Eastern Railroad Discussion > Nothing Runs Like a Deere...

...except in this case, the Deere isn't running and the railroad is.
Back in on February 2nd, I caught the Decatur & Eastern Illinois RR running east out of Decatur. Wanting some different photos than the ones I normally get in the area, I stumbled across this lone grain bin with a John Deere parked awaiting springtime work just outside the tiny town of La Place, IL. On this day, two of the road's SD-40s are leading 33 cars across the empty fields of Illinois.

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I also grabbed a couple shots of the train on the other side of La Place with the large elevator in the background. The lighting was darn near perfect on this day.
Thanks for looking!
   Caleb

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Very nice composition.  I am not a tractor man, but that John Deere looks old - 50 years or so.  

The 10 series came out inthe early 1960's and the 20 series followed about mid to late 1960's. I believe that one is a 4020 which was one of the workhorse models of the time. I am old enough to remember them when they first came out. Next week is supposed to be dry and many of those Illinois fields will be seeing action as spring work gets started.

Bruce Stikkers
St. Joseph, IL

BruceStikkers Wrote:
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> The 10 series came out inthe early 1960's and the
> 20 series followed about mid to late 1960's. I
> believe that one is a 4020 which was one of the
> workhorse models of the time. I am old enough to
> remember them when they first came out. Next week
> is supposed to be dry and many of those Illinois
> fields will be seeing action as spring work gets
> started.
>
> Bruce Stikkers
> St. Joseph, IL

A 4020 "Deluxe" because of the cab enclosure. 

That second photo is fantastic!
Dan

Posted from iPhone

EL-SD45-3632 Wrote:
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> BruceStikkers Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The 10 series came out inthe early 1960's and
> the
> > 20 series followed about mid to late 1960's. I
> > believe that one is a 4020 which was one of the
> > workhorse models of the time. I am old enough
> to
> > remember them when they first came out. Next
> week
> > is supposed to be dry and many of those
> Illinois
> > fields will be seeing action as spring work
> gets
> > started.
> >
> > Bruce Stikkers
> > St. Joseph, IL
>
> A 4020 "Deluxe" because of the cab enclosure. 


With a cab it’s more than likely a so called console model. Made from 1968-1972.
I have a 1970 model without the cab and use mainly like this one appears to being used for filling and emptying grain bins with a auger.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 15:54 by farmer.

> > A 4020 "Deluxe" because of the cab enclosure.
>
> With a cab it’s more than likely a so called
> console model. Made from 1968-1972.
> I have a 1970 model.

That isn't a factory cab; note the half covered model number.  There were many aftermarket cabs made.

Another John Deere related image . . . . . Made in Michigan during a photo shoot.  NKP 765 and PM 1225 shown passing an old Deere at work.   Loved hearing these old machines with their engines going "pop-pop-pop".

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The 20 series was probably the tractor that you could say really took JD to the next level. The whole series and especially the 4020 sold like toilet paper, and the Waterloo tractor works couldn’t make them fast enough. Of course 1950-1980 was the Golden age of farming in the USA and farmers had money in their pockets then.

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