Divermon, IL: Madison #6 Coal Mine

(Satellite)

Jim Yasinski posted two photos with the comment: "Divernon, Illinois Madison Coal Company No. 6."

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Jim's post

This one was easy to find because there was only one mine near Divermon. It operated from 1899-1925.

https://wikiimage.isgs.illinois.edu/ilmines/webfiles/topo-mines/divernon.pdf

The tipple was a couple of blocks south of Madison Street next to the Illinois Central tracks.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.5579347,-89.6571353,449m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

Saline C: Harrisburg, IL: Strip Coal Mine

(Satellite, many of the lakes on either side of Pankeyville were made by strip mining)

Roger Kujawa posted
J66/ Harrisburg Illinois Postcard c1920 Strip Coal Mine Steam Shovel 327

Dennis DeBruler commented on Roger's post

This one was a challenge because there were a lot of coal mines near Harrisburg, IL. I quickly found Sahara #6. But it didn't open until 1951.

https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2023/06/saline-c-harrisburg-il-sahara-coal-mine.html

I searched the entire directory for strip mines. Most of them were opened in the 1950s or later. I found five mines that opened before WWII. Because of the dates, size and proximity to Harrisburg, I think this was Harrisburg #8, which mined the Springfield Seam between 1927-30 and has index 3294. The strip mine to the east of this one, with index 3286, was mined 1936-47; and it is another possibility. (Green is strip mines and pink is underground mines.)

There wasn't a tipple marked for these mines. But I found that was typical for the older strip mines. I presume that they hauled their output to one of the numerous nearby tipples for underground mines.

Saline C: Harrisburg, IL: Sahara #6 (and #5) Coal Mine

(Satellite)

Roger Kujawa posted
Illinois postcard Sahara Coal Company Harrisburg Electric Shovel
James Stine: This machine was delivered as a 950-B, but was upgraded to a 1050-B later on in its career. It served the Sahara #6 from beginning to end. I would have to look to tell you how long.
I think it went from around 30 yds to 36.
Roger Kujawa posted
K17/ Harrisburg Illinois Postcard c40s Sahara Coal Mine Company Shovel 325

James R Griffin Sr.: Didn't they do a conversion on that 950 and make it a 1050?

Dennis DeBruler: James R Griffin Sr. That is what James Stine states in another post by Roger, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1467664233256543/posts/5880361685320087/.

"This machine was delivered as a 950-B, but was upgraded to a 1050-B later on in its career. It served the Sahara #6 from beginning to end. I would have to look to tell you how long."

Chicago History posted
CTA Green Hornet streetcar 4390 heads south on Clark Street at Addison Street, about to pass Wrigley Field in September 1957
[Looking North along Milwaukee's Chicago & Evanston Branch.]
Paul Webb shared

I now think that this prep plant was at their #1 mine.

Bill Edrington commented on Paul's share
Love the Sahara Coal sign on the silo at the coal yard. Sahara was a major southern Illinois coal producer, located near Harrisburg, and a big customer of the Big Four/New York Central/Penn Central/Conrail for many years. (Photo from the Saline County Historical Society archives)

I now think that this prep plant was at their #1 mine.

Roger Kujawa posted
Washing and Processing Plant Sahara Coal Co. Mine Harrisburg IL Illinois

Raymond Barr posted three photos with the comment: "Here are some photos of the  Sahara Washer / Mines Nos. 5 & 6 complex West of Harrisburg IL.  - From the collection of John P. Kohlberg -"

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Directory

This map for Sahara Coal Mine #6 frustrated me because I could not find a tipple for index #638.

https://wikiimage.isgs.illinois.edu/ilmines/webfiles/topo-mines/harrisburg.pdf

Then I discovered that a lot more of the mine was further to the west. And the tipple was in that part.

Herrin Coal Seam Map

A USGS topo map labels the tipple as Sahara #5, but I think that is a mistake. According to the directory, Sahara #5 was a slope mine in the Springfield Coal Seam. (Update: Raymond's comment above indicates this was #5 and #6.)

Directory

1961 Carrier Mills and Harrisburg Quads @ 24,000

The above topo map shows how the NYC/Big Four Railroad had a spur that went west of Harrisburg to serve this and other coal mines in the area. I included the South American Church because the cemetaries tend to last into the 21 century. Sure enough, you can use the cemetery to help locate where the tipple was.

1961 Carrier Mills Quad @ 24,000

The tipple area at file resolution.

EarthExplorer: Mar 18, 1959 @ 17,000; AR1VSJ000020017

The entire file at 1/4 resolution. The tattoos make you appreciate the work they did to restore the land.

EarthExplorer: Mar 18, 1959 @ 17,000; AR1VSJ000020017

I don't have any overview notes so I'm going to park these here for now.

Raymond Barr posted two diagrams with the comment: "Here are a couple of blueprint-type schematics done in the early 1950s by the New York Central Railroad of its SALINE COUNTY coal mine customers."

Roger Kujawa shared

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Indianapolis, IN: B&O Moorefield Yard and Roundhouse

(Satellite)

Marty Bernard posted
Baltimore & Ohio Roundhouse at Moorefield Yard, Indianapolis, IN on March 23, 1971
Marty Bernard shared
John Musgrove: Wow nice shot, I don't think I've seen it with 6 doors.

The northern tracks were NYC/P&E, whereas the southern tracks and the roundhouse were B&O/Cincinnatti, Indianapolis & Western.

1948 Indianapolis West Quad @ 24,000

Putman C: Granville, IL: Prairie State/St. Paul Coal Mine

(Satellite)

Andy Zukowski posted
View of a mining operation at Granville, IL c1913.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Andy's post
https://wikiimage.isgs.illinois.edu/ilmines/webfiles/topo-mines/spring-valley.pdf

Directory

1911 Hennepin and 1913 La Salle Quads @ 62,500

Andy Zukowski posted three photos with the comment: "The St. Paul Coal Company having secured thousands of acres of coal land in Putnam and LaSalle Counties, sunk their first shaft in this part of the state at Granville, Illinois in 1903."

Steven Holding: Years ago stopped at the Ladd Library and the older lady Librarian said there use to be 32 pool turns in the Milw Rd. Roundhouse there at Ladd to move all the coal.

Robert Weber: Steven Holding Ladd was a hopping place back in the day, but times change. I was always amazed how Galena was larger than Chicago prior to the war between the states.

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Andy Zukowski posted
Engine Room of St. Paul Coal Mine in Granville, Illinois.  C.1910

Wales England: Internal Fire Museum of Power

(Satellite)

I normally don't do overseas stuff, but a couple ofFacebook suggestions looked really interesting.

InternalFire_gallery

They also have an exhibit about telephone equipment.

InternalFire_gallery

0:45 video @ 0:09
Steam and i/c engines running this weekend, main steaming days Saturday and Sunday with limited steam on the Monday. I/C engines running all weekend.

5:06 video @ 0:00
Walk through done as we locked up tonight. This is just the main museum building plus the Steam Hall, still takes 5 mins.

0:32 video @ 0:21

0:47 video @ 0:15

Tupelo, MS: Frisco & M&O Union Station, Freight Houses and 1901-37,2017 Event Space/Cotton Mill

Depot: (Satellite)

M&O Freight House: (Satellite, the land has been repurposed.)

Frisco Freight House: (Satellite, it is now an antiques store.)

Cotton Mill: (Satellite)

M&O = Mississippi & Ohio, became part of GM&O

Tony Howe posted
Tupelo, MS Union Station served both GM&O and Frisco Railroads. Taken 3-30-1968. It was torn down April 1975. David H. Howe Photo. Color added by AI.

Richard Crabtree posted
Here we see Frisco No. 2019 EMD E8-A "Calvacade"(1950) pulling Frisco's southbound Kansas City-Florida Special approaches Union Station and the GM&O crossing at Tupelo, Mississippi in the mid-1950's.
Photograph by J. Parker Lamb
John Grady: Winter 1956 Ray Wardlaw worked 3rd trick in that ole station and helped this ole man learn to telegraph and sell tickets for the Frisco and GM&O prior to my official training start on Jan. 2, 1957. Later worked lots of those 3rd tricks from mid '57 until Jan. 1, '65 when I established seniority as a train dispatcher.
Matt Nichols: Unfortunately there's nothing left of this depot. BNSF has a little shack office there and behind it is the Tupelo Farmer's Market.
Interesting bit of trivia for you: the Gravlee Lumber company building you can see in the background is a former World War I airplane hangar from Payne Field near West Point, the first airfield built in Mississippi. A few of the hangars were sold after the airfield closed and relocated to other places.

Andrew Waldo posted two photos with the comment:

Tupelo, Mississippi: Passenger Station, Mobile & Ohio RR. There are quite a few interesting details in these photographs of the joint M&O/Frisco Passenger Station at Tupelo, which was estimated to have been built in 1910. The street side of the station is especially interesting, for it’s clear that a train is due soon: several empty wagons with real horsepower—or mule power; a carriage off to the left; and what looks like a sire on a small wagon with a crowd of “evaluators”. There are three measured drawings of this station in the notes, including floor plan, tower plan, truss section, and wall section (no elevation drawings however). The photographs were taken on 27 April 1916.

Credit: National Archives & Records Administration, ICC Engineering Field Notes, Mobile & Ohio Railroad, Mississippi. Digital Image Collection of Andrew Waldo.

John Grady: That picture is looking northwest. The Frisco main track and siding run left to right while the GMO ran bottom to top "when I worked there as an extra board telegrapher handling train orders and selling tickets for both roads. I started on the Frisco May 13, 1957 working a 2 week vacation for Mr. G E Todd at Hickory Flat, MS. Later I worked many 3rd trick (midnight-8:00am) vacancies there. Sold my first ticket to a lady going to Valparaiso, IN. Good thing she came early as it took me over an hour to figure the rate and write her a ticket. SLSF Tupelo to St. Louis, with change of trains at Memphis, IC to Chicago, transfer to another station then a ticket to Valparaiso. I think the cost was $22. and a few cents.

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Freight Houses

M&O:

Andrew Waldo posted

Tupelo, Mississippi: Freight Station, Mobile & Ohio RR. The ICC Field Notes estimate that the M&O Freight Station at Tupelo was built in 1905. The photograph was taken on 27 April 1916.

Credit: National Archives & Records Administration, ICC Engineering Field Notes, Mobile & Ohio Railroad, Mississippi. Digital Image Collection of Andrew Waldo.

Frisco:

Street View, May 2024

The location of the depot was easy to find. For the freight houses, I had to access my time machines.

1956/67 Tupelo Quad @ 250,000

Jan 21, 1947 @ 34,000; AR1DC0000010002

Cotton Mill

Street View, May 2024

TupeloCottonMill
"We offer 14,000 SQFT of event space including a large stage and dance floor making it perfect for any event. We have a standing capacity of 800 and a seated capacity of 500."

"2017: The Cotton Mill is now fully renovated with 14,000 square feet of event space on the main floor that was completed in 2017 with original lighting and re-purposed wood. The building also features 100,000 square feet of residential, professional, and commercial space." [TupeloCottonMill_history]

The cotton mill is in the background. The building in the foreground is the former Frisco Freight House.

Matthew Nichols, Apr 2022

They preserved the smokestack. Or at least part of it.

Street View, May 2024