Turntable: (Satellite)
On the same day I learned about IC caboose design, these two posting showed up on my timeline.
Brian Fitch posted three photos with the comment: "The old turntable in V’burg I took several years ago."
This is why the tracks and depot are down by the river.
John DuFrane posted three photos with the comment: "Spotted in Champaign today."
[I now recognize the longer platforms to accommodate side rails for the conductor to lean against.]
Randall shows that they do build a temporary flood wall between the concrete one and the river bluff when a flood threatens.
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| George Bolls posted The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley depot in Vicksburg, MS. The Y&MV was a subsidiary of Illinois Central and was eventually absorbed by IC. Dennis DeBruler From a bridge posting, I see the MidSouth existed as part of ICG's fire sale in the 1980s. Specifically, it was created in 1986 and bought by KCS in 1994. Mike Bartels: "IC spun off the Meridian-Shreveport line to MidSouth Rail in 1986. KCS acquired MidSouth in 1994 and sold a 30 percent interest in this route to Norfolk Southern in 2006 to help finance improvements to what is now called the Meridian Speedway. The bridge was opened in 1930, replacing ferries. A new parallel highway bridge opened in 1973, although the rail bridge wasn't closed to motor vehicles until 1998." |
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| Kirk Reynolds commented on George's post A postcard view, circa 1910, looking northwest. |
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| Kirk Reynolds commented on George's post Another view, circa 1910, looking west. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on George's post When we were passing by Vicksburg 12/30/2018, we deliberately got off on the exit to see what we could find down by the river. They were doing restoration work when we were there. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on George's post The IC caboose has the little door in the side that seems to be unique to IC. The best theory I have read for the purpose of this door is that it was deemed a safer way for the conductor to lean out and catch train orders. Kirk Reynolds You are correct, Dennis. When the IC built new cabooses in the 1960s, a longer "porch" at each end of the car was added to give crew members a protected area in which to stand when picking up orders. The MidSouth caboose on display is an example of the newer design. Dennis DeBruler Kirk Reynolds Thanks for the confirmation. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on George's post Here is my other view of the newer design. |
Brian Fitch posted three photos with the comment: "The old turntable in V’burg I took several years ago."
Jeff Fuller: That was the turntable that was at Meridian and they moved it to Vicksburg dug the hole got everything ready and somebody got the measurement wrong and the hole was about a foot to small so they had to cut the turntable down to fit I remember turning motors at meridian on it in the 90s
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| William C. Heirtzier Jr. posted Vicksburg MS..... ICRR steam and the paddle wheeler Sprague on the riverfront. Cliff Downey This is most likely a storage line of retired steamers from the mid-1950's. Look closely and you can see the smoke stack and sand dome of a third steam locomotive barely visible along the left side of the photo. Plus, the track they are sitting on has lots of weeds. It is a great photo, but for the sake of historical accuracy folks shouldn't think that is an IC train. Ron Hill The Sprague was the world's largest steam powered sternwheeler towboat. She was nicknamed Big Mama, and was capable of pushing 56 coal barges at once. In 1907, Sprague set a world's all-time record for towing: 60 barges of coal, weighing 67,307 tons, covering an area of 6 1⁄2 acres, and measuring 925 feet (282 m) by 312 feet (95 m).[3] She was decommissioned as a towboat in 1948. George Bolls I like the river and rail them the photographer captured. The Sprague was a beast and the railroads in Mississippi basically started in Vicksburg on what would eventually become an IC line. |
This is why the tracks and depot are down by the river.
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| Pete Zimmerman posted The Mississippi River circa 1906. Steamboat landing at Vicksburg. Sternwheeler Belle of Calhoun and sidewheeler Belle of the Bends. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. (unknown photographer) |
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| Steven Mankga posted Steamboats at the Vicksburg landing. Lloyd Scott Hardin shared |
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| Christian Boepel posted Gaffed this capture online of an IC caboose on an unconfirmed train at Indianapolis, IN, in the 1950s. [Obviously, it has the little doors in the side.] |
[I now recognize the longer platforms to accommodate side rails for the conductor to lean against.]
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| Chris Goepel posted, cropped, Facebook resolution Excerpt from a 1935 IC Vicksburg Division condensed profile (with grease pencil updates to 1938) showing details on the IC Meridian District (ex-Y&MV, née-A&V) at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Thomas E Lucas I have seen profile charts before. This is the first time I have seen a bridge represented in this manner. The bridge access track is also represented in a manner I haven't seen on a map before, however it is common in industrial drafting, which I have done. Thanz for the posting. |
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| William C. Heirtzler Jr. commented on Chris' post Chris Goepel Nice! What year is the profile from, William? William C. Heirtzler Jr. Chris Goepel hello.... dates on lower right corner of each page range from 1923-1931? I have an ICRR locomotive blueprint roster from 1926..... think these both are about same age. Got these from My grandfather who was a Trainmaster for more than 40 years on the Mississippi Division. |
Randall shows that they do build a temporary flood wall between the concrete one and the river bluff when a flood threatens.
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| Randall Hampton posted Unknown cabooses in Vicksburg, Mississippi at the old passenger station - March 2016 Eric Domboski: Is the blockade to keep potentially-runaway cabooses in their place? Randall Hampton: No, this is for flood control. High water on the river was expected, so they were plugging up upper level gaps in levees that they hadn't had to worry about in years. Those old sidings are no longer used south of the station. They didn't want to block the main line until the last minute. Lower levels of the levees get put to work every year. Randall Hampton shared A different angle on the Vicksburg MS passenger station, you can clearly see that it's on the wrong side of the temporary floodwall section being assembled. Why they didn't extend the permanent wall to the far end of the station, I have no idea. I don't believe the 2016 flood reached track level, but the forecasted crest was close enough that they had to get ready to close the main line on short notice. The river gets high every spring due to snow melt in the far north, but usually stays well below railroad level. [I added closeup photos of the two cabooses with comments about their design.] |
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| Randall Hampton posted Vicksburg MS passenger station 4-15-2017 Moderator This photo appears to be during high-water conditions. Now a museum. |
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| USACE, May 13, 2011, Public Domain |
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| Screenshot [The river scenes have no barge traffic. I presume the currents are too strong. I've seen videos showing that it is hard threading a tow under the bridges with just normal currents. At 3:22, it appears that the poor side of the town is not only on the other side of the tracks, but on the other side of the levee. At least most of the homes are on stilts.] |
Oct 2022:
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| Sam Evans Strickland posted Well, the river done run dry mamma at Vicksburg. Mike Evans: “Preacher Man’s Saying It’s The End Of Time, And The Mississippi River She’s A Going Dry”......Hank Jr.. Ron Bishop shared Joe Dwyer: Which river? |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Joe's comment The Mississippi River. This photo posted by George Bolls with the comment "The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley depot in Vicksburg, MS. The Y&MV was a subsidiary of Illinois Central and was eventually absorbed by IC." shows what it is supposed to look like by Vicksburg. The depot in the photo is here: https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4... |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Ron's share This is a textbook example of a photo being worth a thousand words. I've read a lot about the Mississippi River being low, but I would not imagine it was this low if I hadn't seen this photo. That means all of these businesses along the back meander are inaccessible. https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3856948,-90.8863547,4433m/data=!3m1!1e3 A farmer in southwest Wisconsin has said the basis was down to $1.70 for soybeans in Dubuque, IA, so he is having to haul twice as far to Warren, IL. |
Mar 2023: And just a few months later they can worry about flooding again.
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| USGS |
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| USGS-data |
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| USGS-data after clicking Discharge and Display Median |
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