Haskells, IN: GTW Depot at Monon Crossing

(Satellite)

Kevin Horn posted
Haskells where the Michigan City line crossed the GTW.  Work as relief operator here summer of 1970 which included one third shift at Dyer.

Mark E. Vaughan: As I recall from my foggy memory there was considerable interchange between the Monon and the Grand Trunk. My best guess auto parts and auto traffic. Parts to Ford Louisville Assembly Plant and body stampings out of the GM plant in Indy. Maybe castings from GM Foundry in Bedford. Just guessing on my part.

Kevin Horn: Mark E. Vaughan finished autos, when I worked there 1970 received anywhere from 15 to 30 loaded trilevels daily. Sometimes they would run a Haskells Turn out of Lafayette to protect this traffic.

Robert Scott: Kevin Horn please explain your last sentence - what is meant by "protect this traffic"?

Mark E. Vaughan: Robert Scott highly valued. Moved at very high freight rates. Subject to theft of batteries, radios tires and such. Subject to high claims for the railroad for loss and damage. Autos later subjected to graffiti. Rails did not want the cars to sit for very long on a rural siding since many bad things could happen.

In my N&W days literally interchange moves were well

orchestrated so the arriving train would arrive at the same time the other interchange partner would arrive. This happened at the former NKP to former Wabash in Peru, Former Wabash to former PRR in Logansport and former NKP to former C&O at Belfast, Indiana. I was working on the crews for each of these protected interchange connections.

Brían S Du Bois: Where were the connections (interchange tracks) located? Were the inside the Interlocking limits?

Michael Albert: Mark E. Vaughan the wye was in the NE quadrant (behind the depot). There were 2 tracks on the east side of the Monon main the GTW delivered to and a long track on the north side of the GTW the Monon delivered to. Lots of newsprint went to the Monon there too.

Mark E. Vaughan: Brían S Du Bois From my memory, considerable newsprint in CN,CP,ONR 40 foot boxcars to the Indy newspapers. Used to live north side of Indy and used to watch the cars in the yard and watched the consists when the freights passed during daylight hours.

Mark Johnson: Various history writers have noted that Haskells was the preferred interchange point between the GTW and Monon - the other crossing was in the Chicago metro area and was evidently a real pain to switch.

Jeff Michaels commented on Kevin's post
My father did the final trick there. He cleaned the place out. Still have it all in the basement.

Jeff Michaels commented on Kevin's post
Not sure of the year.

Jeff Michaels commented on Kevin's post
My father, Gordon Michaels, about 1968.

Forreston, IL: Lost/Milwaukee Depot and IC Connection

Depot: (Satellite)

IC over Milwaukee crossing: (Satellite)

Bridge for the connection: (Satellite)

Note that Milwaukee's depot for Forreston was a couple of miles north of the town.

Andy Zukowski posted
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Depot in Forreston, Illinois.

Richard Hammer: That's the Illinois Central overpass to the east of the depot.

Tom Lampman: Richard Hammer IC's Gruber Line. The interchange with them here sucked, even more dangerous at night. I always worried about my men on the ground here while performing that duty.

Richard Fiedler shared

Andy Zukowski posted
Chicago, Milwaukee, St.Paul & Pacific Railroad Depot in Forreston Illinois 1973

Everett Lueck: in the older shot, the overhead crossing of the Illinois Central Charter line is in the background.

Michael Zettle: Terrance Kampas Sign is owned by the Andy Anderson family here in Forreston.

Robert Detert: That depot was actually just north of town.

Larry Candilas: A few miles for sure; the depot in town was a joint IC-CB&Q depot since this was the end of the CB&Q branch from Polo.

Larry Candilas commented on Andy's post
MP 106.8 Dubuque & Illinois Division; a picture from a few years earlier.

Michael Zettle: Larry Candilas This was the first depot on the south side of the tracks. The first depot pictured was built in 1943 on the north side and the old depot was tore down. Station agent was Ole Engelbretson.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Superior, WI: Saunders Railyard and Tower: GN+DM&IR vs. Milwaukee

Tower: (Satellite)

Yard: (Satellite)

David Schauer posted
A bit more snow in January 1983 as the Grand Rapids local blasts by Saunders Tower with ex-Q SD9 6205 leading. A section gang clearing the yard pauses as the local heads past. Superior, WI - January 1983.
Dennis DeBruler shared
Note the spreader working to the left of the 6205.
Tim Shanahan shared

Dennis DeBruler commented on Tim's share
We can see the white square roof and the shadow in this 1938 aerial photo.
 https://maps.sco.wisc.edu/WHAIFinder/#13/46.6349/-92.0925
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.6374028,-92.1093629,114m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

Dennis DeBruler commented on Tim's share
1954 Superior and Sunnyside Quads @ 24,000

Greg Mross posted
BN 7813 heads north past the tower in Saunders, WI in May of 1986.

In the county of IL: Iroquois Crossing: KB&S/Milw/CTH&SE vs. KB&S/Big Four

(Satellite)

KB&S = Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern

CTH&SE = Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern

The north/south Milwauke route goes over the almost north/south Big Four route, and there is a connection between the two.

The headquarters of the KB&S is just south of this crossing.

Steven J. Brown posted
Kankakee Beaverville & Southern RS11 301 (built 1958 as NKP 569) at Iroquois Junction, Illinois - December 12, 1987.
Philip Kulina: Unique bridge, with wood, steel + concrete.
[A comment pointed out the train in the distant background on the Big Four route.]
Edward Kwiatkowski shared

Mike Roth Flickr, Jul 22, 2018
The comment says that they are shoving into their yard, but I think they are shoving up the connector.

Both views above are looking Southish along the Big Four route. Below is a comparable view from US-52. We get a good view of the connecting track that climbs the grade from the Big Four to the Milwaukee.

Street View, Oct 2023

This route is looking Northish along the Big Four route. I got far enough south to include the headquarters. That is why the truss bridge of the crossing is in the distant right background.

Street View, Oct 2023

Here is a closeup that catches a cut of cars on the Milwaukee route.

Street View, Oct 2023

The angle between the Milwaukee route and the road is small enough that it required some interesting engineering to cross the road.

Street View, Oct 2023

Dave Honan
This rather complex bridge is just north of the KBSR's diesel shop in Iroquois, IL. Looking to the south, there's a two-span deck girder, a wooden trestle, a through truss with deck girder approach spans, and finally another wooden trestle (the middle of the last three piers supported an old, no-longer-existing span). (October 06, 2001)

This bridge catches a lot of people's eye:

Mike Kasrich posted

Peotone, IL: Milw/CM&G crosses IC and IL-50

(Satellite, Peotone has annexed the right-of-way between I-57 and IL-70)

CM&G = Chicago, Milwaukee and Gary
Milwaukee abandoned the Joliet Branch in 1978.

Bill Molony posted
the Milwaukee Road's Joliet Branch crossed over the Illinois Central tracks and US Route 50 (just south of Peotone) on a fill and a pair of steel bridges - July, 1957.

Dave Ladislas Sr. remembers that there used to be a wooden trestle.
Dennis DeBruler Dave Ladislas Sr. In this 1939 aerial, there appears to be bents between each IC track, which would imply a wooden trestle. But it has modern concrete abutments, so it is not conclusive. It appears that IL-50 was already four lanes before WWII. That surprises me.
Bill Molony Dave Ladislas Sr. Yes, the later steel bridge replaced the original timber trestle.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Ravenna, OH: (RN) Tower: NS/Pennsy crosses over CSX/B&O, Baldwin Sharks and Depots

Crossing: (Satellite)

Pennsy Depot: (Satellite)

B&O Depot: (Satellite)

Raymond Storey posted
REVENNA OHIO

Rick Fleisher posted
PRR sharks head a train moving from the PRR's C&P to the B&O mainline at Brady Lake (Ravenna, OH). The train is eastbound. The PRR had trackage rights on the B&O from this point to Niles, Jct.
Tom Barnett PRR's Y&R Connection (double track) which ran from MV Jct or later called Rave tower down under the C&P main to the B&O's RN tower. The New York Central also had trackage rights for moves to and from its LE&P Branch (i.e. Brady Lake to Marcy). I've got some NYC train dispatcher books from 1957 and the NYC ran a substantial number of Elyria-Youngstown freights via the route captioned in above photo. In later years, the Y&R Connection was reduced to one track only (the old Westbound main) and after the Conrail first window of abandonments in 1982, it was totally abandoned and removed.

Here is a closeup of the Pennsy depot that we see in the above photo.

American-Rails.com posted

A quartet of Penn Central F7s roll past the former PRR depot in Ravenna, Ohio with a string of hoppers during the early 1970s. The photographer's 1969 Dodge Charger can be seen in the foreground. Jerry Custer photo.

https://american-rails.com/pc.html

The connection is gone, but both routes exist, although with fewer tracks.

Satellite

Darren Reynolds posted five photos with the comment: "B&Os 'RN' tower..Ravenna, Ohio."

1

"RN" tower in July 1984 and the connection to Conrail

(PRR) It's gone now.

Photo by: David P. Oroszi

Darren Reynolds posted

A Chessie Freight passes by "RN" tower on July 1984.

By now the Junction with the PRRs Connection to "Rave" tower is gone.

Photo by: David P. Oroszi

Keiv Spare shared

2

In this picture you can see the interlocking and the Connection to the PRR at "RN" tower... Note the PRR

Signal on the right.

Photo & Date: Unknown

[Another demonstration that signalling pipelines could go around curves.]

Lee Higgins: The "Ravenna Connection" earned an article in Trains magazine in the 1980s I believe.

3

In 1977 the pipeline was still in use.. "RN" tower

Photo by: Rob Mandeville

4

"RN" tower by this time October 12, 1992 the switches are all electric and no more pipeline..

Photo by: Robert Staples

Bryan Porter: The PRR connections are gone too. 🙁 I remember walking across page st. seeing the ROW below and the crossing flashers still in place on Diamond st.

5

A 1930 view of "RN" tower

Photo by: Henry Wilhelm NRHS

All images from North American interlockings States A to Z and Canada..

Chad Winans: When this photo was taken, the call letters were”NE”.

Bryan Porter: A PRR 2-8-0 pulls a train headed south crossing along side the old NOT&L line overhead. The new PRR main was built or being built. Not sure exactly when it was completed from Hudson to Ravenna.

1961 Kent and Ravenna Quads @ 24,000

To find the location of the B&O Depot, I got older maps that didn't have just a blob of red.

1906/41 Kent and 1906/61 Ravenna Quads @ 62,500

The rectangle west of Prospect Street and north of the tracks looks promising. But this aerial confirms what the postcard shows, the depot was closer to Chestnut Street.

Apr 17, 1952 @ 17,000; AR1PH0000060166

The overpass has been upgraded, but the curve in the track is the same as the postcard.

Street View, Jun 2023

Niles Junction, OH: CSX/B&O crosses over NS/PRR

(Satellite, my guess based on the aerial photo below)

Note the tower in the background.

Villiam Vandervoort posted
From a 1927 Railway Signaling magazine. A location where the B&O and the PRR paralleled each other.

Gerald Wills commented on the above posting
A bad ektachrome slide scan, but lasted into the early 1980's

1954 Girard and 1959 Warren Quads @ 24,000 via Dennis DeBruler

You can still see the "land scars" for the two connections. Pennsy had trackage rights on the B&O between here and Ravenna, OH.

Satellite

The photos above indicate that the tower was on the north side of the tracks. 

Apr 27, 1950 @ 19,200; AR1KM0000020066

Kirkland Crossing: ICE/Milw vs. Milw/CM&G

CM&G = Chicago, Milwaukee and Gary

Jeff Rich posted
From another FB site, no idea of the details.
Jeff Kehoe This is our rare photo of a CM&G train w/caboose, so welcome to the group.

The Chicago, Milwaukee & Gary was bought by the Milwaukee because they were interested in the southern portion to give them access to their southern branch that they bought to get access to coal in Southern Indiana. The Milw/CM&G is one of the few railroads that is not on my 1928 RR Atlas. But the SPV Map indicates the CM&G crossed the Milwaukee mainline a few miles west of Kirkland, IL. There was a branch that went south on the west side of Kirkland from the mainline to connect to the CM&G. As of 2005, the east/west route was owned by Iowa Chicago & Eastern Railroad, a Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern subsidiary. It is evidently now owned by the Canadian Pacific.

See "CM&G Kirkland Depot" for a topo map of the connection between the CM&G and the Milwaukee.

You can tell that Milwaukee abandoned the northern portion between Aurora and Rockford a long time ago because there is very little evidence of the route on today's satellite map. There is a land scar and a little tree line south of IL-72.

Satellite

In fact, it appears it was abandoned by 1939. But the land scars are clear enough that you can tell it curved north and paralleled on the east side of IL-72. The crossing would have been in the upper-left corner of the aerial photo east of the highway bridge. The connecting track is on the right side of the photo. The SPV Map labels the wye at the lower-right as Kirkland Junction.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Update: The junction with the Milwaukee mainline was on the west side of Kirkland, IL.

1968 Fairdale and Kirkland Quads @ 24,000

Ashley, IL: Junction Tower: CN/IC vs EVWR/CSX/L&N and Lost/L&N Depot

Tower: (Satellite, my guess based on the aerial photo below.)

L&N Depot: (Satellite)

IC Depot: (Satellite)

Stephen N. Brannon posted
Ashley Tower, between Centralia and Du Quoin on the IC north-south main, crossing the L&N main to St. Louis.
Richard Fiedler shared

Lake States Railway Historical Association posted

2025.024.IC.09

Ray Buhrmaster image ICRR--steam locomotive 2-10-2 2702 running light at interlocking tower at Ashley, IL on September 2, 1957.

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Lake States Railway Historical Association shared

Dale Hearn posted
Four Illinois Central GP40s lead this southbound IC freight approaching the L&N diamonds at Ashley, IL., MP 245, on May 30, 1981. D.P. Hearn
Chris Hudson Now, It's Evansville Western, and no interchange.
Jayson Bunkoske gotta love the ic GP40's there favorite priority train power till the end.
Wayne Ladd Had full crew back then!

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
Dennis DeBruler commented on Raymond's comment below
It looks long enough to be the building that was just west of Railroad St. 1938 Aerial Photo

L&N Depot

The junction tower must be out-of-frame to the right.

Andy Zukowski posted
Louisville & Nashville Depot at Ashley, Illinois, just west of the Illinois Central diamond, circa June 1965.
Dennis DeBruler: http://t.winx.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5903185

Raymond Barr: ...or East...?

Richard Fiedler shared
Mark Bone

Mark Bone
[Note the wood grain elevator to the west.]

IC Depot

Trent Briggs posted two photos with the comment: "Ashley, Illinois."

Dennis DeBruler: The first photo is looking North along the IC tracks. The junction tower in the background was in the northwest quadrant of the junction. The second photo is looking South. Andy Zukowski has posted the L&N depot: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ILLRRHISTORYBUFFS/posts/4561750800717717/

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