Nostalgia & History > Amtrak by WR Tower in Granite City,Ill

June 90
One of the (I think) Chicago trains is passing WR Tower in Granite City, headed to nearby St.Louis.
Is that the ex-GM&O the train is on ?

Gary

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The one horizon car has a different size stripe on it's window line?

mp51w Wrote:
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> The one horizon car has a different size stripe on
> it's window line?

Yes, there seemed to be two flavors of stripes, narrow and wide. The wide ones seem to match what was on Amfleet cars.

Nice shots.
Been there,done that.As late as July 2021.
Everything is gone except the big buiding
on the left side.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.

I believe that at WR the train has continued south on the GM&O down to Relay and then over the MacArthur Bridge into STL.  Had they gone straight, they would have entered TRRA tracks and gone over the Merchant's Bridge into north STL.  

I believe that to have been train 303, the westbound Ann Rutledge.

Art House

Nice shots, Gary!

RC Lundgren

Well done - Interesting views.
Bob

I believe that is the very famous General Steel Castings plant seen in photo #4.  Manufacturers of many, many trucks used under many lightweight passenger cars in the pre and post-war era. 

great series, captures the environs well.

Bob

I rode it many times in that era.
At that time the normal route was via the TRRA
via SH tower, Merchants Bridge and West Bridge Jct.

It looks to me like the train is leaving the ex-NYC / GM&O
joint track and getting on the TRRA. In photo 1 note the CR style
temporary speed restriction signs on the near track and the
GM&O CPL in the background on the far track.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/21 16:51 by Englewood.

MEKoch Wrote:
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> I believe that at WR the train has continued south
> on the GM&O down to Relay and then over the
> MacArthur Bridge into STL.  Had they gone
> straight, they would have entered TRRA tracks and
> gone over the Merchant's Bridge into north
> STL.  

I think you have this just backwards.  The train curving off to the left is headed for the north end of TRRA's Madison yard where it will swing west to go over Merchant's bridge.  That was the primary route of Amtrak trains in this era.  Had the train continued on straight, it would have passed underneath the Merchant's Bridge approach, passed Venice yard enroute to Relay and the Mac Arthur Bridge.

MAB

Topfuel Wrote:
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> I believe that is the very famous General Steel
> Castings plant seen in photo #4.  Manufacturers
> of many, many trucks used under many lightweight
> passenger cars in the pre and post-war era. 

Actually, General Steel Castings is the building on the left in photo 1.  Still there.

Not sure if the Commonwealth faciltiy is still there.  There is a large building/complex hidden in overgrowth and trees there today but not 100% sure this is it.  I believe there are occasionally stored locomotives sitting in the complex.