Due to the overwhelming enthusiastic response to old pictures of IRM such as the Doerr Collection, I dug out a set of photos taken by my father in 1975. Enjoy!
I was running the 144 that day. We're eastbound passing the switch onto Station 1. Note the lack of ballast. But out on the main, one of the brand-new signals is in service.
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The 972 on track 43 just in front of the barn. (And at this point, there was only one carbarn.)
The Class B is pulling the newly-arrived 4410, which may not be operational yet, up the east leg of the wye. Behind them, a C&NW baggage car, later one of the bookstore cars.
Slightly farther east.
At the est end of station 2, the 1024 and 1808. At that time, the 1024 was a control trailer.
And in the foreground, I suspect those stakes mark where the Lester barn (Barn 3) was about to be built.
Behind the Morton barn, the 4391 is on track 42 east, with the 68 and an MD car on 41. Not sure which MD, though.
Another view of the 4391, which would be made operational for the first time soon.
The south end of Yard 1. The IC MU cars, the 1129, 229, and the Zephyr. Behind that are a box car and waycar (1003?) on the south wye.
These locomotives are sitting on what is now track 91 inside the barn. In front of them are ties and ballast laid out to start constructing the streetcar line. The steam shop is behind them.
Let's see: from right to left, the "Gypsy Wagon" on flat car 1772, the Com Ed 5, the Shay, the 101, a tank car, the 428, and beyond that we're not sure.
Finally, from about the same location (now the Barn 9 North stop) we're looking northeast, toward what is now the car line and Barn 2. There's nothing in between. Central Ave. is just a dirt path with trolley bus wire above it. From left to right, I think I can make out: the IT Birney, a wooden boxcar, the late lamented Pennsy doodlebug, a North Shore car (253?), then the Com Ed 4 and several L cars: 4412, 4146, 1754, and 1797.
And thanks to those who helped out with some of these identifications!
16 comments:
The picture of SS 68 & CTA 4391 caption has the smallest font I have ever seen on the Hicks blog!!
The 4410 only has one trolley pole on the #2 end, as it was part of a married pair on the CTA. The car blew a motor a few months before retirement. We wanted the car, and the CTA swapped out the motor truck. But they put a nice truck with GE243 motors under the car, when it should have had WH567 motors. IRM added a second trolley pole before placing it in service. We checked out the car, and it ran just fine with GE motors for a long time. After we bought retired 4000s for parts, we swapped back a truck with WH motors. The car was waybilled by the CTA on March 19, 1975. Not sure of the exact date of arrival.
On the last picture, it looks like the 4412 coupled to the 4146 which was in primer paint. The next car is 1754, and beyond that the 1797, both of which have been beautifully restored. Our scrap 1700 series Pullman 'L' cars from Desplaines Ave (Congress terminal) were all in a white/grey paint scheme and were already scrapped by this time. Bill
In the steam engine lineup photo, I’d guess that’s the 428 behind the tank car rather than the 26.
Those were put in as captions. I'll fix it.
Interesting to see the CSL work equipment I knew as the Poor Not wagon, without the T, actually in use. Perhaps it was stingered to the wire and used as an air compressor to run air spikers in building track? These photos are from about 2 years before my first visit, but a lot had changed already in the meantime. O. Anderson
In the photo of the steam engine line up, I believe that's one of the LS&I 2-8-0s behind UP 428. Which one, I don't know, and what's behind it, I don't know either.
-Matt Maloy
Matt, that one stumped me too. The LS&I engines came to mind for me too, but they didn't arrive until the mid-1980s. It almost looks like a tank engine but it seems too tall. The 265 arrived in 1975, so maybe that's the answer?
What ever happened to that PRR doodlebug?
What ever happened to that PRR doodlebug? All I know is that it is no longer at the museum.
That's a long story, but there were several pieces that were privately owned, that were sold off to other people although they had been considered part of IRM's collection. I don't know if we want to go into that convoluted tale at this late date. The best pieces generally stayed with IRM.
I believe that Pennsy doodlebug is now privately owned and stored in Michigan.
Olin, I think you're thinking of the CSL compressor wagon, which is now gone. The "Gypsy Wagon" was a TMER&L compressor wagon that we used in some role to start or maintain the steam locomotives. It's still on the property.
It was a big National industrial compressor, 600V motor, and huge air tank mounted on a frame that dated to the days when they still built things with wooden wheels and solid rubber tires. It may have been homebuilt by the TM at Coldspring Shops. The nickname comes from when the canvas side curtains were closed, it looked kind of like the wagons that European Gypsies lived in. In the seventies it was used to provide atomizing air for the oil burner on Tuskegee 101 until they raised enough steam pressure, after the 101 was taken out of service it was used on track projects to provide air for the air spiker.
Speaking of the 4668, many years ago Frank and I had an opportunity to ride the identical 4666 on the Black River and Western from Ringoes down to Lambertville and back. That was really neat, and I wanted to do it because this was after Herb had sold the 4668 out from under us. I can't seem to find any pictures from that trip, and Frank was too small to remember it, so you'll just have to take my word for it. And I don't know how to discover where that car is now, or whether it is still operational.
And back to the Gypsy Wagon, thanks, Dennis! What would we do without you? Next up, the story of how the "Porno Wagon" got its name!
I can name names, but won't!
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