Illinois Terminal

Where are the last remains of the Illinois Terminal? I remember hearing about a remnant in Dectaur.

Surving remants of the IT include mostly the trackage in the St. Louis area and most of the Decatur Belt. Also, a portion of the original traction mainline exists to serve Exxon's Monterey Mine near Carlinville (the old Loveless Substation was still standing in December 2001).

DPJ

Who serves that mine near Carlinville? How can you follow the IT belt through Decatur? Are there any streets that follow it? Is the St. Louis trackage assessible?

"Who serves that mine near Carlinville?"

Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific both serve the mine.

"How can you follow the IT belt through Decatur? Are there any streets that follow it?"

There are numerous grade crossings on the former IT Belt in Decatur. The NS uses the former IT North Yard as an industry yard for local customers (ADM East Plant, ADM West Plant, Parke Warehouse, DT interchange, etc.). You should be able to find a place to stop. There is some kind of park at the NW quadrant of Faries Parkway and Brush College Road (where a CN industrial lead to A. E. Staley crosses the former IT at grade).


"Is the St. Louis trackage assessible?"

I'm not familiar with the St. Louis areas but I'm sure you can find former IT trackage in the area. The NS uses the old IT to Alton to access refineries, chemical plants and other industries. The subway in downtown St. Louis is operated by Railroad Switching Service Of Missouri, IIRC, and serves the St. Louis Globe-Democrat and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

DPJ

I was the former trainmaster at Federal yard in Alton,IL. Much of the old IT is accesable. Cut St in Alton takes you right up to the throat of the yard, though most switching is done from the other end.Rte 3 between Granite City and Alton pretty much parellels the old main. The rements makes a "T" at Wood River Jct. towards the west it leads towards Federal Yard while towards the East it leads to the Roxana oil refineries. As of 2000 on old GP retained its IT paint scheme at Wood River. It was on refinery property and I never saw it used. Reuters siding, Just wesr of Wood River, is frequently used to store IC coal trains for the power plant in Alton, so yo may even get to see some IC power. I have to run now, but i could get more specific if you would like. just let me know.

Dave S

Dave,

Whenever you get time, I'd love to hear more. Were you trainmaster in the IT era, N&W/NS or both?

Thanks in advance,

DPJ

I was there only in the NS era. The old IT holds alot of stories, heck even in the NS era alot of the jobs are held down by former IT employes. Let me know specifics on what info you would like. I have all the track charts and most op info. There is an old spur track just off the main TT East of Federal Yard known as the electric track. It is a small remant of the old IT trolley line and is still used to store cars. Back in the mid 90s the old IT tower was razed and replaced by a two piece trailer (at Federal), it looks like crap. The old tower was supposedly haunted and lights would often turn on by themselves, as well as foot steps could be heard above or below you when no one was on the other floor. When a new track was put down at the Roxana refinery while my good friend "Brooks" was trainmaster there he named it officially the "Reeves track", after country western singer John Reeves. These are just a few memories I have. There are many more interesting and weird stories about federal Yard and the old IT in that area. Just let me know if I should keep going or if I am putting you to sleep.


Dave S.

I'm curious as to the changes that came with the NS era. Industries lost (or gained?), trackage abandoned and changes in operations.

The IT's flagship trains, northbound 200 and southbound 201 (203 until 1978) handled a lot of traffic between St. Louis industries and connections and the same at the Peoria Gateway. It is my understanding that these trains handled a good deal of overhead traffic between the Rock Island at Peoria and the Frisco at St. Louis. This traffic flow apparently started dying out when the Rock was virtually shutdown by a strike in August 1979 and most certainly ceased when the carrier was forced to liquidate after March 1980. It is possible that some of this traffic was diverted to the Burlington Northern and thus changed to a BN Peoria ITC St. Louis SLSF routing. If so, it finally ended when the BN acquired the Frisco in November 1980.

With this loss of traffic, trains 200 and 201 were reduced to alternate-day operation north of Springfield and IT's remaining major traffic sources were terminal switching in the St. Louis and Decatur areas and the ADM feed pellet and soy meal shuttles from Decatur to Granite City and Alton.

By the time the IT merged with N&W in May 1982, trackage rights on other railroads was given up and trains 200 and 201 were discontinued.

On an aside, given the IT's north-south orientation and the fact that some Peoria - St. Louis traffic remained until the end, I'm curious if N&W/NS solicited any of this business following the merger. The routing would be circuitous since the old Peoria Secondary was embargoed as a through route and saw only locals under N&W/NS (any Peoria - St. Louis traffic would have been via Gibson City).

I know the N&W/NS inherited a good deal of traffic form the IT merger inluding that from ADM, Granite City Steel, Shell Oil, Clark Oil & Refining, Conoco and others. I'm kind of curious as to how things have changed under NS control.

thanks in advance,

DPJ

Anything remain around Champaign/Urbanna?

Nothing exists around Champaign-Urbana that I know about.

One other in-service track segment that might qualify as former Illinois Terminal is some CN (former IC) track in Springfield built on a portion of the old ITC Belt Line by then-Illinois Central Gulf in 1976. It was built to connect the former IC Green Diamond Line with the former GM&O.

I was at Starne Jct. in Springfield last week, and all the IT trackage is gone. The line south of Springfield is now a paved bike path. But a segment of the IT still exists in Illiopolis, where it is used to serve a factory. I have heard another segement exists in Decatur, and is a belt line. How can this line be reached? Also, how much St. Louis trackage remains? Is the IT still there at LeClaire?

The Illinois Terminal's original ITS line was largely torn up by the end of the 1960's, but the Lincoln-Alentown segment remained until the late 1970's. I know the line was severed in August, 1977 when they had a derailment on the Mackinaw River bridge. When was this line torn up, and did the IT operate segments of it on either side of the river until track removal? Also, I know the IT used trackage rights over the IC via Mount Pulaski to reach Lincoln, but was the IT/IC diamon at Lincoln removed and the interlocking realigned? When was the IT street trackage removed?

>The Illinois Terminal's original ITS line was largely torn up by the end of >the 1960's, but the Lincoln-Alentown segment remained until the late >1970's. I know the line was severed in August, 1977 when they had a >derailment on the Mackinaw River bridge. When was this line torn up, >and did the IT operate segments of it on either side of the river until >track removal?

The May 1981 issue of TRAINS has a photo montage of the Union, IL depot in three different years - the last being 1979, showing the trackless ROW. With no on-line customers, I doubt the Illinois Commerce Commission was too concerned about the loss this rail mileage. The pic on page 22 in TRAINS shows trees having lost their leaves (which are on the ground below) so my guess is that the shot must have been taken around October or November 1979. The track could have been scrapped that summer.

A lone customer may have been served on the original traction line at Mackinaw - an Amoco fertilizer facility - but this customer would have lost service following the wreck as there were no other on-line customers on the entire segment.


>Also, I know the IT used trackage rights over the IC via Mount Pulaski >to reach Lincoln, but was the IT/IC diamon at Lincoln removed and the >interlocking realigned? When was the IT street trackage removed?

I believe the original ITC traction line's diamonds were cut when this route shift occurred in 1962. The remaining ITC line north diverged from the Illinois Central's Peoria District at North Lincoln. Because of this shift, Starnes - North Lincoln would have been abandoned but I wonder if ITC retained access to Lincoln Sand & Gravel, which remained in business into the early 1970's.

I'm unsure of the street trackage. I've followed the streets where the tracks once were. The tracks may have been paved over then removed years later when streets were resurfaced. It is possible that some of the track is still under the streets.

What was the speed limit on the Lincoln-Allentown line in the later years? I know it was ballasted as late as 1974.

I'm gonna guess the track speed on the Lincoln - Allentown line was abput 25mph. I'll have to research this further.