Nostalgia & History > Maroon Monday: unknown mail stop...

…here’s hoping someone can shed some light on this image. Jim Watson picked up this Ektachrome dupe a very long time ago, with zero information on it. Pretty cool lookin’ shot, though!

This photo stirs up some early grade school memories. I remember seeing my mother’s step-uncle (?, distant? once removed?) Clarence backing his REA truck up to a passenger train at the Union Pacific depot here in Manhattan in the mid 1960’s. He had worked for REA all his adult life, retiring when the mail contract ran out in 1967. My Dad made a career out of being a USPS mailman so this being a mail truck in this image also brings back a few memories.

1. CRI&P 625 on a mixed(?) passenger train at an unknown location on an unknown date taken by an unknown photographer. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
(photographer unknown, from the James W. Watson collection)

TIA for any help!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Jim Watson (UP6900)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/22 02:38 by santafe199.

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Lance I am thinking this might be a Peoria Rocket as I believe the they carried TOFC behind the engines in the late 60's. It could also be the Corn Belt Rocket as also carried TOFC in the late 60's. Location could be Peoria,but its hard to tell with out any land marks. Perhaps a Illinois native can tell.

I don't think it would be the Corn Belt as they usually had
2 units. Could very well be Peoria Rocket but I do not
recognize the location.
zr190

Lance, you know I don't have a clue where it is, BUT it sure looks like either there was a recent derailment, or a new track was put in. The dirt pile and new ballast indicates something recently changed.

I am sure this is the Peoria Rocket at the "new" (1967) Rock Island depot at the foot of Morton St. in Peoria.

The RPO and the sun angle tell us this would have been the morning westbound (No. 11). With the discontinuance of the RPO, the morning westbound and afternoon eastbound trip came off in 1968, so this shot was only possible for a short time.

NZ

GP30Frank Wrote:
> BUT it sure looks like either there was a recent derailment, or a new track was put in...

I was kinda wondering about that. I'd say you're on the right track! ("Cornball" double pun intended)

Lance



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/15 09:03 by santafe199.

Notice the "through" steam line on this side of the piggyback flat!

Nice to see an E3A, too!

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

I agree with NZ, this is the Peoria Rocket in Peoria at the newly built station. Thanks for sharing, love that photo!
Sean in Lacon IL

Posted from Android

Excellent detective work.

Here's an aerial of the scene today in Google Maps most recent version: http://goo.gl/maps/z20wC

Remarkable, at least to me, is this view from NE Bond St., across the track: http://goo.gl/maps/uEkI7 Can't believe the Rock Island Lines signage is still there.

FP45 Wrote:> I agree with NZ, this is the Peoria Rocket in Peoria at the newly built station...

Alrighty then, it seems we have a consensus. Peoria/Rocket it is. Judging by the color of the foliage should I go with "Summer 1967". That's my inclination, unless the train came off in late 1968. Then 'Summer 1968' would be possible...

Lance

old depot get sold?

A railroad building a new depot in the 1950s seems like a really strange concept, unless maybe it was freight-only and was to replace a previous passenger/freight depot. I more get the impression that the railroads did their building of public buildings from the 1800s up to about 1930, and after that all they built was track, yards, and the occasional bridge.