Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Peoria, IL: Iowa Junction (DI) Tower: CB&Q vs TP&W+PTC

(Satellite, the PTC is now gone. The tower was at the start of the BNSF curve.)
NorthAmericanInterlockings:   photo photo (These are the ones below that were posted by William.)

The 2005 SPV Map needs a larger scale for Peoria. My best guess is that the junction controlled the crossing of a couple of terminal railroads in the Peoria area. (2024 Update: I did get the Illinois Atlas that JohnP recommended in a comment below. The CB&Q crossed the PTC (Peoria Traction Company) here and the TP&W switched from using trackage rights on the CB&Q to using the PTC. In fact, David's photo below shows a train changing from CB&Q to PTC tracks.)

William Shapotkin posted two photos with the comment:
Although not in the Chicago area, here are two pix of Iowa Jct -- located in Peoria, IL. Visited this spot about three years ago with a couple of friends and while some tracks are in-place (and trains do operate here), you would never know it was the same location. Both pix by the late Don Davis -- to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for taking these pix.
1

2


Note the Katy boxcar to the right of the tower. That would be at the C&NW railyard that UP still uses today.
John Stell posted
PT tower at CB&Q crossing in Peoria.  Monty Powell slide on 5-2-59.  John Stell collection.
[I could not find "PT" in any of my sources. But the curve in the tracks and the Adams Street Bridge in the left background make me confident that this is the "DI" junction.]

Richard Fiedler posted
Paul Grone: "Day man had an 1898 seniority date." 🤣🤣 At least 80 in 1959?🤔
John Stell: Paul Grone He had a new Mercury convertible and did not want to retire account did not get along with girl friends family.
Craig Cloud: Did Peoria Terminal employees have separate union agreement from parent Rock Island?
John Stell: Craig Cloud All were RI except for operators and train directors were PT only.

The curved tracks from top to bottom were C&NW, CB&Q and Minneapolis & St. Louis (M&StL). The M&StL is now abandoned.
1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

1 comment:

  1. You really need to get yourself a set of these Atlases:

    "A Railroad Atlas of the United States in 1946" by Richard C Carpenter.

    Vol 4 is Illinois. The are 4 Peoria maps (overview, detail, and close detail of downtown Peoria and Iowa Jct"

    https://www.amazon.com/Railroad-Atlas-United-States-1946/dp/1421401460

    It looks like in '46 there was a tower where the CB&Q crossed the PTC (with the TP&W having trackage rights on PTC). It also looks like about a quarter mile (or less) beyond was another crossing - without a tower (Stop sign only) - where the PTC/TP&W ran in parallel with the P&PU and crossed where the M&StL and CRI&P met each other (in the crossing, so to speak).

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