Towns and Nature: Alton, IL: GM&O/C&A Depots

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Alton, IL: GM&O/C&A Depots

Union Depot: (Satellite, it occupied this block.)

1928: (Satellite, demolished in 2017)
2017: (Satellite, Multimodal Transportation Center accommodates rail, buses, taxis and cyclists)

Union Depot served Chicago & Alton and Big Four. [Bill Edrington comment on a post]

Madison County ILGenWeb posted
This photo shows the train running north on Piasa Street in Alton, c. 1930, headed for Godfrey. In the background can be seen the flour mill.
From the GM&O Railroad Historical Society News, courtesy of Ritch Loid.
Walter Siglock Mom with take me with her to go shopping at the A&P on Piasa. I loved to watch the steam engines pulling frieght go by.
Lee Dick My great grandfather Ed Bryant was engineer for the Illinois Terminal rail road. He drove both steam and Diesel engines. He said there is a constant up hill grade from Downtown Alton to Brighton. It would take one good steam engine or two to three diesels to pull a mile long train up the grade.
Ritch Loid Lee Dick Yep. Gathering up steam for that long uphill grade. The old train station was just around the corner from this spot.
Dave Hall shared
Ray Harstick That grain elevator on the right is still there.
Karen Hudgens pie-uh-saw

Judy Goby Oxtoby posted

Alton, Third and Piasa Streets, circa 1880

Interesting image...does anyone know when the railroad was removed from the middle of the street?

photo source: Hayne Public Library

Gary Hall: ICG pulled the old main up in the early to mid 80’s. The rails stayed in Piasa street for a bit longer.

Chicago & Alton built the cutoff in the early 1900’s I believe which made this a secondary line.

Wil Ele: I don't remember the exact years, but the Illinois Central Gulf railroad abandoned the part of the right of way sometime in the early 1980s and the track was removed/paved over a few years later. The original track (Chicago & Alton) ran up Piasa through what is now MLK drive to Godfrey and connected to tracks that still run through Jerseyvill, Roadhouse, and other communities, ultimately connecting to main line tracks in the Bloomington area

Stan L. Maddox: Note the adjacent trolley track in the street in the foreground.

Charles Robinson

Rail Guide lists this as being 'East St. Louis & Suburban', 'Illinois Terminal', and 'Alton Trolley System', depending on which map you look at.

Andy Brown: I remember the tracks being in the street until the late 90s if not longer. That being said, the rest of the old main north of Piasa was abandoned in 1979 or so, but the rails remained until the mid 80s, if memory serves. Not sure when the last train may have run that way because ICG did sometimes use it as a detour route. The Alton riverfront has long been on my list of places to model, particularly in the 60s or 70s. I could never do a prototype model, but at least give it a you know where it is feeling. With NYC/PC, GM&O/ICG, IT, Burlington/BN/M&IB&B all running around. Lots of good business to represent. I don't think Conrail ever made it past East Alton, if it did, I'd love to see a picture, but pretty sure the tracks over Wood River creek were abandoned by then.

Tim Howard commented on Judy's post
Gemini:

1948 Alton Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

Union Depot is near the center of this excerpt.

1941 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

The Bluff Line Depot was the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Depot.

Adam Davis posted

Update: Rob Meyer commented on a post: "Rob Meyer: I remember being told that the GM&O ran up one of the streets in Alton on it's way to upstate Illinois. Which street was it on the map?"

[I think Rob is referring to a map in SouthernIllinoisRailroads.]

Candice Marie Lynn commented on Rob's comment
It’s Piasa Street and I marked it with a blue arrow.

1928 Depot

William A. Shaffer posted

College Avenue Station. (10.01.17)
Alton, IL
(Photo by William A. Shaffer)

I caught many a train here at the Alton-College Avenue Station.  It was razed shortly after this photo was taken----replaced with a big new beautiful depot!