Steam & Excursion > 0-8-0s and CBQ rotary at NSW steel mill.

I shot this from a high vantage point at Northwestern Steel and Wire mill at Sterling ILL IN 1976. There are 2 GTW 0-8-0s on this end of the mill and a CBQ rotary plow probably for scrap. A live 0-8-0 was working the other other end. Don,t know if these 2 steamers were ever used although it,s hard to get numbers and this place was off limits! this is all gone now but if anyone has any info on the 0-8-0s would like to know. thanks.

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Fifteen GTW 0-8-0's were sold to NWS&W in 1960-61 ALCO's 8300, 8305, 8306, 8310, 8314, 8315. Lima's 8325, 8327, 8328 and Baldwin's 8373, 8374, 8375, 8376 (for parts) 8379, 8380. A few were scrapped (not sure which numbers) before NWS&W quit using steam in late 1980 they were laid up and sat there for a number of years. The Illinois Railway Museum got the title to some of them, one went to the IRM, others went to sites around the Midwest and 5 were traded as scrap for CB&Q 4963 which is now at IRM.

Steve

If you went to the main office, thankfully you could sign a photography release, but you were limited by not being able to actually come onto the property. You could take photos through open gates, where they were switching when trains crossed the road, etc. As long as you had the release, they were tolerant and didn't hassle you. Their ex-GTW 0-8-0 switchers were true "WAYBAC" machines.
Bob

I took this photo in 1980, it was VERY Cold, the Guards stayed in their nice warm shacks

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Hope you don't mind, I lightened up part of your image to make it a little easier for my old tired eyes to see the steamers.

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My dad and I saw this rotary set while on a guided tour of NWS&W in summer '75. Got some 8mm movies of an ex-GTW 0-8-0 switching the west end while a C&NW freight blasts by-- great memories... Thanks for sharing your photo that brought me back to that wonderful day!

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