Pittsfield, IL: Lost/Wabash Depot and Bunge Grain Elevator

(Satellite, the track stopped at North Street. The grain elevator has reused the depot's land.)

Andy Zukowski posted
Wabash Line, Depot at Pittsfield, Illinois. Photo taken June 30, 1968 by Wesley L. Hammond
Rick Powell: I think this was a short line after it’s Wabash/NW days but ultimately abandoned.
Richard Fiedler shared
William Ankrom: The branch was removed in 1981, I made two trips to pittsfield It was tough everthing was overgrown.
Jim Kelling shared

Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post
The 7-mile branch to Pittsfield from Maysville Jct. terminated at North Street. As is rather typical in Illinois, the grain elevator expanded over the land used by the depot.
1926 Pittsfield Quad @ 62,500

Andy Zukowski posted
A picture of the Wabash Railroad Depot in Pittsfield, Illinois from 1973.
Paul Grone: Does anyone here know Pittsfield? It seemed to just have a spur that came into town. According to maps, the tracks ended here. What did little old Pittsfield have that warranted a nice depot and a long 'spur'? 🤔
Pursley's Green Valley Farm: Paul Grone A very large flour mill and many smaller businesses plus passenger service to the county seat.
James Kehn: Which Division and District was it on?
Mark Ashinhurst: James Kehn Decatur div, 10th district
William Ankrom: Mark Ashinhurst Yep Mark the switch was at MP DH483 known as Maysville. You head south about 6 mile to Pittsfield Il Springfield /Hannibal district.
John Rieken: I worked for the N&W on the Decatur Division and I remember going down the terrible branch line to Pittsfield. We may have been the last train down there.
William Ankrom: John Rieken I think i was, but ive heard your name, Attabury,Whitley, an me 1981? I remember the brush was so bad, they made me run the engine and they were on the nose, I had to close the windows to protect myself good ole days.
Harry Cheek: also delivered coal for the shoe factory.
Charles Call shared
Ted Fisk: I looked at Pittsfield on Google maps and I was unable to tell where the tracks went through. Any insight?

 

Pursley's Green Valley Farm commented on Andy's post
Another business was a large lumber yard.
Rick Dreistadt: If only the station records had been saved. At one time EVERYTHING came into town and left on the railroad, from farm animals, to horse collars, wagons, and wheels. boxes of nails, bags of flour, etc. Of the many depots once on the Monon Railroad I have discovered several documents from only 2 depots from the late 1800's and the items were too numerous to mention. Also in a couple of instances at towns probably no larger than Pittsfield, agents were taken off the jobs account they "were too light" for the work, meaning, I presume, there was more work then they could handle.

 

Dennis DeBruler answered Ted's question
They didn't go through. The branch terminated at North Street. I think the depot was just north of North Street and west of the track. And the track was west of Madison Street. 1926 topo map

The Google Maps label is Jbs United, but the URL is bunge.com. Did Bunge recently buy it, and that is why they are expanding it with four more bins?  Like Weldon, IL, this is another example of a big grain company operating an elevator in a small town.

Satellite

I wonder if the brick building was a flour or feed mill. 

Street View, Jul 2016

The topo map implies that the grain elevator was east of Madison and the depot was west of it and that they were both just north of North Street. But this shows that the grain elevator was in the northwest quadrant of Madison and North Streets. And I don't know where the depot was.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Lisa Ruble posted four images with the comment:

1907

One County In Illinois Owns Tiny Railroad

Six Miles of Track Built to Give Pittsfield an Outlet to the World, Proves Good Investment - The road is said to be the best paying proposition on the Wabash system, mile for mile. There are only two stations, the terminal - Maysville - and Pittsfield - with a sidetrack about midway between the two. The largest shipper is Dow and King flour mill, one of the largest in Illinois, with a capacity of 2,000 barrels a day. It is located at Pittsfield. Newburg township is really a part of Pittsfield, being the wealthy residence section. Most of the Dow and King flour is exported or taken by the cracker trust. Maysville is a mere hamlet, with one store, a post office and four houses. There is only one locomotive and a combination coach on the line, which is operated to the entire satisfaction of the patrons. But as a government operated line it was a failure, and the voters of the county apparently did not care to experiment with its operation in 1904. There was no sentiment whatever in favor of the county assuming the responsibility of operating the property. The road's gross revenue amounts to $100,000 annually ($3,341,159.57 today).

Quincy Herald Whig

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The Pittsfield Depot sign can be seen at the Historic East School Museum in Pittsfield. Second and fourth photos: Pittsfield Depot. Third photo is of the Maysville Depot. Both depots are no longer standing.

Richard Fiedler shared

Richard Fiedler shared

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