Dubuque, IA: 1855 Shot Tower

(HAER; 3D Satellite, 487 photos)

Just south of this tower is a building that displays a preserved line-shaf driven machine shop.

Street View, Jul 2019

HABS IOWA,31-DUBU,1--5 (CT)

Akash Tripura posted
The Shot Tower - Lead for ammunition during the Civil War was melted at the base of the tower, hoisted to the top, poured through screens of different gauges, tumbling smoothly round as it fell into the water vats below. The shot was then sorted and packed. When completed, the tower could produce between 6 to 8 tons daily, but it was rarely operated at full capacity due to being bought by competitor Chadburne and Forster in 1862. From 1872 - 1881 a statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback stood on top of the tower. In 1877, a permanent interior spiral staircase was constructed. In 1881, a framed glass observatory was added to the top to convert it into a fire watchtower for Standard Lumber Company, which occupied seven blocks around the structure. After a fire in 1911 the building was. It stood roofless until a concrete cap with a hatchway was added in 1960 and replacement brick was used to reconstruct the lost upper portion of the top floor.

Mark Higley: Akash: incorrect that lead was melted at the base and hoisted. Other way around:

For the shot-making process, lead was melted at the top of the Dubuque Shot Tower. It was then poured through a sieve, allowing droplets to fall down the inside of the tower.

The process worked as follows:

Melting at the top: A furnace at the top of the tower heated the lead until it was molten.

Sieving and dropping: The molten lead was poured through a grate or sieve. As the droplets fell, gravity and surface tension naturally pulled them into nearly perfect spherical shapes.

Cooling at the bottom: The partially cooled droplets fell into a basin of water at the bottom of the tower, which solidified them and preserved their round shape.

The height of the tower was crucial to the process, allowing enough time for the lead droplets to form perfect spheres before reaching the water.

Ray Newell: At the beginning of the Civil War there might have been a need for round bullets for older weapons that were called into use. The rifled arms you see in Civil War museums were the main weapons in use, and used conical bullets not balls. Shot towers pretty much went out of use in the late 1850's, when the army was moving from smoothbores to rifles.

Mark Perina

Ray Newell: Shot for shotguns not round balls for rifles.

Ray Newell: Mark Perina Makes much more sense.

This video says it all.

BeHistoric posted
This video investigates the Dubuque Shot Tower, also known as the George W Rogers Shot Tower, located within a stone's throw of the Mississippi River, in Dubuque, Iowa.  The tower's origins, early history, role in the Civil War, changing ownership, multiple fires, neglect and decay, and recent restorations are all explored.   https://youtu.be/yz9-4Prc4z0?si=XPQXjjbIgab4c0m1

Tod Riebow shared via Dennis DeBruler
[The person who colorized this postcard throught the shot tower on the other side of the river was a smokestack.]

Quincy, IL: 1899-1962 CB&Q and 1901-1934,1963 Wabash Depots and Camp Point, IL: Wabash Depot

CB&Q Depot: (Satellite, along 2nd Street across from Oak Street)

Wabash Depot: (Satellite, southeast corner of 6th and York Streets. And the freight house was just east of the depot.)

CB&Q Freight House: (Satellite)

Steve Brashears posted 11 images of the CB&Q depot and the description provides the dates 1899-1963.

Jim Kelling shared Paul Kevi Geer's post of 5 photos of the CB&Q facilities. Some comments provide these references: Sanborn Maps and a book.

Robert Daly posted two images with the comment: "CB&Q and Wabash stations in Quincy. Postcard of the CB&Q station was mailed May 2, 1918, and the Wabash station July 21, 1909."

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The CB&Q Depot was easy to locate. It was along 2nd Street across from Oak Street.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Robert's post
The CB&Q depot was along 2nd Street just across from Oak Street. [1938 aerial]
 https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/adams/flight10/00sa161496.jpg

CB&Q Freight House:

Paul Kevin geers
The Burlington route freight house at second and broadway, which is still there today, connected to the depot 3 blocks south of the old CB&Q depot.
[I added the label "just horses" because of this image. Freight houses were the "distribution centers" back at the interesting turn of the century.]

Dennis DeBruler commented on Paul's post
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GUfuUh5RQDdST5ja7

A colorized version of the Wabash Depot.

James Holzmeier posted
Also in FamilyOldPhotos

 

Andy Zukowski posted
Wabash Train Station in Quincy Illinois. 1908
Richard Fiedler shared
Danny Cole posted
This was the Wabash Depot in Quincy Illinois. Does anyone know where it was located?

Danny Cole: David Hahn So does anybody know, did they back The passenger train back to the main line

Erik Spoonmore commented on Danny's post
SE corner of 6th and York

David Hahn commented on Danny's post

Paul Kevin Geers posted three images with the comment: 

The old wabash station built 1901 and stopped service in 1934. Razed 1963.

A magnificent interior all marble.

Was one of three rail stations in Quincy.ill.  this was the only one of the 3 located in the City of Quincy.

Robert Weber shared

Richard C. Leonard: My father rode the Mark Twain Zephyr into this station in 1937. He write about the trip to my grandmother, and I still have the letter. You can read it here: http://www.keokukuniondepot.org/rdl_letter.html

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Erin Bristow posted
WABASH Depot Quincy, Il 1908

Tess Shaw: Where was this magnificent bu

Erin Bristow: Tess Shaw the 600 block of York street in Quincy

Richard Fiedler shared

Paul Kevin Geers posted, cropped

The large train weather vane on the tower was saved and at the Quincy historical society.

The CB&Q Station at Second and oak, 1899 and razed in 1962.

A great shame and black eye on Quincy.

Paul Kevin Geers posted
1906, train yard and STATION of the CB&Q. QUINCY ILLINOIS
[The clocktower of the station is easy to spot on the left side of the postcard.]
Thomas Whitt shared

Paul Kevin Geers posted
Just built, the new CB&Q station 1899. You can see in the background to the right, the Broadway bay swing bridge.
James Myers: Where at?

Dennis DeBruler answered James' question
Just west of 2nd Street at the end of Oak Street. 1938 aerial

 

Paul Kevin Geers posted
1899 picture of the new CB&Q station as you can see the Broadway bay swing bridge. I bet the post card was taken from this old picture.

Paul Kevin Geers posted four images with the comment: "The old CB&Q station in quincy.ill built 1899 razed 1962."

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From the 2005 SPV Atlas, I knew the Wabash had a branch that left their mainline just west of Bluffs, IL, and went Northwestish through Carthage to join the Keokuk Junction Railway/Toledo, Peoria and Western to get access to Keokuk, IA. At Clayton, IL, a branch from this branch went to Camp Point, IL, where it joined the CB&Q for access to Quincy. The oldest topo map that I could find was 1958. The "main branch" shows as an Old Railroad Grade, and the "branch branch" from Clayton to Camp Point is not even shown.

1948 Quincy and 1958 Burlington Quads @ 250,000

AdamsCountyHistory
Wabash Depot, built 1857, rail service discontinued 1934. Camp Point.

Wabash used the CB&Q route to access Quincy. For a few years, it used the depot of the CB&Q predecessor Quincy Omaha & Kansas City Ry. In 1903 it left the CB&Q on the north side and ran straight south down the middle 6th Street and then turned west to meet the CB&Q at Wabash Junction just west of the Woodland Cemetery. Their new depot was by State Street. (SPV Map and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co. Depots and Towers Illinois and Wisconsin Robert C. Brown, p. 166) But by 1925, only the northern and western parts of this 1903 bypass was left.

1925 Quincy Quad @ 62,500

After spending more time than I care to admit looking at 1938 aerial photos trying to find the route, it finally occurred to me to "Google it." The line was abandoned in 1930. The depot was on the southeast corner of 6th and York Streets (wabashrhs, search for "quincy"). The depot was designed by Theodore C. Link (RailroadStationHistoricalSociety).

Note the discrepancy in the sources concerning the State vs. York Street location. 

Actually, most of the bypass was abandoned by 1925. But the Wabash did still go up 6th Street past York Street.

1925 Quincy Quad @ 62,500

Given the freighthouse in the background of the postcard, I believe we are looking southeast from the intersection of 6th and York Streets.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Robert's post
The Wabash Depot was in the southeast Quadrant of 6th and York Streets.
 https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/adams/flight10/00sa161496.jpg

Note that a remnant of the Wabash bypass still exists on the north side, and it serves several industries. And that service must still be active because I found an industrial locomotive at the south end of the remnant.

Street View, Aug 2019

Paul Kevin Geers posted three photos with the comment: "The old river front in Quincy was quite busy in its day, and and old rail station above the background, you can see the old O. K. Station house located front and Maine street. Here is another view and close up of the station. Also an ad of the time table, my grandmother kept."

David Hahn shared

Paul Kevin Geers shared

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I wrote this in a previous draft before I learned how to find topo maps. I leave it in case you are in to finding the landscars of abandoned railroads.

I knew that CB&Q went through Quincy. But I needed to research how the Wabash got there. The Wabash had a branch that left their mainline a little west of Bluffs, IL. The track still exists to the CIPSCO power plant south of Meredosia. It used to cross the Illinois River just a little to the north of the power plant an basically followed IL-99. For example, we see a tree line and land scar north of Hersman. At Mount Sterling it went along the south side and followed the diagonal of US-24. You can then follow the land scar through Timewell (now part of Mound Station?). It then follows the diagonal of US-24 again until US-24 bends but it goes further north and then west. It went through Clayton along Railroad Street. The grain elevator has grown since Norfolk Western abandoned these branches because it covers up a branch that curved north out of Clayton and went northerly to Carthage and then west to join (the old) Toledo, Peoria & Western at Evanston, IL. It used the TP&W route to access Keokuk. But I'm interested in the branch that kept going west from Clayton until it joined the CB&Q at Center Point. Center Point is the label used by the SPV Map, but it must have been a control point name because Google shows the town as Camp Point, IL.

Andy Zukowski posted
Burlington Railroad Depot at Camp Point, Illinois 1912

Cressona, PA: Reading Roundhouse, Coaling Tower

Railyard: (Satellite, about half of the tracks still exist.)

Old Roundhouse: (Satellite, across from Agway and across PA-183 from the station.)

New Roundhouse: (Satellite)

Coaling Tower: (Satellite, On Dec 12, 2023 location changed from Satellite, the new location is the general area because I think it was gone by the oldest aerial photo I could find, 1957.)

about halfway between the bend in Wilder St. and Pottsville St. extended)

Richard Nagle posted three photos with the comment: "Reading roundhouse at Cressona at original location being razed August 1929." 

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Raymond Storey posted

Dennis DeBruler: The remnants of the pits are still visible.
 https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6283525,-76.1927114,124m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

1944 Pottsville Quad @ 24,000

The roundhouse is in the lower-right corner and the coaling tower is in the upper-left corner. (Update: the following photo shows that this is the wrong location for the coaling tower.)

EarthExplorer: Oct 20, 1959 @ 60,000; ARB593500600509

For future reference, so I don't waste time acessing it again, the May 7, 1957 @ 60,000 (ARA550530030001) is blurry.

Mark Kutsch posted
March 1929 turntable Cressona ,Pa
John Smith: The Table is now at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
Bobb Losse Sr.: The 3 hopper cars closest to the camera look to be ash cars.
Josh Eifert: Does anyone know what the tall structure is in the background?
Dennis DeBruler: Josh Eifert That was the coaling tower. You can see the chutes on the side that would be lowered over the locmotive's tender to add coal to the tender. Some of these concrete structures still exist today because they are so expensive to tear down. But you will seldom see any metal parts such as the chutes still attached to them.

Stewardson, IL: NKP/Clover Leaf Depot

(Satellite, south of the tracks and east of Cedar Street)

Andy Zukowski posted
Norfolk-Western Train Depot, Stewardson Illinois 1964
Andy Hughes: My mom’s family was from here. Wabash crossed NKP here going to Altamont & Effingham.on the old Paducah line that Gould bought. A portion of it became the StLouis line of the Wab.
Justin West: Is it still standing...here's a picture from 1980, 
 https://archive.nkphts.org/object/13194-clover-leaf-depot-stewardson-il-1980s

Dennis DeBruler replied to Justin
I'd say no. I believe we are looking eastish, and Cedar Street is in the foreground. The Wabash route is on this late 1930s aerial, but it is not on a 1947 topo map.
 https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/shelby/flight15/0bhe04079.jpg

nkphts

A reminder as to where the Clover Leaf ran.

RailsAndTrails via DennisDeBruler

1947 Stewardson Quad @ 62,500