Oregon, IL: Sand Quarry and Sand Coating Plant

Quarry: (Satellite)

Coating: (Satellite)

Jeff Wojciechowski posted two photos with the comment: "Sand Plant: Oregon, IL March 4, 2018"

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Jeff's post
The buildings did not agree with the sand quarry. But then I noticed that they do agree with the plant next to the quarry that coats the sand for casting applications.

This plant coats the sand dug from the nearby quarry with resin to support foundries that use sand castings. The same sedimentary processes 500 million years ago that caused a lot of coal to be in the Illinois Basin also provides Illinois with a lot of sandstone and limestone. Before fracking, glass making and sand casting were the two major applications of the high-quality silica sand found in Illinois. I knew of significant sand quarrying operations west of Ottawa, around North Utica, and around Troy Grove. In fact, the Ottawa mines is why a remnant of the CB&Q to Eola Yard still exists. That remnant is now owned by Illinois Railways. And the quarries at Troy Grove is why a C&NW remnant from Dekalb still exists. That remnant is operated by Union Pacific.

I saved some satellite images to record the number of hoppers spotted at the plants.

Satellite

Satellite

The quarry has abandoned their two original pits and are now working a third pit.

Satellite

I wonder how the sandstone is converted into sand. Does just running heavy equipment over the stone do the job?

Satellite

Marty Bernard posted

The CB&Q Oregon Turn

The Oregon Turn, aka the Oregon Way Freight, ran from Eola Yard, through Aurora, and up the signal track main to the town of Oregon, about half way to Savanna.  After working the small yard and customers, it would turn and trace it's way back to Eola.  It was a way freight meaning it did work as it went along.  One piece of work was to bring cars to Oregon for the Mt. Morris Turn, which we just discussed a couple days ago.

In this photo the power is CB&Q NW2 9234 built in August 1946.  The photo was take September 5, 1964 near Rochelle, IL.  The corn has been harvested.  The NW2 became BN 531.  The boxcar with the NB on it belongs to the Northampton & Bath RR.  To see the detail please look at it full screen.

Well, where is the waycar?  That's a 40-foot combine on the end.  Damn it, the train was a mixed train.  I could have ridden it had I known.  I only found out years later.

Marty Bernard shared
Dave Rodgers: I worked the Mt. Morris turn in the 70’s. Those cars look like they came from the paper plant. Surprised it came from Eola with just a switch engine. Would make more sense if it came out of Rochelle.
Marty Bernard shared
Jan Hervert: I remember riding this mixed train while I was in high school in the early 1960's. I think the round trip ticket was around $8.30. We got on in Aurora and it got dark before we got back. The stove provided heat on the way back. I don't know if they used any coal for the stove, but I remember they were breaking up some old oak wood furniture for heat. I must have pictures somewhere.
Kenneth Fruit

Another job for the Oregon Turn way freight was to pick up a US mail car at Oregon from Kable Printing Co in Mt Morris brought down to Oregon by the switch crew. My great uncle Henry Fruit was the engineer on that switcher. The Oregon Turn then would take it to Aurora to be put on a dinky or suburban for the Chicago post office. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o15TWaFBs3MGo and you see where that mail car was added behind CB&Q 4960.