Nostalgia & History > For ATSF100WEST - Wabash Memories

Forrest,IL was on the north-south Main Line of the Wabash between Chicago and Decatur, IL. Operation wise, it was on the cusp of the 6th and 7th Districts of the Decatur Division. The 6th District ran from Chicago to Forrest. The 7th District ran from Forrest to Bement, IL where it joined the east-west 9th District for 20 miles west to Decatur.
Crossing the TP&W at Forrest, the Wabash depot was a diamond depot. The Wabash "Streator Branch" also originated at Forrest. Just north of the depot, the connection track veered off to the west to the TP&W which the Wabash used on trackage rights for 5 miles west to Fairbury enroute to Streator.

In 1941, Forrest saw 8 passenger trains daily :
Nos. 11-10 "The Banner Blue"
Nos. 21-24 "The Blue Bird"
Nos. 13-12 "The Decatur and Chicago Express"
Nos. 17-18 "The Midnight Ltd"
Forrest was a regular stop for all except the "Blue Bird".

In the freight department, five "Red Ball" freighs out of and enroute to Landers Yard passed Forrest daily :
Southbound Nos. 99 and 93 (Chicago-St. Louis) and No. 83 (Chicago-Decatur.
Northbound No. 182 (St. Louis-Chicago) and No. 90 (KC-Chicago)
Tri weekly locals 75-74 ran between Landers and Decatur (carrying passengers).
Streator Branch Local 73 left Forrest MWF returning as 72 TuThSat (also carrying passengers).

Fast forward to 1961. Forrest had not suffered in the passenger department. Except for adding a 1 to the original train numbers, all eight passenger trains still served Forrest. Both "Blue Birds" now stopped for passengers enroute to or from Chicago and St. Louis.
Nos. 113-112, the old Decatur and Chicago Express had lost their names, but still plied the rails.

By 1968, the N&W had taken over the Wabash. Passenger train offs were evident as Nos. 121-124, the "Blue Birds" were all that were left.
Freight schedules faired better as N&W carded 6 freights through Forrest:
Southbound CD-1 and CD-3 (Chicago-Decatur)
CD-1 was the local with pick ups at Brisbane, Reddick and a pick up and set out at Forrest.
"Roadrunner" #117 out of Landers for St. Louis.
(In honor of the old Midnight Limited??????)
Northbound DC-2 and DC-4
"Roadrunner" #118 out of St. Louis for Chicago (Landers)

By the time I visited Forrest in 2000, the railroad was gone. I'm not sure when the N&W/NS abandoned the middle of this line. As I understand it, the NS still uses the Bement to Gibson City south portion with the "Bloomer Line" running from Gibson City to Strawn, IL, just 7 miles south of Forrest. The north end still exists from Chicago to Manhattan, IL, 53 miles north of Forrest.
The few tid bits below are all that remain of a once vibrant Midwest rail artery and one of its machines that faired better than the railroad itself.
1) Waiting to guide a Blue Bird, a Banner Blue or a Red Ball Freight, the southbound double approach signal for the TP&W stands in the weeds just north of the depot at Forrest, IL.
2) The Forrest, Il depot platform has turned from concrete to gravel and weeds in a southbound view.
3) Faring much better than the railroad, Wabash F7 #1189, ex Wabash #725, rests in the Monticello Railroad Museum's Shops, not far from the Main Line where she once earned her keep.
Photos 1&2 July 25, 2000.
Photo 3 July 29, 2000.

Thanks for looking and listening.

Bob Helling
PRose

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Do you recall an WWII ammo factory between Springfield and Decatur? Don't recall the area but seems like maybe Illiopolis, IL. I learned there were two parallel lines of ammunition production. I presume the Wabash probably served this facility. There was an interurban line that ran this area that workers rode from Springfield. I thought this was an old airfield but later learned through the internet that of the ammo plant. TerraServer shows what appears to be whitish spots in the fields in the area and this is where the ammo burms were before being dismantled. Do you know any Wabash history of this facility Bob?

Bob,

I'll look and listen as long as you want to keep posting!

Thanks for highlighting a main line that deserved more fan interest (and a better fate) than it got.

NZ

rrman6 Wrote:
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> Do you recall an WWII ammo factory between
> Springfield and Decatur? Don't recall the area
> but seems like maybe Illiopolis, IL.

Yep, just west of Illiopolis.

> I learned
> there were two parallel lines of ammunition
> production. I presume the Wabash probably served
> this facility. There was an interurban line that
> ran this area that workers rode from Springfield.

Actually, that interurban was the Illinois Terminal and THEY switched the plant. The IT ran parallel to and just south of the Wabash in this area, meaning Wabash could not access the plant without crossing the IT main.

In 1959, the now-dieselized IT abandoned their traction line between Starnes Tower (Springfield) and Decatur in favor of trackage rights on the Wabash. At that time the plant trackage was connected to the Wabash, but IT still retained the rights to switch it.

After the war, the plant was converted to civilian purposes (in the 70s it was operated by Borden's, to make what I have no idea) and until the end of the IT in 1981 they ran a switch job out of Decatur to Illiopois to switch the plant.

There was also a short remnant of an IT branch (more of a stub) south off the IT/WAB to an elevator in nearby Mechanicsburg (sp?) that was active until the line was severed in the early 1970s to build I-72.

Hope this was helpful,

NZ

Bob,

Sorry for not responding earlier - was working a trade show, and just got back last night.

Thank you for posting these. Those first two shots really drive the point home.

Talk to you soon,

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out