Steam & Excursion > E8 Restoration Effort at Monticello

Local news station WCIA posted a short story yesterday of a volunteer at the Monticello Railway Museum in Illinois who's been leading the work to restore an E8 for over twenty years.  The E unit, which is being made to look like Illinois Central 4044, recently moved under its own power for the first time since restoration started.

https://www.wcia.com/news/piatt-county/one-mans-treasure-is-coming-to-life-in-monticello-after-21-years-of-work/

Some history of the E8. I was pleased to see the Monticello Railway Museum Facebook post from earlier in the week that it was now moving under its own power. I always liked to head to the shop and check on the status when I would visit the museum

https://www.mrym.org/prr-5764

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1H3EK6ViVn/

When I visited Monticello recently for the museum's Railroad Days, someone told me that there was an E unit in the shops that was going to be repainted in Pennsylvania Railroad colors.

Jeff Gast
Greenwood, Indiana  

inrdjlg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I visited Monticello recently for the
> museum's Railroad Days, someone told me that there
> was an E unit in the shops that was going to be
> repainted in Pennsylvania Railroad colors.
>
> Jeff Gast
> Greenwood, Indiana  

They had part of it correct. There is an E unit in the shops that was ex PRR, but it will be painted into IC colors to match all the IC painted passenger cars. It will look fantastic when it's all done



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/25 08:12 by Spoony81.

It will be painted as Illinois Central 4044, one number higher than the highest number E unit (and E9A) that the I.C. owned.

Posted from Android

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

That chocolate and orange will be really sassy! There was a section south of Chicago that these locos could do a 100 mph!

Victor Baird

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> There was a section south of Chicago that these
> locos could do a 100 mph!
>

That would have been the Champaign District between Leverett Junction and Branch Junction, which was equipped with cab signals and Automatic Train Stop. This segment remained 90mph territory until the single-tracking program in 1990.

Posted from Android

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Nice to see another E unit come back to life. Looks like it lost it's PRR nose lift rings and gained a door headlight. Long live PRR 5764 ------  Ken 

Are the one-time IOU Pacific IC-painted E units still running around in IC Paint somewhere?

TrackGuy

TrackGuy Wrote:
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> Are the one-time IOU Pacific IC-painted E units
> still running around in IC Paint somewhere?
>
> TrackGuy

Illinois Railway Museum has one of the E8's painted in the scheme still. It is a former CN&W unit 

https://www.irm.org/player/cnw515/

Thanks for your posting.  I've been wondering about the restoration status.
ALLEN

Spoony81 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TrackGuy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Are the one-time IOU Pacific IC-painted E units
> > still running around in IC Paint somewhere?
> >
> > TrackGuy
>
> Illinois Railway Museum has one of the E8's
> painted in the scheme still. It is a former CN&W
> unit 
>
> https://www.irm.org/player/cnw515/

Other one is on the CaterPariott in Tifton, GA

Nice.  I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Downing on the westbound VIA Canadian last February.

Dave