Arrivals

Bloomington in 2012

The annual event will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, 10 Brickyard Drive, Bloomington, Illinois, (309) 664-6446. A special rate of $85 is being held for ITS members and guests, but reservations must be made no later than April 6, 2012 and you must ask for the Illinois Traction Society special rate. Do not call the Double Tree Toll Free Reservation number as they will not recognize the special group rate. A free breakfast buffet is served the morning of the meet.

Our informal evening get-together will be held 6 PM, Friday, April 27th at Shannon’s Restaurant, 1305 S. Mercer St., 3-blocks east of the Double Tree Hotel at the intersection of Veteran’s Parkway and Mercer St, in Bloomington at 6 PM. Take this opportunity to meet old friends and make new acquaintances.

At 9:00 AM, the Saturday morning tour will originate at the hotel but we ask that members must have B. I. S. (Butt In Seat) and ready to depart at 9:00 AM SHARP! A deluxe elegant charter bus will follow the IT right of way westward from Bloomington to Mackinaw Depot for a brief tour of the building which now houses a gift shop and tea room. The narrated tour will turn south and parallel the main line with a photo opportunity stop at the Union Substation. We will continue on to Lincoln to observe the still standing structures of this city. From this point the bus will travel to Clinton to parallel the Bloomington line to and through Bloomington, returning to the Doubletree Hotel. Cost of the tour per person to be announced.

At 4:00 PM, the society will host a meet and greet of book authors Dale Jenkins, “Illinois Terminal: The Road of Personalized Services” and Richard Ward “The Railroads of Central Illinois”. A Q&A clinic will be presented by Whiteriver Publisher Kevin Eudaly and Editor Mike Schafer outlining details of what it takes to put together and publish a book and magazine. This would also be an ideal opportunity to have your IT book autographed.

The annual social hour will be held at 5:00 PM in the Brickyard III Room and dinner will be served promptly at 6:00 PM. The cost is $22 per person and includes taxes/gratuity. The menu will consist of Fried Chicken, Ham, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans and Corn, Pasta Salad, Rolls, Butter, Iced Tea, and Coffee.

Following dinner the State of Society report will be given followed by the evening program presented by Robert Heinlein; featuring a tour of the lines east of the main line (Peoria-St. Louis) with noted photographers John Humiston and Bob Bruneau. Make your room reservations now to share in this memorable event.

Due to the tour and authors presentation, the annual swap meet, model contest, and film festival will be suspended for this annual meet.

The St. Louis Museum of Transportation Trolley Volunteers (MTTV) have undertaken the restoration of the Illinois Terminal Central Terminal Building sign which hung over 12th Street for many years. This sign is significant not only as memorabilia from the Interurban Age, but also as an early use of neon in advertising displays.  The Trolley Volunteers will clean and stabilize the sign structurally and restore the neon lettering on both sides of the sign. It will then be permanently displayed undercover in The Roberts Building near the trolley stop at the East end of the Museum grounds with an interpretive sign. In the shadow of the Roberts' Building, the sign will glow warmly even on the brightest days.

    It is estimated that the cost of this project, including the electrical to light the sign, is about $4000. Anticipating an enthusiastic response from the local railfan community, we are already proceeding with this project. We expect to complete the work by November of this year. If anyone has information on the history of the sign, we would like to hear from you. We do not have accurate data on when the sign was installed or removed. The Trolley Volunteers would welcome any financial contributions to this effort. Neil Norkaitis is the co-ordinator of this restoration effort and for additional information or to make a contribution, please send to:

Transport Museum Association
I.T. Sign Restoration
2967 Barrett Station Road
St. Louis, MO 63122

Donations Sought for ITC GP7 Restoration

The Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois, is home of the only surviving Illinois Terminal GP7, No. 1605, formerly 1506.  A new traction motor and generator have been obtained to place this locomotive back in service, but funding is lacking to complete the restoration.  All labor is a volunteer effort.  If work can be completed, the unit will be part of the “Take the Throttle” of the 25th ITS annual meet, April 30, 2011.  Please send your donation payable to Illinois Railway Museum and notation marked “ITC 1605” and send to:

Illinois Railway Museum
ITC 1605 Fund
P.O. Box 427
Union, Illinois 60180-0427

IRM a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Complimentary ITC 2011 Desk Calendar

Enclosed with the Winter 2010 Phone Booth is a complimentary 2011 desk calendar based on the Illinois Terminal issued desk calendar of 1955.  The scene, depicting a GP7 passing a bay window caboose in the shadow of McKinley Bridge, St. Louis, was used on the company’s wall and desk calendar of 1955.  The Illinois Traction Society has revived this unique calendar for the year 2011 and is offering this complimentary calendar to each member.

The Reincarnation of the IT’s 2301

For those in attendance of the Illinois Traction Society 24^th Annual Meet, they were surprised with the unveiling of a replica of the Illinois Terminal No. 2301. This magnificently painted locomotive rolled into a grassy, open area to the delight of the oohhs and ahhhs of the 88 members present. To further thrill the crowd, ITS Secretary and engineer Judy Jenkins revved up the motor, resulting in the sounds of applause and group approval of this revived Illinois Terminal heritage. The event was concluded with a group photo and memories for a lifetime. However, as Paul Harvey would have said, “…and now for the rest of the story”.

Last summer, Terry Respondek, President of the Respondek Short Line Railroad and a member of the Illinois Traction Society, expressed an interest to help commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the Illinois Terminal, but in a unique manner. As an IT fan and former employee (engineer), his fleet of locomotives bears resemblance to the Illinois Terminal heritage of green and yellow; with stripes. From this the idea was presented to paint a Respondek locomotive in the original delivery scheme.

Based on company records, the original paint color was matched and lettering decals were created using original IT blueprints. Former Union Pacific/C&NW 3086, an SD40-2, (the IT 2301 was an SD39) was used for repainting.. A crew of volunteers converged on the locomotive and in a short time, had reincarnated 2301. The June 2010 (Number 373) issue of Railroads Illustrated pages 16-17 provides an interesting article with photos about the effort to place this unit in service.

Articles Published in Trains Magazine

Best described as the misadventures of an Amtrak On Board Service Director, the July and August 2010 issues of TRAINS magazine is publishing an article written by ITS Editor Dale Jenkins. In 1974, this writer resigned his position as Special Agent for the Illinois Terminal to pursue a career with the fairly newly created Amtrak as an On Board Service Director. What followed was series of true misadventures in the performance of his duties. Near the end of that year, reorganization would end the dream/nightmare and return Dale to the home rails of the Illinois Terminal.

Sam Nagy Wins State Contest For IT Drawing

Each year the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Coal Development sponsors a contest for all Illinois Junior High School science students. The students are to create poster size drawings of some aspect of history and importance of Illinois coal mining. Thirteen winners are chosen to have their art put on the annual Office of Coal Development calendar.

Sam Nagy, son of ITS member Frank Nagy, was one of the 13 winners out of 1,500 entries to have his drawing put on the 2011 calendar. Sam’s drawing depicts a 1940’s era coal mine in the background with coal hoppers being loaded at the tipple. The tracks lead to the mine are under wire, and an Illinois Terminal Class “D” freight motor sits in the foreground waiting to pick up the loaded hoppers.

The thirteen winners were honored at a reception on May 7^th at the Governor’s mansion in Springfield. Each one received a fifty-dollar savings bond and a certificate of achievement signed by Governor Quinn.

It is fitting that the Illinois Terminal be represented on the coal mining calendar because of the railroad’s long association with the coal industry in Illinois. A tip o’the hat and a hardy slap on the back with hearty congratulations to Sam!!

Publication Schedule

The Fall 2011 issue of The Flyer is expected to be mailed January 10th and features the history of the Overhead Department and a roster of the line cars. White Flags offers a photo essay of the 25th annual meet at Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois and Along the Right of Way introduces the reader to the Illinois Terminal revived Illini Terminal Railroad. The Winter 2011 Phone Booth is expected to be mailed January 13th which will include the 2011 Membership Roster, Flyer Index, 2012 complimentary desk calendar, a reproduction of the 1956 Illinois Terminal desk calendar, and the 2012 dues renewal form. Please allow 30 days for delivery before contacting Membership Services for assistance as the Post Office will not begin tracing any sooner. Thank you for your patience and we hope you enjoy the Fall issue of The Flyer!

ITS Brewster Green Paint Available

The Illinois Traction Society still has an ample supply of custom-made Brewster green paint available for the modeler!  The paint comes in a 1oz. plastic bottle and is matched to the Brewster green formula devised by William Clouser.  It is an easy-to-use acrylic paint compatible with Badger Modelflex.  Available now for $6.50 each (limit of four per order) plus $2.50 per order for shipping and handling.  Allow two-three week delivery via USPS.  Make your check or money order payable to Illinois Traction Society and send to:

The IT IN Miniature

January 2012
Athearn: Is delivering the HO IT SW1500 in three roads numbers-December 2011. Script lettering on cab with “IT” on body. Athearn # 96721- IT 1509, # 96722-IT 1510 and # 96723-IT 1514. Each unit has a suggested retail price of $124.98.

Walthers: 56’-Thrall All Door boxcar IT 7811 # 9120-60604. The HO model is a yellow with green script lettering and expected delivery of December 2011 at a cost of $21.98 per unit.

Microscale: ITC 2^nd Generation Locomotive Stripes decal sheet # 87-1355. The sheet of yellow nose/pilot stripes is $6.50.

Imperial Hobby Productions: HO ITC Double-ended PCC kit. Features a one-piece resin body shell with a details cast in place with super resilient wheel covers and dummy couplers. Plastic frame accepts Bowser’s # 125100 traction drive. The undecorated kit is #87169.

Shoreline Decals: IT PCC green and cream decals available in HO #-Illinois Terminal Railroad PCC. Cost $6.00.  For additional information or to order decals, contact Paul Mayer at paul@shorelinedecals.com

June 2010
Athearn: Announces the release of HO ready to Run SW1500Norfolk Southern 2290. This unit is the former Illinois Terminal 1511. Athearn Number-ATH 96667 has a suggested retail price of $109.98.

Inter Mountain: Available November-December, Modified 1937 AAR Boxcar, lettered Illinois Terminal with white oval emblem. The six car numbers are; 6304, 6327, 6323, 6412, 6459 and 6473. To order; “HO” 45826 ($29.95) and “N” 65826 ($19.95). POB 839, Longmont, CO 80502, phone 800-472-2530 www.intermountain-railway.com

March 2010
Atlas has announced the release of an “O” gauge Illinois Terminal RS-1 locomotive in November of 2008.  The O Master model is in the green/yellow “football” scheme with roman lettering.  The 2-Rail Gold Model 5964-1 bears No. 752 and model 5964-2 bears No. 756.  The 3-Rail TMCC model 6964-1 bears No. 752 and Model 6964-2 is No. 756.

On The Property

January 2012
Springfield: The former passenger station at 2015 Clear Lake Avenue has stood semi-vacant since the owner Henson Robinson Plumbing and Heating Co. moved out eight years ago. Since that time the building has been used as a warehouse (freight house section) and it has had “For Sale” signs on it. Recently, Henson Robinson Company has purchased the Petersburg Plumbing and Heating Company and the former station “will be revived”.

May 2011
St. Louis: Work is continuing on the former elevated structure, converted to a biking trail.  The Elevated Overhead Wire Supports are undergoing a transition to “beautify and make practical” uprights.  From the area south of Branch Street, the posts are retaining their original appearance.

Venice: The last remaining remnant of the Venice Highline of the steel structure over the KCS (GM&O) main line, adjacent to the Venice power plant, has been removed.

Edwardsville: As pictured on the 2011 Spring FLYER, page 25, the entire block pictured has been razed and replaced with all new office space.

Springfield: It has been confirmed that the Ridgley Substation (north side of Springfield) has been razed.

December 2010
Danville: An art project is underway in the downtown business district to paint murals on various buildings.  A mural featuring the Illinois Traction will be one of the projects, in addition to a C&EI RR mural.

St. Louis: Work is continuing on the former elevated structure, converted to a biking trail.  The Elevated Overhead Wire Supports are undergoing a transition to “beautify and make practical” uprights.  From the area south of Branch Street, the posts are retaining their original appearance.

June 2010
Springfield: The former Ridgley Substation, located on the north side of Springfield near the Sangamon River, has been sold to the adjacent landfill. The substation, a yellow buff brick, tile roof with center tower, served both the main line (Springfield-Peoria) and the “Smelter Line” which extended from the substation to Sangamon Avenue, Springfield.. The bay window faced the Smelter Line as this was originally planned to be the main line into Springfield. The building was purchased by Dr. James Woodruff with the intention of restoring the building into a museum. When he passed away, the plan went with him. It is reported that the substation will be covered over by the landfill.

St. Louis: Work has begun on filling in the IT’s subway between O’Fallon Street and Convention Plaza (Delmar Ave) with foam blocks. IT members in attendance to the 24^th annual meet were the last group of IT enthusiasts to view this subway before this project began.

March 2010
The former ITS Depot at Carlinville, Illinois is undergoing an exterior renovation of tuck pointing, painting, signage and redoing the lighting.  The building is owned by the Body Depot Spa Salon.  To further preserve the interurban history of the depot and area, a wall is being dedicated to display old photos of people’s memories of the depot.  Anyone with photos of the Carlinville Depot they would like to share are welcome to call (217) 854-2175 or stop by.

On The Trail

Word has been announced that an agreement has been reach with Ameren-IP to grant permission to build a hiking/biking trail between Sherman and Williamsville north of Springfield.  Speculation is that an additional trail will be built south from Lincoln to connect at Williamsville.  The eventual goal will be to have a trail from downtown St. Louis to Lincoln, in part restoring the former IT right of way.

Illinois Traction Society Presentations

One of the functions of the society is the “Preservation and Presentation of ITS History” which is accomplished by presenting custom tailored programs to various groups, free of charge. Here are some of the programs that were presented on behalf of the Society:

Illinois Terminal 277 Runs Again!

Illinois Railway Museum resident passenger motor 277 has once again come to life as her wheels churned over the rails of the museum, pulling the life giving power from the overhead wire to excite every railfan's interest for the first time in 29 years.  On October 4, 2008, 277 with trailer 518 in tow made four round trips on the main line of the IRM.  This special event was the official makeup day for the rained-out Member's Showcase Weekend activities of September 13-14.  Thanks goes to Rod Turner, Electric Car Department Curator, and his talented staff of volunteers whose work started on the 277 earlier in the year and continued throughout the summer with a goal of operating the 277 and 518 for Member's Showcase Weekend.  Overall, the car was not in too bad of shape, but some of the air and electrical components needed to be cleaned and "exercised" to overcome nearly 20 years of "sit-itis".  Contactors were cleaned, fuses replaced, bearings polished and lubricated.  One of the most vexing problems was an air brake problem that caused the 277 to go into emergency application and then make it nearly impossible to "recover" brake pipe pressure.  The problem was found and corrective measures were taken.

While the interior of 518 is in decent condition, much of the interior of the 277 is disassembled from an aborted restoration project that was started years ago.  The original canvas roof is leaky and needs replacement and a proper restoration would entail the inspection, removal, renewal and refinishing of literally hundreds of metal and wood parts on both cars.  If any ITS members would like to support the continued care and further restoration of these cars, a donation can be sent to the Museum and stipulate that it go specifically to the IT 277, 518 or any other IT piece of equipment in IRM's collection.

Illinois Railway Museum
Buck-O-Project
P.O. Box 427
Union, IL 60180-0427

The museum is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.  All donations are tax deductible.

For those of you able and interested, please consider donating.  The timing couldn't be better and if anyone is interested, perhaps we could offer our volunteer assistance to help further the project along.  For anyone interested in assisting further, feel free to contact the webmaster directly and I will see that your message and interest are forwarded to the appropriate individual(s).

Illinois Terminal 170 "BosenBirney" Safety Car

Recently an interesting and important development has come to light.  A group in Northern Texas has taken the lead, obtained all important grant funding, to help with the research and pattern work to have new journal boxes cast for the Brill 79E type truck used under many of the "Birney" single-truck streetcars.

They are now ready to have journal boxes cast and have invited all interested museums and organizations to join with them and help lower the unit cost.  It was confirmed that the IT 170 now residing at Illinois Railway Museum did indeed use these journal boxes.  IT 170 was used in service at Galesburg and Alton, Illinois and with its service life over, the original Brill 79E1 truck was removed and the body was used as an office in the Saint Louis, Missouri subway terminal.  There is a cost estimate of $1780 for a set of 4 journal boxes.  All money raised would initially go to fund the acquisition of the journal boxes and anything above and beyond that amount would go toward the further restoration of IT 170.

Quoting from recent messages posted by long time IRM volunteer and IT Society member Bob Kutella,

"Progress and support for this idea has been remarkable, and not just from the friends and members of the electric car department. As of this evening (ed., 11/15/2006), we have donations and pledges for donations from 22 people. You know who you are and a heartfelt thanks. If you have pledged a donation but not yet sent it, please do so as soon as you can. Timing is very tight to draft an IRM check and get the deposit down to Texas.

So the goal is even more likely reachable, but not yet met. If you are considering a donation, please do so right now while fresh in your mind. The funds are needed, and we are already closely examining the next steps and remaining work, including getting truck suspension springs if funds allow.

On a positive note, I can confirm that we have the needed air compressor, a DH 16, and two 25 HP GE 264A motors, in stock; and can confirm that the machining work on the box castings is planned to be done by our volunteers in house.

This is a broad based team effort - please join the team."

For those of you able and willing help with this effort, the immediate need is to GET THE JOURNAL BOXES.  Checks may be made payable to "Illinois Railway Museum".  The funds should be noted on the memo line or with a cover note that they are to be considered a RESTRICTED donation to the IT 170 or to the fund R170, for those accounting types.  The address for IRM is:

Illinois Railway Museum
Buck-O-Project
P.O. Box 427
Union, IL 60180

The museum is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.  All donations are tax deductible.

For those of you able and interested, please consider donating.  The timing couldn't be better and if anyone is interested, perhaps we could offer our volunteer assistance to help further the project along.  For anyone interested in assisting further, feel free to contact the webmaster directly and I will see that your message and interest are forwarded to the appropriate individual(s).

By the way, your webmaster concurs with Dr. Harold Cox's analysis in his book, "The Birney Car", available on line at http://www.telcen.com/streetcars/ , that they would be better named "BosenBirneys" in recognition of design and development work of the Illinois Traction System's own J. M. Bosenbury, Superintendent of Motive Power and Equipment.

Go to http://www.irm.org/cgi-bin/rsearch.cgi?estreet=Illinois+Terminal+Railroad=170 to see this car on the Illinois Railway Museum web site  With our help, this car can once again run in the Illinois countryside!

Trail Update

The ITS Trail Committee Inc. is a not-for-profit organization composed of dedicated volunteers from Staunton, Sawyerville, Benld, Gillespie, Carlinville, Edwardsville and St. Louis.  Although the organization only came together in January, 2006 it has already garnered the endorsement of many organizations, municipalities and governmental agencies in the area.  Since the trail from Worden to Staunton is already approved and funded and the trail from Benld to Gillespie has been in existence for several years, this project will provide the key missing link between the two.  It is reported that the Madison County Transit District is planning to connect Worden with the closest trail which ends just southwest of Hamel.

The next major goal is to raise $15,000 to pay for a preliminary engineering study the results of which will be used in a grant application for funds to complete the construction phase of the trail.  As a fund raiser, the group is inviting donors to advertise on a Safety Vest which is bright yellow with reflector strips.  These vests provide excellent visibility for Morning walkers during dark winter morning walks and runs.  They are also a good idea for bicyclists in almost any weather and are available for $35 each.  Polo shirts are also available in sizes S/M/L for $23 and XL/XXL for $26.00.  These tastefully done polo shirts and vests will make great Christmas presents for your loved ones!  For additional information, to join, or to order a vest or polo shirts visit the group's web site at http://www.its-trail.org/.

Announcing the new Illinois Central Railroad Heritage Association

Excitement is building around the formation of the new Illinois Central Railroad Heritage Association!  The ICRHA is dedicated to preserving and disseminating the history of the Illinois Central Railroad, its predecessors and successors including the Chicago Central & Pacific, Illinois Central Gulf, Paducah & Louisville, Mid-South, and IC lines now operated by Canadian National.

Everyone is invited to join and share the benefits of membership which include the Mid-American, an excellent full-color quarterly journal, an annual calendar, an annual convention, and more.  Regular membership costs only $34.00 per year.  Sustaining membership is $65.00 and includes the annual calendar (to be published for 2008).  Members with addresses outside of the United States pay $58.00 and $89.00 respectively.  Join now and the first issue of the Mid-American will be sent to you right away (while supplies last).  Articles in the premier issue focus on the Paducah & Louisville Railroad, the Seminole, and the Dodgeville, Wisconsin branch.

The ICRHA is not affiliated with the Illinois Central Railroad, its successors or parent companies, or any other historical society.  It is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation chartered in the state of Illinois.  Checks or money orders in U.S. dollars should be sent to: ICRHA Membership Services P.O. Box 47 Bucklin, MO 64631.