Nostalgia & History > CB&Q 4960 and 5632 in Mendota, IL

CB&Q 4960 and 5632 double-heading a fan trip in Mendota, IL on April 1, 1962.


Enjoy,
Marty Bernard

---

WOW! Snow in Mendota on April 1st, how about THAT.

Looks to be east of town at "The Electrics."

Long ago a nickname to differentiate the electro-mechanically-controlled interlocking here from the lever-and-pipe plant downtown at the IC diamond, BNSF officially lists this control point as "ELECTRICS" in the timetable. Today I-39 would be passing overhead behind the photographer.

In the days of regular steam there was a coal dock and water plug out here as well as "MS" Tower to control the crossovers and the entrance to the "Advance Track" into the Mendota yard. At MP 80.4 this was almost exactly halfway between Chicago Union Station and Galesburg (MP 162) and well outside of town so trains could stop and take coal and water without sawing the town in half.

Nice shot!

NZ

Thanks for the interesting comment NZ. Marty

Black and white and just right!
Bob

refarkas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Black and white and just right!
> Bob

If it had been a color slide the only difference would have been some yellow/orange in the head light !!!


Marty

Thanks for posting this image from the good old days of the Q.

Great commentary NZ; I've always thought there must be a substation there that it was named after. Now we know!

Andy

Photographer on the right getting a dusting of snow!

AndyBrown Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great commentary NZ; I've always thought there
> must be a substation there that it was named
> after. Now we know!
>
> Andy

Thanking you, sir!

Actually there IS an electrical installation (outdoor transformer yard) in the area, but it's well west of the crossovers and south of the right-of-way off of E 4th Rd. Doubt it was there back when the nickname "The Electrics" came into use.

NZ

NebraskaZephyr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks to be east of town at "The Electrics."
>
> Long ago a nickname to differentiate the
> electro-mechanically-controlled interlocking here
> from the lever-and-pipe plant downtown at the IC
> diamond, BNSF officially lists this control point
> as "ELECTRICS" in the timetable. Today I-39 would
> be passing overhead behind the photographer.
>
>
> NZ


I was always curious about how that name came about, thanks...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/17 15:37 by ats90mph.