#jolietil

Joliet with Texas Eagle, Part Two

Following up on my previous post on Joliet: only twenty minutes later we see another Texas Eagle, this time the southbound Number 21. I had a quick, friendly chat with Fortier who was working the train.

And I've included a vintage shot here as well: the Santa Fe Super-C, seen in 1975. This is the only train (back then) I had images of going in a southerly direction.

As stated before, the tower is now a railroad museum with a new transportation center attached. Not sure what is happening with Union Station, but it's good to see it well taken care of.

Once again, the Amtrak train is on the former GM&O, now Union Pacific. And now we have evidence of the other double track main beging that of the former ATSF. The Rock Island Railroad crossed the two other lines here (see next post).

Joliet with Texas Eagle, Part One

Here we see a northbound Amtrak Number 22, the Texas Eagle, rolling into Joliet, Illinois. In the middle of this four-shot sequence, I've inserted a shot of the same location I took back in 1975, one of my earliest railroad images.

The tower is now a railroad museum with a new transportation center attached. Not sure what is happening with Union Station, but it's good to see it well taken care of (apparently).

The Amtrak train is on the former GM&O, now Union Pacific. The other double track main is the former ATSF, now BNSF. My vintage shot shows a French Turbo, perhaps a regional train down to St. Louis. The Rock Island Railroad crossed the two other lines here.

Joliet, Addendum

I have one more post from my recent visit to Joliet, Illinois: this time on the line running perpendicular to the ATSF/GM&O mainline: the Rock Island Railroad. The first shot is from yesterday with the second being from 1976.

Instead of using Joliet Union Station, Metra has a new platform on the east side of the diamond and tower where the train was idling. This would be in the distant right side of the frame of the second image. I should say, I believe that wonderful station is built using Indiana limestone, from the land where I was born.

On the Rock—Inbound at Joliet

Here we see an inbound train make its station stop at Joliet and then head across the tracks of the ATSF and GM&O.

Joliet This image shows a Rock Island outbound commuter train clacking over the ATSF/GM&O tracks at Joliet, Illinois. This has always been a great spot for rail enthusiasts.

The wonderful station here is made from Indiana limestone, of which I'm a fan, growing up amongst the quarries of southern Indiana. The locomotive is an EMD E8A built for the Union Pacific in 1953.

Some Joliet Action

Here are two images made while spending some time in Joliet back in the mid-1970s. All of these trains are either northbound on the Alton or eastbound on the ATSF, clattering over the Rock Island diamonds, headed toward Chicago.

The first photograph has a northbound Amtrak train—most likely the State House, arriving on the Alton (GM&O). The second picture shows a Santa Fe manifest blasting through with six units, the first three being what looks like big General Electric U36Cs.

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.

A Mighty Fine Line

Here’s a westbound Rock Island freight train crossing over the diamonds at Joliet, Illinois. The train is clattering over both the Santa Fe as well as the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio here. The lead unit seen here is a General Electric U28B built for the road in 1966.