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| Roger Holmes posted On February 7th, 1972 Gulf, Mobile & Ohio RS1 #50 was in charge of the Dwight to Washington local but ran into problems just west of Streator. RS1's were not much good at bucking snow...at least the 50 wasn't. The snow got up on top of the traction motors, melting causing ground relay problems. Two days later the local had an F3 on the point which would do very well in hitting some high drifts further down the tracks. This is where I first caught the plow, er F, at Varna. The train, the 885A, box car, dead RS1, a covered hopper and ex-M&O wooden caboose, would take the curve, the track to my right. The other line went to Lacon. I apologize for the fact that this photo could have been, or should have been of much better quality, especially in composition! I think that I might have chosen this spot to show the station with the bay window which was farthest away from the tracks. Didn't do it! Had I moved to my right I would have accomplished that and the lighting would have been much better and I would have not gotten the shadow of the tree on the nose of the F. But what do expect from a college kid shooting with an Argus C3! © Roger A. Holmes. Phil McCall The station was in town, on the east-west portion of the line, and was torn down around 1985. |
The east/west route left the C&A mainline at Dwight, IL and went west through Streator and Varna and terminated at the river in Lacon. C&A had another branch that went north from Washington and terminated at the turnout the F-unit is taking. That branch had trackage rights on the TP&W to get into East Peoria.
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| Noah Haggerty posted The former Chicago & Alton depot at Varna, Illinois circa 1980, along the Washington to Dwight branch abandoned in September 1979 by the ICG getting ready for dismantling. Around this time, the short-lived Washington, Metamora & Streator railroad tried to acquire the line, but was denied. John & Roger Kujawa Photo, Thomas Dyrek Collection. Noah Haggerty posted again with the same comment. Pete Zimmermann: And on this line you also had the Lacon Branch too. Ken Morrison: Pete Zimmermann and that depot is still standing... Noah Haggerty posted again with the same comment. Noah Haggerty posted again with the same comment. Sonny Ketcham: Still standing? Noah Haggerty: Sonny Ketcham Lasted until the 1980’s. Bill Edrington: Varna was the junction with the short branch that ran straight west to Lacon. Noah Haggerty posted again with the same comment. David Jordan: Noah Haggerty Richard Howard's Washington, Metamora & Streator never had a chance to purchase a portion of the Dwight Branch. The Illinois Central Gulf received permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the line in September 1979. If it desired to purchase the line, WM&S would have to pay more than scrap value, which it could not. What you see in 1980 is a line already legally abandoned, awaiting removal. Noah Haggerty: David Jordan Thanks once again. Where did the WMS operate? I know I’ve seen pictures in Washington and maybe Peoria, some running. David Jordan: Noah Haggerty WMS didn't operate. It purchased equipment and stored it in Washington with hopes to purchase part of the ICG Dwight Branch. Noah Haggerty posted again with the same comment. [Some comments have more information on the Washington, Metamora & Streator Railroad.] |
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| Andy Zukowski posted Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Depot in Varna, Illinois. 1969 Steven Hooker shared Richard Fiedler shared Steven Hooker shared John Czerwinski shared |
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🚂 orders with a forked stick! Had to stand close beside the train and hand up to the engineer, step back and then also hand up to the conductor on the caboose! At Horse Branch, KY handing up to a North bound coal train coming down a hill and around a curve at 60+ miles per hour! The engines would get to swaying so much you could read all of the number plates on the locomotives, six of them! First time I did this was a bit scary!
