Our IT Cars in Service

More photos of cars in the IRM collection sent to us by Art Peterson.

All Images Copyright by the Krambles-Peterson Archive

Today we start on a series of excellent in-service shots of Illinois Terminal cars now at IRM.  Most of them are quite interesting.   We'll begin with the 101, 233, and 234.  I'm trying to keep these in chronological order as much as possible.

101

The 101 as built had upper sash windows, as seen here in St. Louis on the turning loop at 12th and Franklin.   Art points out that the IT terminal office building in the background appears to be under construction, which would date this to about 1935.

The 101 on the streets in Granite City, trained with the 102, I think.  It's now rebuilt with the upper sash blocked off, and in orange paint.  There were five cars in this series, of which the 101 and 104 are preserved (plus the body of 103 as a house).  They often operated in two-car trains.

And here we are at Alton.  The neat part about this shot is the 206, the rail bus preserved at MOT, in the background, getting ready for its trip north along the river to Grafton.  Downtown Alton in the background hasn't changed all that much, but the area in the foreground, including the station, has been obliterated by highway construction, a levee, and so on.

233

This car was built by St. Louis in 1906 as a coach for planned tri-state passenger service (Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana) which never happened.   Four years later, it was sent to ACF for rebuilding into an office car.   This view shows it in 1910 at ACF, sitting on freight car trucks, after rebuilding.

Oct 12, 1910 finds the 233 at Emery.  In the foreground are Mr. Chubbuck of the ITS and a Mr. Brown of Mexico City Tramways taking a tour of the system.

And here it is on the Taft Special of 1912 on the street in Springfield.

On October 13, 1934, it's laying over on the alley track in Urbana, and appears little changed.   George Krambles takes a picture of Barney Stone at the controls.

It was soon repainted orange, however.   This shot is thought to be c. 1935.   To the right are a couple of cars of the same type as the 415.

Finally, here's a view of the 233 pulling two observation cars westbound at Main and Neil in Champaign, also in 1935.  The second car appears to be the 511, Urbana.  I can't make out the lettering on the last car, but I'd like to think it's the 234.  And no vintage street scene would be complete without a classic service station on the corner, would it?  (GK)

234

A steward stands at attention on the rear platform of the Sangamon as a football special lays over at Bash Ct. in Champaign, on Oct. 13, 1934.   I can almost hear the shouts echoing from Memorial Stadium.  ... we know you have sand, Illinois, rah rah!  (GK)




Here's a very scenic view of the 278 pulling the car at East Peoria, Apr. 8, 1936, about a month after it was renumbered 234.  (Bob Mehlenbeck)

At Springfield, Oct. 29, 19136.   (Bill Janssen)

At Decatur Shops with the 233 in the fall of 1938.  Note that the 234 had its upper sash covered over before the 233.  (Bill Janssen)

At St. Louis on the end of a train on Apr. 26, 1953.   (T. Desnoyers)