#emdf3

The Plug Here we see GM&O’s commuter train known as “The Plug”. It ran between Chicago’s Union Station (pictured) and Joliet. The locomotive is an EMD F3 built in June of 1947.

Seventy-Eight Years Old

In this image, several EMD F3s, tied onto various other units of a more contemporary ilk, work the Bunge plant along the GM&O main line. This spot lies between Pontiac and Cayuga, in central Illinois.

[Note: this elevator seems to go by Prairie Central Coop nowadays.]

The lead locomotive seen here was built in December of 1946, thirty-one years old when this shot was taken; it would be active on the Illinois Central Gulf only for another six months. One may have thought that would constitute a good long productive life, but there would be much more.

The engine would be rebuilt to move passengers for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the early 1980s. After that stint, this locomotive went on to haul freight again for the Idaho Northern & Pacific. It may be still kicking, now pulling tourists about, just over seventy-eight years later, but I am uncertain.

Night into Dawn—Bloomington, Illinois

Bloomington was a haven for EMD F-units back in the mid- to late-1970s. I ventured over there from Indiana several times to shoot the "covered wagons" of the Gulf Mobile & Ohio, sometimes in the dark. The GM&O was part of the Illinois Central Gulf by that time, but engines weren't painted quickly after the merger took place in 1972, which was fabulous for railroad enthusiasts. [I believe two of the F3s did make it into the orange and white scheme of the ICG.]

We begin this little sequence of images with a view of number 810B: it's an F3 built in 1947. This unit would be upgraded to pull commuters for citizens of Boston, as MBTA 1111. [In the end, a few of these charismatic F-units went to Boston, a few others to Metro North, but I believe others were scrapped within a couple of years from the time of these photos being made.]

Despite the lure of the Fs, I was also attracted to this wonderful SD40, a so-called Redbird. This one was built in September of 1966. Lastly, number 811b is an EMD F7 built in 1949.

The Plug Here we see GM&O's commuter train known as “The Plug”. It ran between Chicago Union Station (seen above) and Joliet. The locomotive is an EMD F3 built in June of 1947.

Soo Line on the Milwaukee Road, Part One of Three

The Soo Line had trackage rights on the Milwaukee Road (Wisconsin Division, Twelfth Subdivision) to gain access to Milwaukee.

In 1977, I followed a train westward on the line between North Milwaukee, roughly, to Rugby Junction where the train switched over to the Soo main. I have one shot after that, near Slinger, Wisconsin, on the Soo Line itself. I’ll split this up over three installments.

In this first post then, we initially see the train just west of North Milwaukee, near Havenwoods; I was standing near the intersection of N. 60th Street and N. Mill Road. The bridge in the background supports a Chicago & North Western line. In the third image, the train is crossing over N. 76th Street, just south of Good Hope Road; in the fourth at the Granville Depot. And in the final image we see the train near Boundary Road, perhaps—this one location is uncertain.

Soo Line on the Milwaukee Road, Part Three of Three

The Soo Line had trackage rights on the Milwaukee Road (Wisconsin Division, Twelfth Subdivision) to gain access to Milwaukee. In 1977, I followed a train westward on the line between North Milwaukee, roughly, to Rugby Junction where the train switched over to the Soo main. I have one shot after that, near Slinger, Wisconsin, on the Soo Line itself. I’ve split this up over three installments.

To finish this series of posts, we now see two images of our train at Pleasant Hill Road, in Richfield, Wisconsin. The next three pictures shows it at Rugby Junction: it can first be seen using the connection between Milwaukee Road and Soo Line mains. The next two pictures were made from where Scenic Road crosses the tracks.

The final image has the train on the Soo Line main now, seen from the Highway 60 overpass, south of Slinger, Wisconsin. The quality of the right-of-way is noticeably better here on the Soo!

Soo Line on the Milwaukee Road, Part Two of Three

The Soo Line had trackage rights on the Milwaukee Road (Wisconsin Division, Twelfth Subdivision) to gain access to Milwaukee. In 1977, I followed a train westward on the line between North Milwaukee, roughly, to Rugby Junction where the train switched over to the Soo main. I have one shot after that, near Slinger, Wisconsin, on the Soo Line itself. I’ve split this up over three installments.

We take up the chase with the train at Donges Bay Road: in Germantown or Victory Center, Wisconsin. Next we see it near Country Aire Drive (I believe). The third image was taken at Highway 145 just east of Germantown; the bridge from which I shot longer exists. Pictures four and five highlights the lead unit nicely at County Highway F/Freistadt Road, in Germantown, while the last has it at Goldendale Road.

I should share a bit about that particular locomotive. One engine roster lists this unit as an EMD F3 though it appears to be an F7. I know that some of the later F3 models had stainless steel vents along the top like the later Fs to come, so this is probably the case.

Covered Wagons: a Series

This is a southbound freight on the Chicago & Alton, later GM&O, then ICG at the time of the photograph. This is the same spot as my previous post: Shirley, just south of Bloomington, Illinois.

Bloomington was known as a haven for F-units in the mid- to late-1970s. I was able to photograph the so-called covered wagons several times before the charismatic locomotives were ether scrapped or sold off (most in 1977). A couple went to the MBTA: they were rebuilt and served commuter trains in the Boston area.

Four EMD F3s are seen here powering this train headed south toward East St. Louis. I followed the train and will post additional images in subsequent posts.