Big Four: (Satellite)
The town does have a grain elevator on the west side of town. Looking at the photos on Google Maps, they added some big bins to the elevator in the summer of 2022. But they don't yet appear on a satellite image.
Note only are the depots lost, but so are the railroads. This town was the western terminus of the IC Branch of Havana, Rantoul and Eastern Railroad (HR&E), which was abandoned in 1943. The Big Four Route was the Peoria & Eastern.
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| Andy Zukowski posted Illinois Central Depot in Leroy, Illinois. 1972 Thomas Dyrek: Old Havana, Rantoul & Eastern (narrow gauge) depot - destroyed by a fire in 1986. Paul Jones: This was where the railroad museum at Monticello was first looking to run trains back in 1966. Steve Dean: End of the line for the Pumpkin Vine. J.D. Cooke: When the IC pulled up the tracks to Leroy they were still able to do business in town when they got haulage/trackage rights on the P&E from Farmers City to Leroy. David Jordan: The ILLINOIS RAIL PLAN UPDATE 1977 says Illinois Central Gulf filed for abandonment on November 1, 1976. The segment between Fisher and LeRoy generated 162 carloads in 1975. Alan R. Lind's THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD STORY gives an effective abandonment date for the westernmost 17.5 miles (Lotus to LeRoy) as April 15, 1980. The ICC had issued the order on January 31 that year. Lind states that the depot was still standing in 1978 when it was 100 years old! Paul Jones: Turntable and engine house were long gone by the time this photo was taken. |
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| Jeremy Harris commented on Andy's post |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Jeremy's comment The RoW started curving south just east of White Street. That is significant because the depot was along the angled part. 1951 Le Roy Quad @ 62,500 |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post The diagonal corner of the fence at White and Oak still reflects the RoW curving south away from Oak Street. https://maps.app.goo.gl/3VHfq19AatRm5ip79 |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post The intersection of White and Oak Streets is at the top middle of this excerpt. As was typical of Illinois towns, there was an old grain elevator near the depot. 1940 aerial https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/mclean/flight15/000x5a112.jpg |
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| Jeremy commented on Dennis' comment with the topo map. I’m guessing something like this? The fence is at an angle, there’s no reason for this that I can see, so I’m guessing this is where it was? Dennis DeBruler: Jeremy Harris That was my guess as well. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post The IC went through town on the south side of Oak Street. https://maps.app.goo.gl/zw4nZBWiUFhKkdeM9, Jun 2018 |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Paul's comment Where was the turntable? I could not find it in this 1940 aerial. https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/mclean/flight15/000x5a112.jpg Paul Jones: Dennis DeBruler it was a 60ft'er if I remember correctly it and engine house was west of the depot, Oak street is the route thru town,you can see where it paralleled the street. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Paul's 60ft'er comment Thanks. I grabbed the adjacent aerial photo. This one has some contrast between the white turntable and the brown pit so it is more visible. Given that both photos were taken by the same equipment just a few seconds apart during an airplane flight, it is interesting how this "114" photo is definitely better than the "112" photo. https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/mclean/flight15/000x5a114.jpg |
Note the grain elevator near the left side in the above street view of Oak Street. When I looked for it on a satellite map, I could not find it! Then I determined that it has been torn down. Google Maps indicates that it is "temporarily closed." I think it is going to be closed a lot longer.
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| Satellite |
Since it existed in Jun 2018, I fired up Google Earth. I included the town circle to help position this Aug 2019 excerpt. It was gone in the next image, Oct 2022.
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| Google Earth, Aug 2019 |
The town does have a grain elevator on the west side of town. Looking at the photos on Google Maps, they added some big bins to the elevator in the summer of 2022. But they don't yet appear on a satellite image.
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| Satellite |
Big Four/Peoria and Eastern Depot
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| Andy Zukowski posted The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Depot in Le Roy Illinois. The CCC&StL was formed through a series of mergers and was eventually acquired by the New York Central Railroad in 1906. The line that went through Le Roy was initially part of the Havana Rantoul & Eastern Railroad, a narrow-gauge railway built in response to the Illinois Central Railroad. The Illinois Central Gulf filed for abandonment of the line segment between Fisher and LeRoy in 1976. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post Actually, the HR&E terminated in Le Roy. It never made it to Havana. The route through town was the Big Four's Peoria & Eastern. 1951 Le Roy Quad @ 62,500 |
The street along the right side of this excerpt is Walnut Street. It looks like the depot is hidden by a big tree. I think the dark strip along the track was the platform.
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| 1940 Aerial Photo from IHLAP |
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