We hope that you will join us this Friday for our January program on the Illinois Terminal Railroad by Robert Heinlein. To get you in the mood, we present the second of three generous helpings of IT photos, this batch being black-and-white.
IT streamliner 301, the “City of Decatur,” in Decatur in December 1949. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
There weren’t a lot of railfans using color film before the 1950s, but black-and-white had been around for a long time, so we can see some earlier views here. Most shutterbugs back then used cameras that yielded very large negatives by modern standards. If properly exposed and developed, some of these old negs can yield amazingly sharp images today.
-The Editor
IT 278 in Springfield, Illinois, on November 7, 1948. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT 283 in Springfield, Illinois, in November 1948. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT wooden baggage trailer 607, ex-1060 series with experimental motors, in Springfield on November 7, 1948. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT 517, 282 and 535 on a three-car football special at Decatur in Fall 1949. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT parlor cal 511, the “Urbana,” on the Springfield wye in February 1951. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
Don’s Rail Photos says IT 1567, Class B, “was built at Decatur in 1914. It was sold to St Louis Car Co. as 11 on January 17, 1955.” (Photographer unknown)
It loco 1577, used on the Bloomington line, is shown at the Decatur shops. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT 270 at the Decatur station in May 1949. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
According to Don’s Rail Photos, IT 285 “was built by St Louis Car in 1914. It was rebuilt as a parlor car in 1024 amd retistpred as coach in December 1928. It was air conditioned in August 1938 and (received) new seating in December 1952. It was sold for scrap to Hyman Michaels Co on May 16, 1956.” According to John Howard, this early 1950s photo “was taken in Carlinville from the corner of North West and West First North Streets – looking south. Davenport’s Cafe is south of the station. City Hall’s siren can be seen above the Cafe. The steeple at the south end of town (on South West Street) was St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. It’s now a restaurant sans steeple.” (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT “muzzle-loader” double-end PCC 451, on the St. Louis-Granite City line in 1952. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT 283 was built by St. Louis Car Co. in 1913. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
View looking east showing IT car 457 eastbound on the west side of the McKinley Bridge in St. Louis, taken on November 13, 1954. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
A three-quarter view of IT 284 taken in Springfield, Illinois, on June 11, 1953. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT “Class C” loco 1596 was built at Decatur in December 1929. Most IT locos were scrapped in 1956, but loco 1595 is preserved at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. This picture was taken in East Peoria, Illinois, on June 11, 1953. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
A three-quarter view of IT 1203 as it appeared in Springfield, Illinois, on June 11, 1953. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
View looking northeast from Hall street, showing a PCC car on the elevated structure parallel to North Market Street east of Hall Street in St. Louis in 1954. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
View from 12th and Lucas Streets, showing the IT Central Terminal Building, on 12th Street between Lucas and Delmar in St. Louis, Missouri on May 21, 1954. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
View of the sign at the entrance to the passenger station at 12th and Delmar in St. Louis, taken October 21, 1951. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT 454 north of the subway entrance in St. Louis, Missouri on March 1, 1956. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
View looking south showing car #451 on Madison Avenue, just south of 17th Street in Granite City, Illinois, showing street resurfacing work, on June 3, 1956. Car 451 was built by the St. Louis Car Co. in 1949 and is now preserved at the Connecticut Trolley Museum. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
View looking south showing the station at Broadway and North Market Streets in St. Louis, on the line to Granite City, as it looked on May 21, 1954. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT double-end PCC 452 on the St. Louis-Granite City line. The view is looking east, showing the car on Broadway at Market Street in Madison, Illinois. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
A passing siding along the IT interurban right-of-way. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT streetcar 410, built by St Louis Car Co. in 1924 as order #1324, a sister car to 415, now preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
Don’s Rail Photos reports that IT 277 “was built by St Louis Car in 1913, #966. It was rebuilt in October 1951 with new seats and other modernized features. It was sold to the Illinois Railway Museum on March 9, 1956.” I believe this photo was taken in North Chicago, before IRM moved to Union. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT 202 with an arch-window trailer. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
Don’s Rail Photos reports that IT 277 “was built by St Louis Car in 1913, #966. It was rebuilt in October 1951 with new seats and other modernized features. It was sold to the Illinois Railway Museum on March 9, 1956.” I believe this photo was taken in North Chicago, before IRM moved to Union. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
An unidentified car in August 1949. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
IT 284 was built by St Louis Car Co. in 1913. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
An IT streamliner parlor car at East Peoria. These often had to be uncoupled due to clearance problems. Some of these cars, generally considered to be unsuccessful, were not scrapped until the 1980s, but none survive. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
