Flora, IL: CSX/B&O & Aban/PARY/B&O 1917 Depot and Roundhouses

Depot: (Satellite)

Roundhouses: (Satellite)

Mark Hinsdale posted
Flora IL (Baltimore & Ohio)

This must have been a predecessor depot.

Andy Zukowski posted
The B&O Depot was located in Flora, Illinois in 1906.

A different exposure:

Andy Zukowski posted
B&O Depot in Flora, Illinois. 1906

Robert Gibson Jr.: Train on left heading to Springfield and train on right heading to Shawneetown, Illinois on the Ohio River after connection with train from the east.

Richard Fiedler shared

Andy Zukowski posted
The B&O Railroad Depot in Flora, Illinois. C.1910

Richard Fiedler shared

Satellite

He was looking East. This depot was in the northeast quadrant of the two B&O lines that ran through town.

The east/west route was the mainline between St. Louis, Cincinnati, and points east. But CSX has been removing bits and pieces of this line. Flora is on the east side of the segment they put out-of-service in July, 2015. The north/south route became the Prairie Trunk Railroad in the 70s and was abandoned in 1985.

Update:   History of the depot

Photo by Douglas Weitzman, 6-30-92

From the Ohio to the Mississippi, p 52

Dave Durham posted
B&O, National Limited, Flora, Illinois.
Scott Nauert People tend to forget how much damage is done to towns like this when the railroad abandons service or the railroad itself. Flora is now at the end of a dying branch of a once mighty system that sadly I don't think is ever coming back. Nor do I think major industry is coming back to Illinois to support a need to restore through or even local freight service.
Dave Durham A huge part of the problem is that so much Manufacturing has been shipped overseas.
Scott Nauert Dave Durham - Yes it has. But much of the online traffic in this case still exists. It would be a stretch to say it's enough to support a shortline, but who knows? CSX essentially pulled the plug on marketing it in the late 80s and one by one, customer spurs were removed.

David Cantrell posted
It was a beautiful day for a visit to the Flora, IL depot museum (former B&O railroad).

Gene Butler: Would this have been a stop for the B&O from St. Louis to Washington, DC? Did it also stop in Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Wheeling W. Virginia?

On one trip with my dad the train was stopped at one of these stations and a car or two was added to the consist. My dad got off the train stretching his legs and instructed me to stay onboard, that he would be back before the train departed. The train was moved to attach the extra car and I thought for sure dad had been left!! He knew what he was doing but it scared me!

Another thing I remembered was going through Wheling W. Virginia and seeing several tracks full of steam locomotives near the end of their lives. They were still being used on coal drags but the next year they were almost all gone, probably to the scraper.

Jack Roberson: Gene Butler This line would have stopped in Flora, Washington IN, Cincinnati & Parkersburg W Va.

David Cantrell posted four photos with the comment: "The restored Flora, IL B&O depot is museum on the National Register of Historic Places. The CSX railroad has abandoned the east-west portion of the railway.  Inside is a model depicting the former railroad yard. The Shawneetown-Beardstown segment was removed after the Prairie Trunk bankruptcy in the mid-1980's. The engine house burnt down in March, 1951. A second engine house was rebuilt and then razed on June 6, 2022.   https://www.floradepot.com/ "

Kennard Wing: Flora was the site of a Ford promotion called Ford Town, where everyone in town was given a new Ford to drive for a period. Dwight Jones wrote about it in the B&ORRHS Sentinel several years back.

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The second floor is an event space that has that large arched window. It can accommodate up to 120 people seated at round tables. [FloraDepot_community]

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[It has a 23' long model railroad layout. [FloraDepot_model]]

Roundhouses

1952 Xenia and 1949 Flora Quads @ 62,500

1970 Flora Quad @ 24,000

David Cantrell posted three images with the comment:

Flora, IL had at least two B&O engine houses on the St. Louis line of the railroad. The first was destroyed by fire in 1951.

1st photo from picture at Flora depot, David Cantrell

2nd is 1938 Illinois Historical Aerial Photo 

3rd is 1950 Census map

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David Cantrell posted
Flora, Illinois B&O coal chute in 1949 located on the Beardstown-Shawneetown line north of the main line. The structure was obsolete with the advent of diesel locomotives and demolished soon after the photo.
Provided by Gary Martin.

Dennis DeBruler commented on David's post
It looks like it was south of the turntable and just north along the mainline tracks.

David Cantrell commented on Dennis' comment
Yes. From 1929 Sanborn map, it appears the north/south could fill up easily as well as main line.
Dennis DeBruler: You can see it in the old aerial photo, but I never noticed it until I saw the Sanborn map: the roundhouse is not round!

David Cantrell posted three images with the comment:

The second Flora, IL B&O Engine House was built in a different configuration than the first. The aerial photo shows the change. Sadly, it was razed on June 6th, 2022.

First two photos by Gary Martin.

Third photo is 1966 aerial photo from USGS Earth Explorer.

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Bonus

I spotted this caboose east of the depot while I was looking for the roundhouse.

Street View, May 2012

North Manchester, IN: Big Four Depot and Grain Elevator

(Satellite)

Jason Jordan posted
Late 1980's into the early 1990's, we are looking up Conrail's former New York Central Marion Branch at both the former N.Y.C. depot and the Kent Feeds elevator in North Manchester, IN. A Bruce Emmons photo, out of the Jason Jordan collection.

Jason Jordan shared
We are looking north on the NS's former New York Central Marion Branch at the old depot in North Manchester, IN. The photo was taken back in the early 1980's, when Conrail originally had the line prior to the NS. A Bruce Emmons photo, out of the Jason Jordan collection.

That is a rather old elevator for the 1980s. Fortunately, there is a modern elevator south of town. Unfortunately, it is no longer rail served.

Street View

My 1928 RR Map shows that a Pennsy branch between Logansport and Butler also used to run through this town. From another map, it appears that Pennsy may have bought it from Wabash.

Satellite

It looks like the depot has been repurposed, but the old elevator has been torn down and the land reused. From the tree line on the southwest side of town and the gaps and trees on the northwest side, the old Pennsy ran straight through town on a diagonal.

Garrett, IN: B&O ALCO S-2 #9030 and "Home of the Railroaders and Locomotives"

We used to drive through Garrett, IN many Saturdays when I was a kid because it was on the way to my Grandparent's farm. (This was before I-69 was built.) I knew it was a division point on the B&O and that railroading was a big part of the town's economy. A division point means the engines would be serviced and the crew changed. So it had a big roundhouse and depot.

Jason Jordan shared

Jason's comment:

This is B & O ALCO S - 2 # 9030, it use to sit behind the former B & O depot in Garrett, IN. It was owned by the Garrett Historical Society. This photo was taken around the early 1990's. This engine was operable. By 2007 or 2008, it was scrapped. Reasons for being scrapped are unknown. A Jason Jordan photo.

In fact, I remember the high school calling themselves the Railroaders. While confirming the high school is the "Home of the Railroaders," I discovered that the middle school is the "Home of the Locomotives".



(Community School District)

Update: Jason Jordan has an album of Historical Society photos.

Rails Around Indiana posted
An image from Lee Yoder, taken in the yard at Garrett in July 1959. Retired B&O steam locomotives 720 and an 0-8-0 switcher await disposition.

Francesville, IN: Grain Elevators

Jason Jordan posted

 Jason's comment:

Early 1990's, we find a CHESSIE unit on the CSX's MONON Local J773 tied up near Montgomery St. in Francessville, IN. Behind it looms the Francesville Co - op elevator. This elevator is now owned by Tate & Lyle. Again this line is former MONON Rwy. A Jason Jordan photo.

Jason Jordan posted

Jason's comment:

Summer 2000 - 2001, we are looking southeast at the Francesvill Co -op elevator in Francesville, IN. Meanwhile the CSX's J773 local has a southbound grain train in tow with a leased Canadian National GP - 40 - 2. A Jason Jordan photo.

Tate & Lyle, south facility

Satellite

The south facility has a tarp covered facility that we are seeing more of because we have had some consecutive years of bumper crops.

Tate & Lyle, north facility

Satellite

It looks like the north facility is not rail served. It must grind and mix feeds for the local farmers. The southern facility looks like it can load a unit train. But it is strange that an elevator the ships grain would be smaller than one that prepares feed for the local farmers.

While looking at the satellite map to find the elevators, I noticed there is a quarry south of town. But judging from the piles of rock that they let spill on the siding, they have evidently decided that CSX charges too much for rail service. There are three businesses north of town that look like they have viable rail spurs. One of which obviously uses CSX because it has cars on its sidings. These cars probably deliver plastic pellets to extrude plastic drain pipe.

Logansport, IN: Fomer Master Mix Grain Elevator

Jason Jordan posted

Jason's comment:

Winter 2003, we are looking northwest at the former Master Mix / Central Soya elevator at Logansport, IN. along 18th St. In front of me is an old friend of mine from the A & R Line Railroad in the form of former Chessie System / C & O SD - 18 # 7302. This unit was aquired from Cargill Inc. by Indiana Boxcar Corporation (I.B.C.X.) it was repainted in Montana Rail Link blue and renumbered to the # 5002 and then resold to Scoular Grain Inc. It currently resides on the Kansas / Colorado State Line. We are in the T. P. & W. 's portion of the old P.R.R. Yard A in Logansport, IN. A Jason Jordan photo.

Satellite

I'm partial to Master Mix elevators because they were owned by Central Soya, the company my Dad retired from. Toledo, Peoria & Western must be using this former PRR Panhandle yard via trackage rights because the SPV Map indicates Winamac Southern (WSRY) now operates it. It appears TP&W joins the WSRY route at Peoria Junction. Of the 8 railroad "spokes" that used to go to Logansport, 2 of them were Wabash, five of them were Pennsy, and one was Wabash that was bought and then abandoned by Pennsy.

Medaryville, IN: Grain Elevator

Jason Jordan posted

Jason's comment:

Early 1980's, we are looking south along the Family Lines / Seaboard System (ex. MONON Rwy.) at Medaryville, IN. The elevator was originally owned by the Pulaski County Co - op. Currently it is owned by Co Allinance Co - op and still see's 65 car trains of outbound grain and inbound fertilizer cars off of the CSX. At the time of this photo, the extra gondola's were being loaded with railroad scrap. Track was being removed between Medaryville and Michigan City, IN. Original photographer unknown, out of the Jason Jordan collection.

Satellite

This is the only elevator I could find in that town. It looks like they replaced the concrete silos with some really tall bins. I used the Bing image instead of the Google image because the sun was lower, and it is easier to compare the length of the shadows of the bins to those of the regular buildings and houses. This is the first time I have seen concrete silos removed. Normally they just add bins and use both.

Since the tracks stop north of town at the river, they don't have to worry about clogging the mainline when they load the unit trains. This elevator is probably the only reason CSX didn't rip out the tracks to this town.

Satellite

Springfield, IL: 1930-2001Flour (Pillsbury) Mill and Illinois Midland Yard

(3D Satellite)

I have reduant notes. There is more information here.

John Woodrow posted
CI&M 548 was not a place or date on photo (Wayne Bridges photo)
Paul Brewer South end of Shops Yard in Springfield I do believe. That is the E. Moffat Ave. crossing.Steve Fleming Agree

Dave Durham posted
Shops, roughly 1935, unknown photographer, Sangamon Valley Collection, Lincoln Library.

safe_image for Pillsbury Mills
"The north end got the nod mainly because the mineral rights to that property had never been sold, meaning a coal mine could never be dug under the plant."
Even before their 1958-60 expansion, this plant was Pillsbury's biggest.

 

Springfield rewind posted
Pillsbury - Sept 1946
Kristopher Isaac Barrington shared
Rick La Fever: Since it has been closed for sometime, doesn't it make you wonder where the business went?

Sam Yacono commented on Rick's comment
Your question did make me wonder the same thing so a quick Google search and you’ll find the answer. Supposedly this one in Wichita, Kansas is the largest built between 1959 and 1960 and still going a few others around the country too.
General Mills bought out Pillsbury over 20 years ago.

SangamonCountyHistory
Pillsbury site, early 2021 (Sangamon County Historical Society)

 

Lisa Ruble posted

Then 1937 & Now 2019

Pillsbury Mills was built in 1929 with a new $1 million addition in 1937. Pillsbury sold the plant in 1991, and the plant closed for good in 2001. In 2008 an individual purchased the plant for salvage.

Springfield (Sangamon County Illinois)

I took the recent photo on 11/06/2019... inset photo: In October 1937, Pillsbury expanded its mill operation on Springfield's northeast side, doubling the manufacturing capacity. File photos/The State Journal-Register.

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Pillsbury's Best

In its glory days, the plant provided jobs and sweet smells.

Even before the first wheat was milled in the massive new plant being built by Pillsbury Mills at 15th and Phillips streets in 1929, there were persistent rumors that it would be expanded almost immediately.

But on Oct. 31, 1937, a new $1 million addition debuted, which more than doubled the plant’s capacity. According to company officials, it made the Springfield Pillsbury operation one of the country’s most technologically advanced.

Housed in the new structure were a warehouse, feeders, sifters, a grinding department and a 1,000-horsepower electric motor to run it all. To move flour between the mill, the warehouse and the train cars, the addition used 14,000 feet of leather transmission belt, 17,000 feet of cotton belt and 930 feet of conveyor belt.

Pillsbury’s Best flour was the main item manufactured in Springfield, but the plant also turned out specialty items, including wheat cereal, Farina Health Bran, pancake flour, wheat and buckwheat flour and doughnut flour. Yellow and white cornmeal and grits also were made there.

At its peak in the years after World War II, 1,500 people worked at the plant. Around the 18-acre site, the Pillsbury neighborhood had its own grocery store, ice cream shop, gas station, barbershop and numerous corner taverns, where third-shift workers would sometimes stop at the end of their day, the first thing in the morning.

In a 2005 interview with The State Journal-Register, Pillsbury Mills Neighborhood Association president John Keller remembered what it was like when the plant operated at the end of his street.

"The neighborhood always smelled like a fresh-baked loaf of bread or doughnuts," he said. Sometimes Keller would fall asleep on his front porch listening to a machine wrap pallets with plastic. He grew so accustomed to the sound that "it was just like going to bed with your TV on."

Pillsbury sold the plant to Cargill in 1991, and the plant closed for good in 2001. In 2008, Jim Ley, owner of Ley Metals Recycling Inc., purchased the plant for salvage.

By Rich Saal

The State Journal-Register

Jack Freiburg: Isn’t there an asbestos problem with that plant?

Darin Workman: I had heard that is why it is still there.

Kristopher Isaac Barrington shared
This is tangentially related to Illinois railroad history.

Jason Jordan ->  Grain Elevators of North America

Jason's comment:

Looking south at the large flour mill in Springfield, IL. along the Illinois & Midland Rwy. Was served originally by the Chicago & Illinois Midland Rwy. June 2010. A Jason Jordan photo.

It appears the flour mill is adjacent to the I&M yards. According to the SPV Map, the I&M started as the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis. On the 1928 RR Atlas, it is labeled C&IM, which Jason confirms is Chicago & Illinois Midland.

Satellite

 It never reached any of it name stakes. Although it did get close to Peoria. It went from Pekin to Springfield circuitously via Havana. UP has trackage rights of an old junction with C&NW to Springfield.

Google indicated I&M on the map, but not the name of the flour mill. Bing did not include either name.

Bird's Eve View

Update:

John Pescitelli posted
Chicago and Illinois Midland yards, roundhouse and Pillsbury mill- Springfield, Illinois circa 1950
Also posted by Springfield Rewind

Update:

Springfield Rewind posted
Surveying crew staking off the ground for the new Pillsbury Mills plant 15th & Phillips - May 9, 1929

Springfield Rewind posted

Jimmy Fiedler posted
C&IM shops Springfield IL (internet photo)
Kenneth Baker 19th&N.GrAND AVE.
Dave Durham These facilities still stand for the most part, off of North Grand Avenue and ? . They are the site of the old pillsbury mills facility located adjacent to the C&IM yards (A and B)Rick F I dont think much occurs there now as the I&M parent company took over the PP&U and moved all the work to Pekin as that is where most of the business is now for the railroad.

3D Satellite

3D Satellite

Mike Breski posted
CIM, Springfield, Illinois, 1959
Chicago & Illinois Midland Railway Peoria train awaits clearance to depart Springfield, Illinois, in August 1959. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Lamb-01-054-06

Tim Howard commented on Mike's post
David Haynes Tim Howard location is intersection of 15th St & North Grand Av, where the Norfolk Southern Railroad crosses the Illinois Midland Railroad on a diagonal. This location is also adjacent to the I&M shops yard
Dennis DeBruler The tower building is still standing.
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...

Melissa Calhoun posted
Old Pillsbury plant

Mark Cymerman commented on Melissa's post

Jeff Rich posted two photos with the coment: "Springfield 1952 aerials."

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Chris Dinardo posted
Just saw this photo ans stole it from a Northenders FB post
Christy Diveley: Nice! That train yard is full!!

Connor Taylor posted
Here is a MOFW train in Shops Yard. Hopper 2002, Gondola X65, Crane X46, and Caboose 276.
Dennis DeBruler shared

Rick F posted
Here is a little map of the Pillsbury Complex from 1966 that shows the drainage system but also so all the track that was in the facility and actually has them numbered.
JeffandLinda Dirks: Spent most of 3 years clerking with the 1030pm shops switcher switching shops yard and Pillsbury. Also worked shops tower lining up the 1030pm job as it switched the tracks inside Pillsbury. The crew would line up spotters in the B yard to place in Pillsbury and pull cars out to the B yard and line the cars to go back to the connections. (B&O, ICG, NW then changed to the NS.)

Sangamon County Historical Society posted

Big news this morning [Mar 20, 2025] from The Pillsbury Project: 

"Moving Pillsbury Forward is pleased to announce that we have signed contracts for full cleanup and demolition of all structures at the former Pillsbury Mills site in Springfield. Yes…ALL STRUCTURES AT THE SITE WILL BE DEMOLISHED IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS!"

Read SangamonLink's entry on the life and death of Pillsbury in Springfield: 

SangamonCountyHistory
"Pillsbury employees filling sacks of Pillsbury’s Best flour, 1930s (Sangamon Valley Collection)"
[Another example of line shaft powered machines. I'm surprised they are still using a line shaft in the 1930s.]

SangamonCountyHistory
"Pillsbury products manufactured in Springfield, 1989 (SVC)"
"In 1989, a British conglomerate, Grand Metropolitan PLC, bought the entire Pillsbury company. The new owners moved grocery product lines out of Springfield to Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1990, and then in 1991 sold the facility to Cargill Inc. The two moves cut the already shrinking Springfield workforce in half, to fewer than 200 people."

SangamonCountyHistory
"Pillsbury site, early 2021 (Sangamon County Historical Society)"
Cargill closed the plant in 2021 with just 45 employees still working.