Friday, April 4, 2025

Lexington, IL: Restaurant/GM&O Depot and Wood Grain Elevator

Original Depot: (Satellite)
Current Depot: (Satellite)
Grain Elevator: (Satellite)
Wood Elevator: (Satellite)

This is a "Route 66" town, but I could not find any historic gas stations.

The depot is on the right, and part of the grain elevator is on the left.
Street View, Aug 2021

Noah Haggerty posted three photos with the comment: "The former Chicago & Alton depot in Lexington, IL taken on October 1, 2023. The depot, built in 1888, was one of many depots built with this design such as Summit and Petersburg. It was relocated away from the tracks around the 1980's and now holds a restaurant, the Lexington Social. Here and Farber, MO are the only surviving ones of this kind."
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This map indicates that I should look on the east side of the tracks between Main and Walnut Streets.
1930/30 Normal Quad @ 62,500

But that building on the east side of the tracks doesn't look big enough. Based on the size of the shadow, my current theory is the building on the west side of the tracks just south of Main Street.
1940 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
 
Because of the "high-speed" Amtrak service on this route, the railroad property has to be fenced in the towns. I think the depot would have been in the foreground. I wonder why UP still has a communication tower. The fiber optic cables installed for PTC made them obsolete.
Street View, Aug 2021

The above view of the grain elevator was of the south side. This view is of the north side.
Street View, Aug 2021

The grain elevator is big enough that I had a hard time finding street views that did it justice. While looking, I found that it also has a wood elevator.
Street View, Aug 2021

A closer view of the south side. We see the silos are old fashioned bolted steel construction. The wood elevator is on the left and part of one of the bins is peaking out behind the leftmost silo.
Street View, Aug 2021

Dennis DeBruler posted three views with the comment: "While researching the GM&O Depot in Lexington, IL, I discovered an extant wood grain elevator. That elevator also had several big bolted-steel silos. And some old slip-form silos. Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/68YmuKvyhvXV3Lso6."
Connor Bounds: Prairie Central Co-Op. Originally built for Kent grain co. You forgot the two new bins across the tracks. The scale house was also part of a tru value store.
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https://maps.app.goo.gl/ggUGNsjiS9UYmZ9u6

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https://maps.app.goo.gl/zzXu6vPtwzdyrKnc7   The wood elevator is on the left side of this view.

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https://maps.app.goo.gl/r4SUnxXM3YxbmiHNA

Dennis DeBruler commented on Connor's comment
I didn't include them because I don't consider galvanized-steel bins to be historic. But they are big. I can't decide if the big silo is slip form or jump form. This is one of those Midwest elevators that has grown enough to be a museum of grain elevator technologies. https://maps.app.goo.gl/xztYtG18bdN5Srru8
Connor Bounds: Dennis DeBruler google maps doesn't show yet, but they actually lost the grain leg on the two new bins last summer during a storm, so there's a completely new setup over there.ac



Rock Falls, IL: IH: Lost/International Harvester Spring Division and Lost/CB&Q Depot

IH: (Satellite, part of the land between 2nd Street & the river and between 1st and 4th Avenues.)
Depot: (Satellite, the land of the depot is now part of a parking lot.)

I know IH made a lot of things in its heyday, but it is hard to believe that it used this many springs. I wonder if they sold some springs to other manufacturers.
Dennis Haag posted
Steve OConnor shared

CB&Q Depot


Trent Briggs posted
Rock Falls, Illinois.  CB&Q
Thomas Whitt shared

The depot was in a small railyard next to their bridge over the Rock River. This area was abandoned and rebuilt.
1940/40 Morrison Quad @ 62,500

The topo map misses the detail that the mainline is curved through that railyard. Judging from the shadow, the depot was just north of 3rd Street and above where 1st Ave. curved to the West. We can also see the buildings of the IH plant west of 1st Ave. and north of 2nd Street.
1939 Aerial Photo from IHLAP

Marathon City, WI: Lost/C&NW Depot and Wood Grain Elevator

Depot: (Satellite, 3rd Street has been built on the C&NW RoW.)
Elevator: (Satellite, Google Maps won't let me put the pin on the old part, which is on the east side.)

Chicago & North Western Historical Society posted
Old timey stuff once again.  This time we are "in" Marathon City Wisconsin just at train time.  How glad we are that Mr. Colby went around making such photos.  Does anyone have a "now" photo from the same viewpoint?

Daniel Paul Knigge commented on the post
Roger Hooper: Daniel Paul Knigge , must have been expensive cargo. The guy second from the right has a shotgun.
Andrew Hager: Roger Hooper Yes, very expensive cargo. Fromm Brothers Fox Furs

HRM Laser Models LLC commented on the post
Slightly different view looking east. Most photos were taken looking north east.

Matt Bourke commented on the post
Parts City sits pretty much exactly where the depot was



Street View, Jul 2023

Street View, Jul 2023

The "bridge" on the left is the scale.
Street View, Jul 2023

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Canton, OH: Wandle Tower: Pennsy vs. Aban/WE/N&W/NKP/W&LE

(Satellite, the track to the North used to cross the Pennsy rather than join it.)

Darren Reynolds posted six images with the comment: "Conrails ( Ex-PRR/ N&W)
"Wandle" tower 
Canton, Ohio"
Daniel C Carroll Jr. shared
Daniel C Carroll Jr. shared
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"Wandle" tower was put in service on January 13, 1908
Photo by: Chip Syme ( No Date)
David P Harrison: Good old asbestos brick shingle siding...

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The Diamonds for the N&W crossing on May 19,1976 at "Wandle" tower...Canton, Ohio
Photo by: David P. Oroszi

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A PRR track and interlocking diagram and interlocking machine information for "Wandle" tower....Canton,Ohio

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Looking West at "Wandle" tower and the N&W Diamond
On May 19,1976
Photo by: David P. Oroszi

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"Wandle" tower on May 29, 1976 and Conrail is just a few months old...
Photo by: David P. Oroszi

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The old days at "Wandle" tower
Photo by: Chip Syme Collection
Scott Cameron: Appears to be a passenger depot in the background. Is that a different location than the much larger PRR station and later modern Amtrak depot?
B Tupper Upham: Interesting....I wonder why the K-4 is running light?

The track through Whittier Park appears to be just a connection between the W&LE and B&O. That explains why it is now abandoned. The rest of the W&LE trackage in the area is now owned by the new W&LE (reporting mark WE).
1958/60 Canton West Quad @ 24,000

Massillon, OH: Mace Tower: Pennsy vs. B&O

(Satellite, The diamond has been changed to two turnouts.)

The 2005 SPV Map marks this crossing as "CP Mace."

Darren Reynolds posted four images with the comment: "Conrails (EX-PRR/B&O)
"Mace" tower 
Massillon, Ohio"
Tom Barnett: Mace was also a TO station for the B&O CL&W branch between Warwick and Holloway.
Bill Burge: Looks like an eastbound Office Car Special. Rocked through that interlocking on the Ft Wayne Line many years.
Daniel C Carroll Jr. shared
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A Conrail special passenger train Passes "Mace" tower
Photo by: Chip Syme (No Date)
Barry James: What a great OCS train.

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Conrail Eng #7853 passes "Mace" tower with a waving Engineer... July 1977
Photo by: Robert Farkas

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Standing on the B&O looking West at "Mace" tower 1965
Photo by: Bob McCord
B Tupper Upham: Ooo..movable point frogs!

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A Penn Central (Ex-PRR) track and interlocking diagram and interlocking machine information for "Mace" tower

The track coming from the east and crossing the river was the Pennsy.
1961/63 Massillon Quad @ 24,000

The tower is near the upper-left corner. I included the Cherry Road Bridges to help correlate this photo with today's satellite images.
Mar 30, 1952 @ 17,000; AR1PH0000030049

Lee's Summit, MO: Chamber of Commerece/Missouri Pacific Depot

(Satellite)

Track side
Street View, Sep 2024

Street side
Street View, Sep 2024

Art LH posted five photos with the comment: "I visited the Independence Misssouri, Missouri Pacific now Amtrak station today."
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Once I figured out that the depot was in Lee's Summit instead of Independence, I found the depot on this map.
1957/58 Lees Summit and Woods Chapel Quad @ 24,000

UP bought MoPac, but it looks like a shortline operates it today. I could not make out the second letter in the logo.
Gerald Williams, Oct 2023

But then why did UP run their Big Boy on this route if a shortline now owns it?
B. A. Law, Aug 2021

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Alexander, IL: Lost/Wabash Depot and Lost/Wood Grain Elevator

Depot: (Satellite)
Elevator: (Satellite)

Trent Briggs posted
Larry Candilas: MP 437.4 - Springfield Div; 10th District

When I looked at a satellite image, I noticed the town does not have a grain elevator. So I verified that it did have a wood elevator in 1941. In fact, it looks like it had a lot of grain bins as well.
1941 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
Richard Fiedler shared