Greenup, IL: 1870 Lost/Pennsy/Vandalia Depot and Junction Tower

Original Depot: (Satellite, according to the photo, the depot was in the northeast quadrant of the crossing.)

Current Depot: (Satellite)

Tower: (Satellite, the tower was in the southeast quadrant.)

Andy Zukowski posted

Vandalia Railroad Depot in Greenup, Illinois. 1909

Following World War Il, a decline in passenger service and the rise of other forms of transportation led to a series of massive, often disastrous, mergers.

The Vandalia line was not immune to these forces, and its fate became tied to the broader corporate shifts of the era. The Pennsylvania Railroad, its long-time owner, merged with its archival, the New York Central (NYC), in 1968 to form Penn Central (PC). This new entity was plagued by operational and technological problems and was a stunning failure, filing for bankruptcy just two years later in 1970.

[Note the signalling pipelines in the left foreground.]

Randy McWilliams: The Historic Greenup Depot, built through community effort in 1870, is currently in the museum complex on the Historic National Road. The Depot building has served the St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Penn-Central Railroad, and the Illinois Central Railroad. In its current location, the Depot brings to mind a bygone era when railroads brought Greenup many freight shipments and travelers.

The main floor boasts the original waiting room, office fixtures and a model railroad depicting major periods of American Railroading. This depot is one of few constructed with second-story living quarters, currently beautifully restored in 1930’s era decor.

Larry Candilas: Where was the depot originally? It seems the railroad skirts the south side of the town on a big fill; can't seem to find a depot anywhere in a 1939 aerial.

Brad Johnson commented on Andy's post

Dennis DeBruler commented on Larry's comment
Pennsy must have built the embankment after 1909 as part of a grade improvement program. The photo shows that the depot was in the northeast quadrant of the crossing of the IC/PD&E and Pennsy/Vandalia. By 1939, that area was just a pile of dirt.

1938/38 Toledo and 1943/43 Greenup Quads @ 62,500