Schmidt - Illinois Terminal

From the Schmidt Photo Collection, the Illinois Terminal.

This is a very interesting collection of views.  Of particular interest, I think, are the pictures of operations in downtown Danville, a week before abandonment of this trackage.  Then there are several of the Grafton railbus, and some in-service shots of equipment now at IRM.  Most of the rest of the cars shown are identical to ones now in our collection.

Car bound to Danville, just west of Cerro Gordo,
from platform of Wabash "Blue Bird" going in opposite direction - and fast
April 14, 1947

Motor car at Girard.    Later developed hot-box    5/16/47

Champaign     8/47

Decatur     8/47

The Decatur station building is now a church.

Freight motor switching at Peoria      April 1948

In the above view, it appears the Class B is pushing the trailer, one of the ex-CL&E box motors.  You can just barely see a ground man standing in the street at far right, directing the movement.

Several views of the railbus operation from Alton to Grafton, taken in Sept. 1948.  The bus itself is preserved at MOT.  

The Armstrong turntable at Grafton.

Unloading rail-bus at Grafton terminus    Sept '48

Rail-bus at Eltah (Principia College)
Old general store gutted by flood.   Sept 1948

 (Town is actually Elsah.) 

Power plant coal and ash train on main street of Danville     9/50

Car off tracks at Danville  (happens daily, they say)     9/50

Interlocking signal over NYC, West Danville      9/50

Elec loco in city square    Danville    4/18/52

Sharp curve, east end of Vermillion R. bridge      4/18/52

Train & station, Danville    4/18/52

Danville     4/18/52

On Danville train    4/18/52

Danville line      4/18/52

Train at Urbana      4/18/52

Train at Danville     4/18/52

At Danville     4/20/52

Front of Danville car    4/20/52

High crossing gateman's tower     Champaign     4/20/52

Local motor crossing Vermillion R., Danville     4/20/52
(1 week before abandonment)

Sharp curve, east of Vermillion R. crossing, Danville     4/20/52

Local motor & pass car, at Danville       4/20/52

RofW shantee    St. Joseph (Danville line)    4/20/52

Many older passenger cars were converted to bunk cars for MOW service, such as the 518 at one time.

♫  It's just a shanty in old shanty town... ♫

Decatur

Battery-line loco at St. Louis      7/53

Say, this car looks familiar:

Granite City local in St. Louis     7/53

For that matter, so does this one:

Terminal line in St. Louis     7/53

This one is preserved at Warehouse Point:

Approach to McKinley Bridge     7/53

EB car at Monticello   12/54

Line car at Springfield     12/54

Terminal at St. Louis      12/54

COLOR SLIDES

St. Louis    Granite City car leaving subway at Hadley & Cass

St. Louis     1/55    NB car leaving Hadley St. to "L"

Edwardsville    1/55     Car moving 15 mph (thru window)

Edwardsville    1/55 

North of Virden    1/55   Train NB at siding

Springfield    1/55  "City" cars inbound

Springfield    1/55     work car & old sleeper

Springfield     1/55

Monticello   1/55  WB car at depot

W. Danville     4/17/52   5:35pm

W. Danville     4/17/52   5:35pm