Matteson, IL: EJ&E Depot

(Satellite, I don't see a foundation remnant)

Bill Molony posted
The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway depot at Matteson, Illinois on July 18th, 1981.
Photograph by Jeff Strombeck.
From the Blackhawk collection.
It was on the north side of the EJ&E tracks, just east of the Illinois Central crossing.
Kyle Llewellyn Godfrey: Wait the EJ&E had passenger service?? Or was this a freight depot?
Bill Molony: Kyle Llewellyn Godfrey This was strictly a freight depot - no passenger service there.
Alan Follett: Kyle Llewellyn Godfrey The EJ&E and predecessors did operate passenger trains from 1886 to 1907, with carriage of an occasional hardy passenger in the caboose continuing a few years beyond that. Their strongest passenger market was between Joliet and Aurora, which evaporated once the Aurora, Plainfield & Joliet interurban opened between the same points.
https://books.google.com/books?id=7B2l5G_Veb0C&q=Elgin%2C%20Joliet%20and%20Eastern
Bill Molony shared

Matthew Chapman commented on Bill's post
Not sure where I got this, but I copied down a date of 10/22/1989, which can't possibly be right if it was all boarded up in 1981.
Maybe 1979?
Joseph Tuch Santucci: Matthew Chapman it was still open in the mid 70’s but they moved the work there to the agent in the Heights at some point. I used to know a clerk at the Heights depot and seem to recall him mentioning doing the paperwork for Matteson at some point.

Larry Candilas commented on Bill's post
Twenty plus years later - 2009

 

Andy Zukowski posted
The Elgin Joliet & Eastern Depot in Matteson, Illinois.

Finally, a photo before it was boarded up.

Noah Haggerty posted
The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern depot at Matteson, IL in 1970. This photo was taken looking northeast atop the Illinois Central line. Right by where it was taken, the IC and EJ&E have a cool junction. Unknown photographer, Thomas Dyrek Collection.

Sam Yacono: 1970

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Since Larry's comment implied it was still standing in 2009, I checked out Global Earth. Nature was trying to swallow it.

Global Earth, Oct 2007

1930/30 Steger Quad @ 24,000

Grundy C: Coal City, IL: Wilmington Star Coal #7

#7: (Satellite)

#5: (Satellite)

Andy Zukowski posted
Coalfield Company Mine #7, Coal City Illinois. C. 1910

Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post
I included the river because the bends in the river helped me correlate this map with a current satellite image. The end of the EJ&E spur off the EJ&E branch going south through coal country was Wilmington Star #7. The tipple in the middle was #5. The dates for #7 was 1904-26.
1918 Morris Quad @ 62,500
 https://www.google.com/maps/@41.2821894,-88.3281398,728m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu
Roger Kujawa: Dennis DeBruler That’s cool. Thanks.

ISGS

Joliet, IL: Aban/EJ&E "H" Yard

(Satellite)

This yard probably supported the steel works so it became obsolete when the steel mill closed. It is another demonstration that railyards are "brown land" and resist redevelopment. But the northern track is still left and it connects CN's EJ&E assets with CN's GM&O assets.

Dan Tracy posted
CN 5283 ran light down to Arc Terminal and returned with about 20 tank cars of Asphalt to H yard and beyond on 8-10-18.
Dennis DeBruler How far south on the UP part of the Alton Route does CN have trackage rights?
Dennis DeBruler I've noticed that the big yards are divided up into lettered sections to reflect their function in the yard. Do you have a reference that would explain where "H Yard" is?
Dan Tracy H yard was just east of Collins St. IL rte 171. It's a EJ&E designation. I don't know why but would assume it was for the steel mill business they had.

HalstEd Pazdzior posted

IC 1003 leads the ARC job past Joliet UD Tower. This job originates at CN Joliet yard, takes the H yard connection to then get on the old B&O/ Alton?

10/8/20

Dennis DeBruler commented on HalstEd's post
According to a satellite image, the northern track of the "H" Yard still exists as a connection between CN/EJ&E and CN/GM&O.
1954 Joliet Quadrangle @ 1:24,000
HalstEd Pazdzior: Dennis DeBruler yes it does. The ArC local and UP stack trains take them to get from the EJE to the GM&O

Kevin Piper posted this photo to highlight the wye that went to the H Yard.
[He explains that the H yard was used mostly for the USS mill and downtown interchange.]

Crest Hill, IL: (Joliet, IL:) Railcar Repair Facility Closed/EJ&E Crest Hill Yard

Actually, this is in Crest Hill instead of Joliet.

I capture a satellite image of this location because the cars are now being removed since Railway & Industrial Services is closing. It will be interesting what this looks like a few years from now.

Satellite

The realtors are trying to sell it as a rail-served industrial site.

This property, owned by Railway & Industrial Services, Inc., has been in operation for three generations and includes five buildings (office and industrial) totaling approximately 78,000 SF. The property’s in-place infrastructure provides immense additional value, including heavy power, piping for compressed air, oxygen, and propane for distribution throughout the site, as well as six miles of railroad track on site. Additionally, the sale includes three 40-ton Industrial Brownhoist locomotive rail cranes. The property’s valuable industrial amenities will enable an owner/user to immediately utilize this highly productive site. [HilcoGlobal]

Bill Molony shared the HilcoGlobal link.
Jack Morgan They have an original IC chocolate brown/orange (City of New Orleans) passenger car in there, I just noticed it a few months back. Anyone know what else they have, besides a whole line of EJ&E cabooses?
Bill Molony They had an Illinois Central tavern-lounge car on the property; that car should go to a museum somewhere.
Michael Q Quagliano Bill Molony there is a lot of stuff in there the J was holding on to for “salvage units” that could go to a museum.
John Sheskier I saw a eBay bid for an EJE caboose that was there. Starting at $10k.
Cameron Tester No wonder they've been on a scrapping spree lately.

John Sheskier We've been pulling cars out of there bit by bit. I wonder what's gonna happen with all the cars that aren't good to go on the rail.
Mike Rizzuto John Sheskier i would guess scrap on site?
Halsted Pazdzior John Sheskier do u go back there to pick up or do they bring them out to around east bridge?
John Sheskier Halsted Pazdzior they've got two tracks down there for us. One is for pulls, and the other for spots

From the comments, they have a former-Soo SW1200.

Jacob Diorio posted two photos with the comment: "MRIX 1204 lives out the rest of its days at Railway Mechanical Services in Crest Hill. This SW1200 was built as MNS 34 in May 1965 and still wears SOO candy apple red. 1/30/20"
Adam Elias Man I wish this place would’ve been droned before the scrapping spree began. I remember seeing a lot of cool stuff in here when I was younger.
Dillon Harrison At one time, There was almost an entire fleet of EJ&E 500 and 100 series cabooses along with I believe 2 Massive wrecker cranes... To my understand, IRM tried to work a deal to Atleast save a crane but the cost was too high and RIS wouldn’t budge.
Alexander Phillips Greed...when they shut down, they gave the workers no notice...they didn't even get to finish the day!

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John commented on his post
This was the only other interesting thing I found. Everything else was well cars.

Rick Vetter posted four photos with the comment: "EJ&E 003 scale test car in Crest Hill, IL."

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Rossville, IL: CSX/C&EI Depot and EJ&E Roundhouse

Depot: (Satellite)
Roundhouse: (Satellite)

Steven Burns posted two images with the comment:

Rossville, Illinois 

CE&I RailRoad Depot 1910-1911 (Post Cards) One to two miles north of Telegraph Office and Maintenance RoundHouse. Thank You

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Rossville Depot Railroad Museum

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

1920 to 2020"

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(Update: Sam Carlson posted that this was an EJ&E roundhouse.
Dennis DeBruler What town is Rossville Junction near? The only Rossville related places I can find on Google Maps is too far away to be an EJ&E facility.
Sam Carlson It's south of Rossville, maybe a mile or so, along CSX, All the track at the junction is gone except for the CSX (ex-C&EI) main lines. The EJ&E used to head southwest from there to a place called Brothers where there were coal mines at one time. Those mines supplied EJ&E steamers with coal. Brothers is (was?) west of Danville.)

Bob Kalal posted 12 photos with the comment: "Rossville Illinois 2013.   1st photo aerial 1939, 2nd aerial 2018, the rest are mine from 2013"

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Michael Moran It looks like the yard there must have been rather small, but it looks like there was a junction just Southeast...

Dennis DeBruler commented on Bob's post
There was a yard between the engine servicing facility and the junction.

Lake Zurich, IL: EJ&E Depot

(Satellite, Street View)

Doug Kaniuk posted three photos with the comment: "7/29/2005 Lake Zurich station."

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The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society posted four photos with the comment: "In the suburb of Lake Zurich, northwest of Chicago, the former EJ&E depot sits along now CN trackage and looks forward to being restored.  If you wish to help this depot restoration effort, you can contact the people working on it through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1475399329329536"

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Nick Hart posted

EJ&E 667 hustles the weed sprayer train north by the old J depot in Lake Zurich, IL.

May 23rd, 2024

Heather Michelle Parra posted

CN 3023, in the EJ&E Heritage paint, leads mainfest train M336-81 at the historic Lake Zurich depot on home rails (12/28/2025)

©️ Traingirl Heather Photography