or mostly unused? Excellent, great detail....Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook The shops were sold in 1986 and renamed VMV. Since then they have been resold a couple times and are now owned by NRE. Earlier this month [Jan, 2017] NRE announced that 65 employees would be laid off, leaving about 40 employees. |
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| One of nine photos posted by Steve Russo, cropped In Paducah, KY. There was an old IC facility and roundhouse. Black and white photo shows the facility. All other photos I took in May of 2018. At that time, the facility was an engine re-building shop and there were dozens of engines parked out back. I believe that the facility (VMV), is totally shut down now. Randy James National railway equipment is reopening the shops later this year, rebuilding diesel locomotives. Steve Russo https://www.nre.com/.../nre-reopens-paducah-plant-meet... Randy James Paducah shops is world famous for the term" Paducah rebuild", as these shops were & are still are the largest locomotive shops in the world, millions of rebuilt "geep" & "sd" type locomotives were rebuilt there & the Illinois central home built 30 huge "4-8-2 mountain type" steam locomotives in 1943 |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
IC's shops at Paducah, KY, are seen in this aerial view dating from early 1950. The photographer is looking almost due north. Most of the power house is obscured by a large cloud of steam, but the tops of the twin smoke stacks are visible. The 36-stall roundhouse is partly visible to the right. This view shows most of the buildings on the shop grounds, including the locomotive erecting shop/machine shop, boiler shop (with a vertical bay in the center where boiler sections were lifted in a vertical position and riveted together), and the tank/paint shop. The 3,000' long craneway runs diagonally in the center of the photo. Raw materials were stored between the twin columns of the craneway; when these materials were needed inside the shops they were carried via overhead crane closer to the shops. Track materials for use on the Kentucky Division were also stored here.
Take note of the huge coal piles at lower left. During the late 1940's coal miners went on strike several times. These strikes disrupted IC's supply of locomotive coal, forcing the railroad to temporarily discontinue several of its secondary passenger trains. The shops themselves also were forced to close on at least one occasion due to low coal stocks. In response in 1946 the IC assembled a 105,000 ton stockpile of coal at the rear of the shop property.
The three-story headquarters for the shops and the Kentucky Division are out of view to the left, and a small portion of IC's hospital can barely been seen along the left edge. IC's North Yard is directly behind the photographer. The track at the far right is commonly called the "City Lead" and connects the IC's mainline through town to the "Boat Yard" and various customers on the north side of downtown. The "Boat Yard" was used by the ferry which connected Paducah to Brookport, IL.
That is the Ohio River in background, while the Tennessee River (which flows into the Ohio about a mile from the shops) is out of view to the right.
Cliff Downey collection.
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| Noe Gutierrez provided a contemporary view on a share |
Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted two photos with the comment:
An aerial view of the Illinois Central's locomotive shops in Paducah, KY, taken in early 1950. The photographer is in a plane that is roughly passing over the current-day Irvin Cobb Drive, looking north northeast.The power house is in the center, blowing out large clouds of steam that are largely obscuring the twin smoke stacks, plus the 36-stall roundhouse. At the upper right of the steam clouds is what appears to be a single large building, with multiple windows. However, since the photo was taken at a distance and the angle, it is difficult to tell that there are actually three parallel buildings: the locomotive erecting/machine shop is the farthest away, the boiler shop (with the riveting bay jutting above the roof) is in the center, and the tank shop is next to the it. Scattered about the property are smaller buildings used for storage or repairing smaller items such as switch frogs, a small foundry, reclaiming scrap metals, etc.There are two items that deserve special mention. Take note of the large coal piles on the left side of the photo. After WWII there were several large coal miner strikers which had a major impact on the nation's industries and railroads. To conserve fuel, most major railroads were ordered to cut back the number of trains they operated (by 1950 a handful of railroads were fully dieselized, but taken as a whole, most freight and passengers hauled by the nation's railroads was moved by steam locomotives). Many industries were forced to cut production, and IC's Paducah shops was also forced to curtail operations. To help guard against a prolonged coal shortage the IC stockpiled coal at the Paducah shops. Reports of the size of the coal stockpile ranged from 25,000 to 100,000 tons. I believe the stockpile remained until 1952, when labor peace (mostly) returned to the coalfields, and then the coal was scooped up and distributed across the IC system for use as locomotive fuel.There is also a noteworthy and mysterious item in this photo, but unfortunately it's impossible to see clearly. Almost in the dead center of the photo is what appears to be a high-hood Alco switcher. The IC did have eight HH600's (number 9006-9013), but they were all assigned to Chicago and were not retired until 1951, at which time they were scrapped. Plus, they were painted all black. The cab and front end of this locomotive(?) in this photo are painted what appears to be white, while the center is painted what appears to be black. No other diesel locomotives on IC's roster match this appearance. IC's Paducah shops occasionally did work on diesel locomotives belonging to industries and other railroads in the region, but that work didn't start until the mid-1950's. Plus, this locomotive is on one of the tracks used to scrap cars and locomotives. Until the 1970's the IC wasn't known for purchasing used diesel locomotives, so right now the identity of this locomotive(?) is unknown.This original 4" x 5" negative was in an envelope simply marked "1950", with no photographer's name. I am pretty certain it was NOT taken by a company photographer, but instead was taken by a local photography studio. Collection of Cliff Downey.
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| Cliff Downey posted
In 1986 the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad sold its famed Paducah, KY, locomotive shops to a pair of local businessmen. The shops were renamed VMV and set up as a contract repair shop (under ICG ownership the Paducah shops also did a large amount of contract repair work in the 1970's and into the early 1980's).
All sorts of unusual locomotives you'd never expect to see in Paducah suddenly showed up, making this scene possible, which I photographed on May 15, 1993. Here we have UP 951 sitting inside the locomotive erecting shop next to 8444 (no, no, not UP steam locomotive 4-8-4 8444, but CSX SD40 8444, which incidentally was rebuilt from UP 3109!)
VMV had recently rebuilt 951 and sister E9A 949. The two 12-cylinder 567C engines inside each locomotive (which generated a combined 2,400 horsepower) had been removed and replaced with a single 16-cylinder 645E engine rated at 2,000 horsepower.
Additionally, VMV also rebuilt E9B 963B with a 645E engine. 963B had been built as UP 970B. After being sold to Amtrak, the locomotive was converted at ICG Paducah to steam generator car 1919/669. The engines and electrical equipment were removed and an extra steam generator and water tanks were installed. The car was sold to the Alaska Railroad before eventually going back to the UP.
All three locomotives were equipped with Dash 2 electrical equipment. The A-B-A set of E-units made an impressive sight, and departed Paducah on the point of a UP business train on April 26, 1993, headed towards their home base in Cheyenne, WY. Unfortunately the trio had problems on their maiden trip and were sent back to VMV. It is not apparent in this photo, but shop crews were moving heaven, earth, and hell in an effort to remedy the problems. I was on a pre-arranged tour of VMV and didn't know beforehand that the E-units were back at Paducah. Although I was using a tripod, the cramped space and hustle and bustle in this particular part of the shop meant I could squeeze off just a couple shots before we had to move along.
Cliff Downey photo.
Gary Lee It's my understanding that they had problems with the cooling systems. I think they tried to use the cooling system for one of the V-12 engines and it couldn't handle the requirements of the V-16. They had to regroup.Cliff Downey I heard the locos had cooling problems, but didn't realize they were trying to reuse one of the old cooling systems.Timothy Black Extra radiator sections were added after it ran hot at Jefferson City MO. on it's maiden to council Bluffs IowaTimothy Black VMV at Paducah is now barely an operation now. Most of the workforce has been laid off.Robert Harned No longer Vmv. Has been owned by Nre for several years. Progress rail at mayfield pulling tons of work still.Josh Keeling They are completely shut down now. Cliff Downey posted [The same comment as above.] Gary Lee It's my understanding that they had problems with the cooling systems. I think they tried to use the cooling system for one of the V-12 engines and it couldn't handle the requirements of the V-16. They had to regroup. |
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| Josh Keeling commented on Cliff's post 250 ton taking a switch engine down |
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| Jim Arvites posted On this Day in History on January 22, 1937 the Illinois Central Railroad halts all freight and passenger service to Paducah, Kentucky after the Ohio River floods the city. The Illinois Central also closed it's huge locomotive maintenence facility due to flooding. The IC engine facility can be seen in upper right-center of picture. Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted IC Paducah, KY, shops during 1937 flood, Part 2 Yesterday I posted an aerial photo taken above IC's Paducah, KY, shops during the 1937 flood. Here's a second from my collection. This provides a broader view and shows the shops in relation to the Ohio River. The street just to the left of the shops and roundhouse is Kentucky Avenue. The shops are at the corner of Kentucky Avenue and 16th Street. Of course, that's the Ohio River at the top of the photo. The Tennessee River flows into the Tennessee River next to downtown Paducah; the confluence is practically at the foot of Kentucky Avenue. One block over (to the left) from Kentucky Avenue is Broadway. IC's hospital's hospital was at 1500 Broadway, but except for the smoke stack from the power house, the hospital is obscured in this photo. When residents of Paducah were ordered to evacuate, hospital staff and workers from the shops joined forces to keep the hospital open. A makeshift steam line was rigged up between the shops and the hospital (the hospital's boilers had been knocked out within hours of flood waters reaching the shop property). Alas, the hospital eventually had to be evacuated. Compounding the misery from the flood, Paducah received several inches of snow in late January, 1937, and the temperatures hovered near freezing for several days. Additionally, several buildings burned since there were few fire trucks still in service during the flood, but they couldn't navigate through deep waters. Photographer unknown, Cliff Downey collection. ******************* During early January, 1937, the Ohio River began flooding. At first, forecasters and residents weren't too concerned because it is not uncommon for the river and its tributaries to flood in the winter and springtime. But this time the water kept rising, and rising, and rising. On January 22 the IC halted freight and passenger train service into Paducah. That same day the locomotive shops in Paducah closed. The flood crest at Paducah was reached on February 2 when the flood gauge reached 60.8 feet, or 6.5 feet higher than the previous record. The flood waters receded slowly and the shops did not reopen until February 12. Partial train service into Paducah resumed on February 13 but the "Mud Line" between Paducah and East Cairo, which runs in close proximity to the Ohio River, remained closed until February 25. Cleaning railroad property took several weeks once the water receded. Virtually every machine at the Paducah shops had to be disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and reassembled. Portable ovens were brought in to dry out electric motors and small electrical tools. Tons of debris had to be hauled away from the tracks, and countless cars and locomotives had to be cleaned. Incidentally, the flood affected not just the Ohio River but also all of its tributaries. At Gilbertsville (about 25 miles upstream from Paducah on the Tennessee River) the flood waters came within a foot of reaching the tracks on the drawbridge across the river. Creeks and streams far away from the Ohio River flooded, causing problems all across the Ohio River valley. The Ohio River flows into the Mississippi River at Cairo, IL, and many cities along the Mississippi River south of Cairo wound up being inundated. [I looked for "Part 1," but I could not find it.] Bruce Henderson: It has a plaque inside the shop on how high it got inside. It’s about head high Reed Reding: I have seen a picture of the L&N's drawbridge over the Cumberland River at Clarksville, TN from the 1937 flood. The water is nearly touching the bridge decking. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted In July, 1974, workers at ICG's backshop in Paducah, KY, pull off the masking paper and tape from freshly rebuilt Reading Railway SW1500 2763. The locomotive was sent to Paducah for rebuilding after it derailed while working the RDG hump in Port Richmond, PA, in late 1973. During the derailment the cab was crushed and the hood was heavily damaged. Workers at Paducah fabricated a new cab and repaired the hood. The locomotive was also repainted in the RDG's solid green paint scheme. RDG 2763 became part of Conrail's roster in 1976. When Conrail was split by CSX and NS in 1999, the locomotive went to CSX and later was sold to LLPX. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
In January, 1971, workers at IC's Paducah, KY, shops were lowering the rebuilt long hood onto "new" GP10 8143. This scan was made from a damaged print, and I tweaked the scan to show some of the details underneath the long hood.
For the record, 8143 was rebuilt from GP9 9143, which was built by EMD in January, 1956. In March, 1986, the locomotive was sold as Mid-South Rail 1035 and then went to KCS after KCS bought out Mid-South Rail.
Photographer unknown, Cliff Downey coll.
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| Dale Roberts posted Since I see recent postings of the inside of the Paducah Shops and a Paducah & Louisville slug, now might be a good time to 'pile on' with this photo that I took May 20th 2011? Dale E. Coyote |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
In 1967 the IC's Paducah, KY, shops began rebuilding old GP7 and GP9 locomotives. For the first couple years GP8/10 production was for IC's own roster. Then in 1970 the IC and Precision National Corporation signed a contract to rebuild seven ex-SP units for PNC's lease fleet. The diesel engines, main generators, and air compressors were rebuilt by PNC at its shops in Mount Vernon, IL. Meanwhile, IC's Paducah shops would rebuild the bulk of the electrical gear, perform frame and body work, and disassemble and reassemble the finished locomotive.
The first locomotive completed under this parternership was GP10 3403, photographed outside the erecting shop at Paducah shortly after it was completed. The locomotive copied IC's paint scheme closely, with green (on the cab and lower part of the long hood) and yellow (on the top half of the long hood. The name "PRECISION" was spelled out on the long hood in the same font as that used on IC's locomotives.
PNC and IC/ICG collaborates on dozens of rebuilds during the 1970's. Also, PNC helped IC/ICG find old Geeps for GP8 and GP10 program.
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
After sitting unused for several years the power house at ICG's Paducah, KY, locomotive shops was demolished in early 1981. This photo was taken by an ICG staff photographer and shows the south end of the power house after the brick exterior walls had been removed.
On the left side of the photo is the small shed where coal was unloaded from hoppers. The coal was then conveyed to the large metal bin at the top of the power house. This coal bin ran the length of the building and fed coal to the boilers. Ashes dropped into a bin underneath the boilers to be hauled away.
The power house was built during construction of the new Paducah shops. A total of 1,928 red cedar piles were driven into the ground underneath the foundation of the power house to support the weight of the building and the machinery inside. 752 tons of structural steel were used to frame the building, and 427,000 bricks were used to form the walls.
The power house was connected to two 265' smoke stacks, measuring 44' at the base. At the heart of the power house were eight coal fired boilers (with space for two more), each generating 850 horsepower. The power house was designed to be operated with a minimum of human intervention. An automated system fed coal to the boilers and removed ashes. Also inside the power house were three air compressors (two powered by steam and the third by electricity), a hydraulic pump, and two fire pumps used to raise pressure in the water mains in case of a fire. Interestingly, when the power house was completed, it did not generate electricity, because management believed it was more economical to buy electricity from the local utility. That changed in 1941 with the installation of an electric generator driven by steam from the boilers.
Around 1973 (I've received conflicting info) the power house was shut down. The task of supplying compressed air, steam, pumping water, etc., was assigned to machinery elsewhere in the shop complex. Around 1974-75 the smoke stacks were demolished, leaving just the power house itself.
The concrete base of the power house survives and is easily visible. But otherwise the building is long gone.
ICG photo, Cliff Downey coll.
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
In this view taken circa 1958, the sand dome from IC 2-8-2 1360 sits on the ground behind the Paducah shops after the locomotive was scrapped. Note that the dome is still mostly filled with sand.
Some retired IC steamers were sold to scrappers, but most were cut up by IC's own crews behind the Paducah shops. IC reasoned it would make more money by doing the scrapping themselves than selling a steamer to a scrapper.
Number 1360 was built by Lima in 1918 and originally was numbered 1872. In June, 1943, the locomotive was rebuilt at Paducah and renumbered 1360, and was scrapped at Paducah in 1957.
Photographer unknown, Cliff Downey collection.
Robert Brittin The sand is for grease fires to put them out . Elmer piloted the last steam engine out of icrr. Date unknown. E St. Louis to Peabody coal. 120mph my father Bernard was with him an tape record the trip, the sound was incredible. |
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| Tim Starr posted A wheel set is being cut apart to be melted down to scrap metal at the Illinois Central Paducah KY shops. Probably late 1950s when steam was being retired. (Illinois Central Collection) |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
On August 15, 1884, workers began moving into the new Chesapeake Ohio & Southwestern Railroad shops in Paducah, KY. Plans for the new shops had been announced in June, 1883. The original plans called for seven structures: blacksmith shop, boiler shop, foundry, machine shop, store house, 25 stall roundhouse, and a carpentry/car repair shop (the latter was often referred to as a “wood shop” in IC drawings and documents).
Plans for the store house, boiler shop, and foundry were dropped during construction, while an oil house, paint shop, and tin shop/pattern storage room were added while the shops were under construction.
After the IC acquired full control of the CO&SW in 1896 the shops were enlarged several times and by the early 1900's were the second-busiest shops on the IC system, surpassed only by the Burnside Shops south of Chicago.
As locomotives grew, it became increasingly difficult for the Paducah shops to accommodate them. The 1501-class 2-8-2's were too long for most tracks in the machine/erecting shop, so when one of these locomotives was shopped at Paducah, the exterior doors had to be left open. And, the 2901-class 2-10-2's had to be disassembled in the adjacent roundhouse and parts hauled to them shops for rebuilding or overhaul.
On January 15, 1925, IC President Charles Markham formally announced that the IC would build an entirely new shop complex at Paducah. All of the old buildings, with the exception of the 1918-built roundhouse, were demolished and replaced with new buildings.
The attached photo was taken by an IC company photographer in 1918 from the coaling tower and is from the collection of Cliff Downey.
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
At first glance, IC 4-8-2 2551 looks ready for service in this photograph taken at the Paducah, KY, shops by Don Morice. But looks can be deceiving. The date is November 24, 1961, and it's been more than a year since a steam locomotive ran on the IC.
IC preferred to scrap retired steam locomotives itself, rather than selling them intact to a scrapper (the railroad reckoned it made more money this way). Since the mid-1950's the tracks behind the Paducah shops had been clogged with steamers awaiting scrapping.
The tenders from many scrapped steamers (along with auxiliary water cars) were saved and reconditioned for reuse, including the three seen at the right. Some of the rebuilt tenders were used to haul diesel fuel and sand, while two tenders (apparently from 2-8-2's) were placed back-to-back and used as scrap dumpsters at the Paducah shops well into the 1990's.
But number 2551 won't be so lucky. Number 2551 had been built at Paducah in July, 1942, using the boiler of 2-10-2 3012 mounted to a new frame. It was retired circa 1960 and was stored at Paducah for two years before finally being cut up.
Don Morice photo, Cliff Downey coll.
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
IC 2-8-2 1578 was photographed inside the roundhouse at IC's Johnston Yard in Memphis, TN, on March 6, 1951. The front end has been removed, providing a rare look inside the boiler of a steamer.
It is not stated on the back, but I suspect this photo was taken following a personal injury accident. The photo was made by Poland Photographers of Memphis, and they were known to take photos of accident scenes for the IC. If the IC's own photographer, or a claims agent, couldn't quickly reach the scene of an accident, Poland would be contacted to send one of its own photographers. Many of the Poland photos I have in my collection were taken inside backshops, and they provide a great look at spots that normally weren't seen by the public.
IC 2-8-2 1578, Johnston Yard, Memphis. Poland Photographers photo, Cliff Downey collection.
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Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted two photos with the comment:
"The Illinois Central will build new shops at Paducah costing about $6,000,000. The new construction will consist of a large locomotive erecting shop ...car repair shed, blacksmith shops, carpenter shop, wood mill and store room."
Thus read part of a telegram sent by IC Vice-President H. B. Hull to newspapers in Paducah, KY, on the afternoon of January 15, 1925. For months the IC had secretly began exploring the idea of building a new locomotive shop at Paducah to replace the original shops, which dated to 1884. The project was approved by IC's directors at their meeting on December 16, 1924. However, no public announcement was made until all of the necessary land had been purchased. The final land purchase was made on the morning of January 15, 1925, and a few hours later Hull sent out his telegrams.
Construction began almost immediately. A contract was let on February 5, 1925, to the Joseph E. Nelson & Sons Company for all excavation, foundation, and pile driving work. Then on March 5, 1925, crews began construction of the tin and electric shop. Measuring 67 feet by 315 feet, this was one of the smaller buildings to be constructed.
The first large building to be constructed was the locomotive erecting/machine shop, which is the building closest to Kentucky Avenue. Construction began on April 1, 1925, when crews began driving 3,760 red cedar piles into the ground. Once the pile driving was completed, crews began erecting the steel framework on July 11, 1925. A total of 2,865 tons of steel beams and 1,659,000 bricks were used to construct the locomotive erecting/machine shop, which covered 3.9 acres and is the largest building in the shop complex.
Two photos of this building under construction are attached. These photos were scanned from copy negatives that I bought at an antique store in Memphis. I instantly recognized what they were but the clerk didn't know. This is why I constantly remind folks to dig through antique stores and places other than Ebay to find train photos!
The new shops formally opened on September 1, 1927, and served the IC (and successor ICG) until 1986 when it was sold to two local businessmen and renamed VMV. After being resold in 1988 and 1994 the company abruptly filed for bankruptcy on April 2, 2002. On May 29, 2002, the shops were resold to NRE and reopened on July 1, 2002. Employment has fluctuated over the years as the economy rose and fell, and in mid-2017 all remaining employees were laid off. The shops now sit silent, facing an uncertain future.
IC photos, Cliff Downey coll.
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| Jim Arvites posted On this Day in History on January 26, 1971 Illinois Central President Alan Boyd was present at the IC Paducah Shops for the 100th rebuilt engine (#8081) since the rebuild program began at the Kentucky shops in 1967. (Cliff Downey Collection)Cliff Downey 8081 was the 100th "Paducah Geep" (ie, GP8 or GP10) rebuilt at Paducah. But it was actually the 108th locomotive rebuilt since the beginning of the rebuild program in 1967. Four E-units and four yard switchers were turned out during this time period.Ed Pierce Someone correct me I’m wrong but those Paducah Rebuilds cabs weren’t well insulated. The noise level of the horn inside the cab as well as the engine noise is one of the reasons I’m half deaf today I think. Did they skimp on the insulation of the cabs at Paducah. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
In this photograph taken around 1970 at IC's Paducah, KY, shops, an unknown GP7 or GP9 is being disassembled for rebuilding into a "Paducah Geep". The photographer is standing on the rear walkway, looking towards the cab.
All of the machinery mounted to the frame has been removed and sent to stations throughout the shops for overhaul and upgrading. The heavy cables run to/from the traction motors (two on each truck). Soon, the locomotive will be lifted off its trucks and they, too, will be sent for rebuilding, along with the fuel tank Looking straight ahead, one can see the electrical cabinet, located right behind the cab.
In 4-6 weeks, depending on the shop's schedule, the rebuilt components will return, the locomotive will be reassembled, and another "Paducah Geep" will hit the rails.
Photographer unknown, Cliff Downey collection.
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
In early 1927 the IC's new locomotive shops in Paducah, KY, were still several months away from completion. However, for a tour of company officials 2-10-2 2952 was lifted into the air by the overhead crane in the erecting/machine shop. The crane had a lifting capacity of 250 tons and was built by the Morgan Engineering Company of Alliance, Ohio.
February 10, 1927, photo by Sacra Photo (a local photo studio), Cliff Downey coll.
Lewis Beckham Old crane is still moving locomotives! |
Michael Riha posted six photos with the comment:
Illinois Central Gulf was looking for some low-to-medium horsepower six-axle power, and wasn't in a financial position to purchase new, so starting in August of 1979, ICG embarked on a rebuilding program, using as cores some well-used UP and Southern SD7s and SD24s (including some SD24Bs) and even a few B&O SD35s. From the same shops that produced the successful Paducah Geeps, the SD20 would involve rebuilding the 567 engine to a 2000 HP 645E, removing the costly turbocharger (if there was one,) installing Dash 2 electronics, and new cabs.
42 were rebuilt, and they became ICG Paducah Shop's swan song, with ICG closing and selling off the massive complex. The rebuilds operated well into the Illinois Central reorganization and even received "Death Star" era paint jobs, After their time on ICG/IC, they found further employment on numerous regionals, short lines, and industrials, especially in and around Chicagoland.
So enjoy this small collection of SD20 photos in and around Chicago, from the cameras of John and Michael Riha (details on individual photos.)
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted Around 1954 a worker at IC's shops in Paducah, KY, makes adjustments to a set of steam locomotive drivers. Once everything is set the overhead crane will lower the boiler onto the drivers. In a few days the unidentified steamer, with its freshly rebuilt running gear, will be back in service. Unknown photographer, scanned from an original negative in the collection of Cliff Downey. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
In January, 1971, workers at IC's Paducah, KY, shops were lowering the rebuilt long hood onto "new" GP10 8143. This photo was taken inside the tank shop, and not inside the main erecting shop (note the low overhead). This building was used to perform much of the sheet metal work for the rebuilt locomotives (ie, chopped high nose, new cabs, repaired long hoods, etc.).
8143 was rebuilt from GP9 9143, which was built by EMD in January, 1956. In March, 1986, the locomotive was sold as Mid-South Rail 1035 and then went to KCS after KCS bought out Mid-South Rail.
Photographer unknown, Cliff Downey coll.
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| Vintage Railroad Photos pre-1975ish posted The Illinois Central Railroad did sell some of its retired steam locomotive to scrappers. However, most of the IC's steamers were scrapped at the company's shops in Paducah, KY. One of the last steps of the scrapping process was to place a set of drivers on this large concrete block (note that the tires have already been cut off). The drivers were cut off, and then placed in a large oven to melt away the lead counterweights (which typically was a thousand pounds or more for a large steamer). The lead was then poured into ingots for sale. Afterwards, the drivers (minus the lead counterweights) were stacked in large piles awaiting shipment to steel mills. Likewise, the axles were stacked together, awaiting a one-way trip to a trip. It was important to keep the different types of metal separate, since that enabled the IC to get the most money for the scrap metal. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted In 1914 the IC established a scrap yard in Paducah, KY, behind the locomotive shops. Located off 16th Street, the yard received condemned locomotives, freight and passenger cars, cabooses, and all types of scrap metal from the southern half of the system. At Paducah the locomotives and cars were scrapped and the metal was sorted for shipment by the carload to scrap dealers. (Paducah was not the only place on the railroad where cars and locomotives were scrapped, but it was definitely the busiest on the southern half of the railroad). The scrap yard created jobs, but neighbors probably weren't always happy. When a wooden freight car or caboose arrived for scrapping, the carbody was lifted off the trucks and set on the ground. Then the carbody was set on fire. After the wood had burned away and the ashes had cooled, crews moved in to salvage the metal parts. This process continued well into the 1950s as demonstrated by this slide taken by an unknown photographer on Dec. 6, 1955. Camp car X1342 is partly engulfed in flames, while a wooden caboose barely visible to the right waits it turn. In addition to burning the wooden cars, there were plenty of other activities at the Paducah scrap yard to concern 1950's environmentalists. When a steam locomotive was scrapped, the asbestos insulation around the boiler was thrown onto the ground. Once there was a big enough pile of asbestos it was loaded into a gondola and hauled off as trash. Steam locomotive drivers, with their hundreds of pounds of lead weight, were cut off the axle and then placed into a gas-fired furnace. There, the lead melted and was poured into ingots that were resold. Of course, this was many years ago before the environmental dangers were fully understood or there was as much concern for the environment. The Paducah shops are now owned by NRE and remain busy. But as for the site of the former scrap yard in the backlot, well, only a few weeds grow there. Michael Hale: Centralia, ILL also had one. I visited it in the 1980s when they were scrapping boxcars and cabooses. I use to have pictures of a set of GP10 being scrapped there.They had a neat GM&O Caboose set aside off the rails for office or break room. Michael R. Baucum: I worked in that shop in the background in 1973. It had been converted to a mobile equipment repair shop manned by a machinist from the Paducah South Yard Diesel Shop. I was an apprentice at the time. Every apprentice from the South Yard Shop had to serve 6 months with him. We were responsible for maintaining the two big rail mounted cranes that handled the scrap metal with their electro-magnets, along with the other various fork trucks, mobile cranes, trucks, Cushman carts, the big 100 ton derrick, and other mobile equipment assigned to the Paducah Car Department and South Yard Diesel Shop. That building was referred to as "the frog shop". It was my understanding that prior to being the mobile equipment repair shop it was used to work on rail frogs in some capacity and thus was always known as the frog shop forever. Paul Jevert shared |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted Beginning in the mid-1950's the IC's Paducah shops slowly made the steam-to-diesel transition. Numerous steam-era machines were removed and many machines necessary for diesel maintenance were installed. One of the larger pieces of equipment installed was a 10,000 gallon vat used to clean engine blocks. Once the engine had been stripped down, it was lowered via a crane into the vat for a 4 hour bath. IC photo, 1965, Cliff Downey collection. Josh Trevathan: And we use the same washing vate today. Lol! Dennis Cherry: that white line on the wall is there to show how high the water got in the 1937 flood. [The white line near the top of the tank to the left of the left worker?] Paul Jevert shared I.C. Paducah diesel stripper tank Paul Jevert shared I.C. Paducah Shop 10,000 gallon stripping Vat to dip engine blocks. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted Illinois Central SW1 608 being rebuilt inside the Paducah, KY, shops, circa 1960. Up until 1953 the Paducah shops were used almost exclusively for steam locomotive repairs. Previously, diesel locomotives needing repairs were usually sent north to the Burnside Shops at 95th Street south of Chicago, and occasionally to Chicago's 27th Street roundhouse. These shops had experience maintaining and repairing IC's fleet of E-units, plus the diesel yard switchers assigned to Chicago. Beginning in 1953 the IC began installing specialized machinery at the Paducah shops to repair diesel locomotives, and by 1961 the railroad had spent over $400,000 at Paducah on this new machinery. Additionally, several of the departments within the Paducah shops were physically reorganized to make more efficient use of the space. Photographer unknown, Cliff Downey coll. Jason Whipp: If you find any photos of 600, please share them! It’s currently at TCRM getting a (slow) cosmetic restoration. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted In January, 1943, inside the boiler shop at IC's Paducah shops, the firebox for new 4-8-2 2608 is seen being lowered to mate up with the boiler. Once in place, the firebox and boiler will be securely riveted together. Between Nov. 1942 and August 1943 the Paducah shops built 20 new 4-8-2's, numbered 2600-2619. Apparently there was some consideration of numbering these locomotives after IC's existing 4-8-2's (2500-2555), for both the firebox and boiler are lettered "ENG 2564". However, all of the new 4-8-2's left the shop wearing their 2600-series numbers. |
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| Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted Illinois Central's shops at Paducah, KY, did more than rebuild locomotive. The railroad's primary storehouse was located on the shop property, but it operated as its own separate department. On the west side of the property was a storehouse measuring 622 ' x 67 (the storehouse was next to, and perpendicular to the locomotive/machine shop, boiler shop, and tank/paint shop). Next to the storehouse was a 2,500' craneway that began almost at Kentucky Avenue and ran to the rear of the shop property. Track materials and large items such as locomotive tires, cylinders, etc., were stored at this location. As seen in this company photo, this outdoor storage location was serviced by two overhead cranes, each with a 20 ton capacity. The storehouse department at Paducah remained active into the 1960's, when the railroad moved away from a centralized storehouse system. About half of the craneway, at the rear of property, has been torn down, but the concrete footings for the support towers is still in place. Plus the 2 overhead cranes have been removed. IC company photo, Nov. 29, 1945, Cliff Downey coll. P.S. In my post, I make reference to locomotive tires. Yes, steam locomotives had tires. This link is to "Last of the Giants", a UP company film about the last years of the "Big Boys". Fast forward to about 15:30 to see how steam locomotive tires were replaced. |
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| Tim Starr posted A locomotive shop employee is adding tires to a wheel set at the Illinois Central's Puducah KY shops in 1956. The last steam engine was outshopped in 1958. Paducah was opened in 1927 at a cost of $11.4 million. (Robert Hale photo) |
National Railway shops facing additional layoffs.
NRE shuts down the Paducah facility
July, 2019: NRE reopening Paducah after being shut for two years. [WPSD, ePaducah, RailwayAge]
Feb 12, 2020: hiring is slower than expected. [WKMS] It is closer to 20 than the predicted 200.
The IC's Paducah Shops formally opened on Sept. 1, 1927. Not only were they the largest locomotive repair shops on the IC, but they were one of the largest loco shops in the U.S. Additionally, they were among the most modern. Most locomotive repair shops on other railroads were built during the late 1800's/early 1900's. The shops were destined to play an important role in rebuilding IC's steam and diesel locomotives. All of these photos were taken by IC company photographers and are from the collection of Cliff Downey.
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