Venice, IL: and Madison, IL: TRRA and UP/C&NW/L&M Madison Yards and GM&O Roundhouse

TRRA: (Satellite)

UP/C&NW: (Satellite and Satellite)

GM&O: (Satellite, the Venice Yard was the light gray area north of I-70)

L&M = Litchfield & Madison

TRRA

Third photo in photo scroll on TRRA
[Judging from the hump bowl, this view is looking north.]

(Update: according to Google Map, the yard is in Venice, IL; but their web site says it is in Madison, IL. p. 85, Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad In Color by Edward M. DeRouin has a 1967 photo of the yard with a C&EI locomotive that has completed a transfer to the yard.)

Satellite

Madison Yard is the main yard for the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA).

It has become quite rare for a current yard to be almost as big as it was in the 1940s.

1940 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Noah Haggerty posted
TRRA S2 #588 and SW1 #555, along with two cabooses, are seen at the northern end of Madison Yard in Madison, Illinois in 1970. That year, the National Model Railroad Association was in St. Louis, with TRRA hosting a train to loop around yards in the Metro East area. John & Roger Kujawa Photo, Thomas Dyrek Collection.

Note that both the above and below photos include a yard tower.

Jim Pearson Photography posted

TRRA 3006 working Madison Yard

Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) engine 3006 leads a cut of mixed freight as it works on building a train at the St. Louis Madison yard at Venice, Illinois.

According to the TRRA website: "Since 1889, the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis has played a vital role in the railroad operations and growth of the St. Louis metropolitan area.

The Association was originally created to satisfy the need for an efficient, safe, and economical method of interchanging rail traffic at the railroad hub of St. Louis, Missouri: the "Gateway to the West."

Over 120 years later, the employees of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis make the same commitment to efficiency, safety, and value to our customers, owners, and the public with each new day."

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @150mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 280.

 

Steven J. Brown posted
Terminal Railroad Association Road Slug 307 (built 1967 as B&O GP38 3833 to CSX 2033 to UP GP38-3 900 to HLCX 900 to TRRA 2000), GP40M-3 3007 (built 1971 as C&O GP40 4066 to CSX 6641 to UP GP40M-3 1016 to HLCX 1016) and GP38-3 2005 (built 1966 as D&RGW GP40 3068 to UP GP38-2 2579 to HLCX 1079) working the Madison Yard hump in Venice, Illinois - May 8, 2025.

Jim Pearson Photography posted

BNSF 7477 and 4051 working TRRA, Venice, IL

Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) crews work on dropping cars from a BNSF train at the St. Louis Madison yard at Venice, Illinois with BNSF 7477 and 4051 as power.

According to the TRRA website: "Since 1889, the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis has played a vital role in the railroad operations and growth of the St. Louis metropolitan area on November 7th, 2020.

The Association was originally created to satisfy the need for an efficient, safe, and economical method of interchanging rail traffic at the railroad hub of St. Louis, Missouri: the "Gateway to the West."

Over 120 years later, the employees of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis make the same commitment to efficiency, safety, and value to our customers, owners, and the public with each new day."

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @220mm, f/6.3, 1/1600, ISO 560.

I presume this facility was in this yard.

Marty Bernard posted
What Do You Make of This?
Terminal Railroad Association switchers, St. Louis, MO, no date, probably around 1990, Karl Miller photo.
[Some comments suggested dead line or strike.]
Karl Swartz: I count at least 15 locomotives. I’m surprised they needed that many.

UP/C&NW/L&M

Evan Johnson posted
1984

This yard appears to be the terminus of this C&NW branch, but they must have had trackage rights so that they could switch in National City, IL.

Evan Johnson posted
1984

GM&O

I could not figure out where the roundhouse was.

Don Wirth posted
GM&O Roundhouse in Venice, IL about 1969.
Don Wirth photo

Rick Shilling posted
Undated overview Chicago and Alton Railroad Roundhouse, Turntable, Shops and Yard, Venice, Illinois.

1954 Granite City Quad @ 24,000

Somerville, IN: Coal Mine

Screenshot (source)
Plenty of equipment working this morning in Somerville, IN.

The comment got me looking at a satellite image around Somerville. I quickly found a coal loading facility that includes a loop track and some land scars that indicated old strip mining. But I had to zoom out quite a ways and then pan south to find the current pit operations.

Satellite

Then I zoomed back in because this mine still has a big stripping dragline.

The loop track is connected to the Indiana Southern/.../
Big4/C&EI/Evansville, Indianapolis & Terre Haute.

Jan 2020 Update: The dragline has moved significantly further South since Jul 2017.

At satellite resolution

Lots of helper machines.

Satellite

They reclaim the land as they move across it.

Satellite

Winfield, IN: Erie Depot and Milk Cans

Wayne Hudak posted

More Crown Point Indiana area. Well before it was called the Erie Lackawanna The Chicago and Erie had a small station at Winfield Indiana (east of Crown Point). The Chicago and Erie (also previously named the Chicago and Atlantic) ran from Marion Ohio to Hammond Indiana, obviously the E-L's west end. The Erie bought the route in 1895, kept the name Chicago and Erie, and did not merge it into it's system until 1941.

Photo 1915 from NWIndiana Genealogy, Shook Collection.
Dennis DeBruler The 2005 SPV Map shows a Winford about a third of the distance between Palmer and Crown Point. So I think the hamlet identified by Mark-Patty Sadowski was the station. Judging from a 1952 aerial photo (the oldest I could find), it was either west of Benton Street or on this diagonal property: https://www.google.com/.../@41.4048112.../data=!3m1!1e3...

Rockford, IL: CN/IC Railyard

Gregory D. Pawelski posted two photos with the comment: "Off S. Winnebago Street in Rockford, Illinois. - Then and Now."

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2

Larry Foht posted

Illinois Central Railroad Yards 

Rockford Illinois 

Date: 1972

Larry Foht collection :

Satellite

Grand Rapids, MI: NS/MC Hughart Yard

(Satellite)

Greg Bunce posted two photos with the comment: "Penn Central/PRR Hughart Yard Grand Rapids, Michigan Mid 1970's."

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2

Satellite

The yard still has its turntable even though all but two of the tracks have been removed so it is no longer turned.

According to the 2005 SPV Map, Greg's comment is wrong. The map shows Hughart was built by Michigan Central, which became part of the New York Central, not the PRR. The satellite image shows that the yard still has most of its tracks. And many of them had freight cars on them.

Update:

Tom Carter posted
Conrail RS3m #9944 working in Grand Rapids’ ex-GR&I Hughart Yard in May of 1979. It’s one of at least six Conrail RS3m’s in the West Michigan area in the late ’70s and beyond. They were a part of a program begun by Penn Central and continued by Conrail where they rebuilt derelict Alco RS3’s and repowered them with single 12 cylinder 1125 hp EMD 567 engines from out-of-service E8’s and possibly some E7's. Close to 100 in all were completed. The six I shot in this area are #’s 9940 through 9945; five in Grand Rapids and one in Jackson.

East Peoria, IL: Farmdale Crossing: NS/NKP(LE&W) vs. TP&W

(Satellite)

Every crossing I have written about so far has been in a town. Technically, this one is out in the country. But it is close to East Peoria.

John Stell posted
TP&W 600 GP18 crossing over former NKP at Farmdale on 5-24-81. Michael Wise slide John Stell collection.

Harold J. Krewer This one has been around the internet a few times:
Photo by Michael Wise, taken May 24, 1981.

Obviously the crossing was grade separated and TP&W was on top.

Update:

Dave Arganbright posted
I'll bet this has happened to all of us: I was sorting through a pile of re-hump paperwork, and came across this photo in the carnage. I can't remember where it came from or if it has been posted before, so you'll just have to suffer again with me.
Pete Tomlin When did the build the famous Farmdale Trestle

David JordanGroup Admin Pete Tomlin It opened in July 1950.

Michael Matalis What was the building to the right? A depot?

Richard Fiedler Yes a depot I believe was the LE&W’s. What I would like to know is exactly where this was situated vs after the reservoir project.

Ron Adnerson posted
Farmdale Tower 1948-49 (Info on back of photo says "Looking Eastward, TP&W track at left, NKP track to the right") Photo is from the Washington Hist. Society archives.
Joe Whitehead So would this be down in Farmdale where the TP&W goes over The Norfolk Southern
Roger Kujawa Joe Whitehead this was actually farther east. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 mile.
Joe Whitehead Roger Kujawa So this is before they put in the reservoir Is that correct.
Roger Kujawa Joe Whitehead yes. The TPW was relocated because on the Farmdale dam.
Raymond Breyer I published a long feature article on Farmdale in the Winter 2016 issue of the Nickel Plate Road Magazine: http://nkphts.org/mag/winter2016.html
Raymond Breyer I'd rather everyone support the NKPHTS and future great articles like this one. Back issues of this magazine are only $5: https://nkphts-shop.myshopify.com/.../2016-winter-magazine

Roger Kujawa Joe Whitehead here is a map that shows the lines better. 1905. Here is a link to most of Illinois. I can spend hours looking at these. http://www.alabamamaps.ua.edu/.../illinois/topo/index.html

Champaign, IL: 1899+1924 IC Depots, Freight House and Water Tower Base

(3D Satellite)

Bill Goben posted two photos with the comment: "The old Depot moved to the North. So the New Passenger Station and Division Offices could be built, In Champaign, Illinois. The New Station was dedicated, on August 9, 1924."
Paul Jones Both are stil there?
Bill Goben Yes
Paul Jones Been a while since i went thru that part of the city thought they both were still standing sith new transportation center to the south of them.

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2

Jim Arvites posted
Postcard view of the Illinois Central's "City of Miami" making a station stop at the Champaign, Illinois depot late 1940's.
Jerry Coleman This terminal in Champaign has been restored and houses some great restaurants and shops.
David DeTar It was fun selling tickets and making out reports for the Chief Dispatcher J W Jerew way back in the days when it housed the dispatcher's offices as well as the district officials.

This was probably the base photo for the above colorization. The artist simply painted out the cars and people to make the job easier.

Samuel Thompson posted

Illinois Central Railroad depot, Champaign, Illinois.  The train in the background is the "City of Miami".  The seven car, all-coach train (sleepers were not added until 1949) entered service in 1940.  The train was delivered in a unique orange, scarlett, and palm green paint scheme.  

Scanned from a print stamped with "Illinois Central Railroad" on the back.  No date given but the photo was taken either late 1946 or early 1947.  In mid-1946 the train was repainted (one car at a time) into the chocolate brown and orange paint scheme introduced by the "Panama Limited's" E6A's of 1942.   The train derailed just outside Champaign, Illinois on April 19, 1947.  E6A 4000 was scrapped afterwards and baggage/dorm/coach 1900 "Bougainvillea" was damaged but repaired and put back in service.

This photo was turned into a postcard by Curt Teich.

Illinois Central Railroad photograph.  Samuel Thompson collection.

Jon Roma: This building was not only Champaign's passenger station, but it served as IC's Illinois Division headquarters. There was a restaurant run by IC's dining car department on the south side of the ground floor of the building – the side facing the photographer.

The second floor housed clerks, engineers and draftsmen, train dispatchers, the superintendent, and other officers. The third floor was a records room.

The building still stands, though is no longer owned by the railroad. In addition to offices upstairs and businesses on the first floor, the latter including a barber shop and a very good Mexican restaurant.

The building at far left was the previous (1899) passenger station; it previously occupied the space where the 1924 depot and headquarters are in this photo, and was moved during the construction of the latter. It became a freight depot and was derelict for nearly 40 years before it had extensive renovations and became a popular BBQ restaurant.

Kevin Endres: Jon Roma To follow up. This station was replaced by an all modes "Illinois Terminal" which provided MTD bus services, and intercity/state bus services along with taxi and train services. MTD also provided transportation to and from Willard Airport. There are currently working on plans to expand the current facility which is just south of Chester street (photo lower-right) and University Avenue (street with taxi with light colored top).
Jon Roma: The newish multimodal "Illinois Terminal" that Kevin Endres mentioned stands out of frame to the right of this photo. I am fortunate to live in a community where multimodal public transit is valued. Our bus system (the MTD that Kevin mentioned is excellent, and the city's largest employer (University of Illinois) showed foresight in reaching a contract with the MTD that subsidizes bus service for students, faculty, and staff rather than building more parking lots in the scarce open space on campus.Now if only Amtrak's train frequency to and from Chicago was better and more reliable....
Kevin Endres: Jon Roma Yes, I was part of the team that did the design work for the current facility (outside of the building). And yes, it's one of the best transportation systems (MTD) in the nation.
Emanuel Collier: Is this the east side of the tracks?
Samuel Thompson shared

 

Dennis DeBruler replied to Emanuel's question
No. The west side. The train has to be southbound.
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ss2xMXpmh...

Dennis DeBruler commented on Samuel's post
Thanks to the parking lot, I can catch part of the depot on the left and the Illinois Terminal on the right. I'm glad to see that the new building doesn't look like an Amshack.
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sCND7tB...

William Shapotkin posted
An undated postcard view (artist's rendering -- NOT a photograph) of the Champaign, IL IC station (2nd (?)). Although still standing, it is no longer used as a transportation facility -- Amtrak trains as well as local and intercity buses stop at a new facility (one block south (?)) called "Illinois Terminal." Orientation is looking N-N/E. Wm Shapotkin Collection.

The 1899 depot:

safe_image for ChampaignHistory

LJ Bootsie posted
Illinois Central Railroad Depot Champaign, Illinois May 15, 1903.    Image credit, Champaign County History Museum.

Jon Roma: This station served Champaign until 1924. By then, it lacked the capacity to handle traffic to and from the growing University of Illinois populace. The replacement building dedicated in 1924 is a new three-story structure that served as passenger station and Illinois Division headquarters. That station served Amtrak until 1999 when it was replaced by a multimodal transportation center across the street that serves the local mass transit district, Amtrak, and intercity buses.

Both former IC structures are still in use. The 1924 depot has a good Mexican restaurants, a barber shop, and other businesses on the ground floor, and office space on the second and third floor.

The depot pictured in this post was moved in 1924 to clear the way for construction of the replacement depot/division headquarters building. It was disconnected from its foundation, placed on rollers, and rolled several hundred feet by a team of two horses – while still in service. The utilities had been connected to flexible hoses that allowed the station to remain in use while it was relocated.

This structure is now a popular barbecue joint. The parking lot for this restaurant stands on land once occupied by the IC's four-track coach yard. In pre-Amtrak days, coaches were often added to northbound trains and removed from southbound trains to accommodate U of I student traffic. A pair of Champaign-Chicago Amtrak trains used this coach yard during a brief period during the Eighties.

Larry Foht posted

Illinois Central Railroad Depot

And Train

Champaign Illinois

Larry Foht collection :

Shawn Alan Martin: This is the original station where the Black Dog restaurant is located. What year was this taken?

Larry Foht: Shawn Alan Martin this photo is on a post card that was mailed in 1918.

Tad Dunville posted the comment:

I'm passing through Champaigne on the City this morning. Are there really four stations? From south to north, it appears to be: 1. modern Amtrak station; 2. Similar size older large station [68+ Photos]; 3. Much older single-level station; 4. Freight station on 45-degree angle.

Skip Luke Yes. New, 1920s depot, old single story depot, and freight station.

John DuFrane posted
this building still stands downtown Champaign
[Street View   I hope it is now leased so that the building remains viable.]

While looking for the freight house, I noticed that the base of the water tower made it into the 21st Century.

Street View

Jon Roma posted
Here's a neat item from my collection that's almost 112 years old. This is an excursion ticket for fans of University of Illinois football to travel by rail to a match between Illinois and Purdue in West Lafayette on Saturday, November 14, 1908.

The routing itself is interesting: IC from Champaign to Paxton, and Lake Erie & Western (later Nickel Plate) from Paxton to Lafayette, with a same-day return by the reverse route. The ticket is printed in the orange and blue colors of the U of I.

This ticket was originally a four-stub affair – one stub to be lifted by a trainman on each leg of the trip going and returning, plus the top portion to be retained by the customer as a receipt. For some reason, the two stubs for the return portion of the trip didn't get lifted; it may be a safe assumption that the passenger found another way to return to Champaign-Urbana.

In 1908, the IC and LE&W lines crossed at grade, and the crossing was protected by an interlocking plant.

Paxton is the highest point on the IC's Chicago-New Orleans main line, and was the ruling grade of the Chicago District. The grade was significant enough that some trains needed helper engines to get trains over the top.

This impediment was eliminated by a grade separation project during the Charles Markham presidency of the IC in the Roaring Twenties. This project lowered the IC tracks below grade level through Paxton.

The Paxton grade reduction project eliminated the interlocking tower at Paxton, but the interchange remained for many more years. The soil excavated from Paxton for the was used as fill for a track elevation project taking place in Champaign a the same time. That project eliminated nearly all grade crossings with city streets within the city limits.

On the subject of special trains, I will interject that the IC seldom failed to exploit the opportunity of capturing special traffic. For many years starting at least as early as the Twenties, IC ran numerous specials from Chicago and other points to Champaign for Illini home football games. I have an IC office file that documents ten special trains whose consists comprised 137 passenger cars' worth of riders (including the Wolverines team and staff) to the 1947 Michigan-Illinois game in Champaign.

Numerous student specials for the U of I, Eastern Illinois University (Charleston/Mattoon), and SIU (Carbondale) were run at the beginning of the fall and spring semester as well as Thanksgiving week and spring break.

IC ran specials to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and even ran specials (or at least extra cars on regular trains) for area high schools' senior proms (with baggage cars serving as dance floors), and they ran extra cars for younger students for a day's field trip to the big city.

For the football fans among us, the game of November 14, 1908 resulted in a 15-6 victory for Illinois over the Purdue Boilermakers. This extended the Illini's winning streak to three games. They ended the 1908 season with a 5-1-1 record.

Purdue's loss snapped a four-game winning streak, and the Boilermakers ended the 1908 season with a 4-3 record. Matt McClure Hilarious with the absurd "University of Purdue!"
Back when the Big Ten (Western Conference) was:
-University of Chicago
-Purdue University
-University of Illinois
-University of Wisconsin
-University of Michigan
-University of Iowa
-University of Minnesota
-Indiana University
-Northwestern University

Years before Ohio SU asked to join and 42 years before Michigan State joined, much less PSU, MD, RU, UN.