Rock Island Southern - Northern Division Roster

NORTHERN DIVISION ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT

No.	Built	In svc	OOS	Type	Builder	Notes
PASSENGER EQUIPMENT
300	1907	1910	1920	Wood Coach 62' AC motors	Niles ex-WB&A
301			1920			Burned in Monmouth fire c. 1931
302			1919			Burned in Monmouth fire c. 1931
303			1920
304			1920
305			1920			Rebuilt as combine
425		1910	1918	Wood Coach 62' Trailers		Burned in Cameron fire 8/6/18
426						Burned in Cameron fire 8/6/18
FREIGHT EQUIPMENT
101	1910?		?	AC Box motor	?	Renumbered 201?
102?			?	AC Box motor		Renumbered 202?

THE NILES CARS

Certainly the most interesting cars to operate on the line were the Niles passenger cars built for the Washington Baltimore and Annapolis.  The WB&A was designed as a high-speed direct route between Washington and Baltimore, and its original equipment consisted of an order of 19 large, heavy interurban cars built by Niles.   They were 62'3" long, weighed about 120,000 lbs, and seated 66.  The builder was very proud of these cars and advertised them as the "Electric Pullmans".

The original electrical equipment was very complex.  The main line of the WB&A was wired for 6600V AC, but the cars had to operate over low-voltage DC streetcar tracks in both Washington and Baltimore.  The line in Washington used a dual overhead.  The cars had two poles at each end, one 12' and one 15' long.  The longer pole was used on the AC main line, and the shorter pole was used in Baltimore for the 600V line. Both poles were used in Washington, with the longer switched to negative.  The cars were used for only about two years, and were then withdrawn from service for various reasons and returned to the builder.

When the Rock Island Southern was looking for passenger equipment in 1910, these seemed to be just about right.  Some modifications were made.  The originally double-end cars were converted to single end, and the trolley poles were replaced with pantographs.  The dual-voltage equipment was replaced, since only 11,000V AC was used.  Six cars were purchased in 1910 and sent to Westinghouse for the changes to the electrical system.  Two more cars were purchased, but delivered as unpowered trailers.  The trailers were withdrawn from service by WWI and stored in the Cameron carbarn, where they burned in 1918.   The six motor cars continued in service on the Northern Division until the end of electric operation early in 1920.  It appears that all of these cars were retained for many years, and saw occasional use on steam-powered trains.

One of the Niles cars on the WB&A in its original configuration.

Car 300, newly rebuilt, apparently missing its motors (Stephen Scalzo Collection, Illinois Railway Museum)

A two-car train pulling into the Matherville station.

A two-car train at Rock Island.

One of the cars at Aledo.

Car 302 at Monmouth.

Car 305 on one of the spindly trestles.

Car 305 at Alexis around 1913. "The wind-damaged building served as the ticket office. The line was built as the Rock Island & Alexis Railway by the RIS and operated from 1910 to 1921 when the line was pulled up." The building is still standing on the northwest corner of Main and Broadway in Alexis. Bill Graham photo from the Scalzo Collection.

One of the motor cars retained for use as a trailer on steam trains, seen at the 20th St. station in 1924.

Little information on the two box motors is available.  They had offset doors at the end of the car for loading lumber.

The two freight motors on the trestle over the Edwards River, with the power house in the background.

The Northern Division also owned several steam locomotives, cabooses, and freight cars of various types over the years, but very little information is available.  For the locomotives, in most cases all we have are the road numbers, and in some cases, not even that.  Most engines seem to have been smaller, obsolete types; 4-4-0's and 2-6-0's, mostly purchased or leased from the CRI&P.

Information from photo: "RIS 4-4-0 #100 heads north across Cedar Creek north of Monmouth, Ill in the late summer of 1910 with a borrowed CB&Q coach to officially open the railroad. The 100 was owned by the American Construction Company and started life on the Michigan Central. Off the roster by 1916. Collection of B. Graham." Stephen Scalzo Photo Collection, Illinois Railway Museum

All of the below pictures are from the Don Ross collection except where noted.

All of the Rock Island Southern's locomotives wound up in the scrap line at Silvis.

Caption information: "RIS 220, Silvis, Ill 3/7/1940 - The Rock Island shops at Silvis, Illinois performed any repairs needed on the RIS engines. The 220 came to the RIS in 1912 [this may not be correct -ed.] and lasted until the road folded in 1952. The 220 was scrapped in Peoria, Ill the same year." Stephen Scalzo Collection, Illinois Railway Museum

The last locomotive to operate was Wisconsin & Michigan 527, acquired in 1938.