Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Local Illinois Central caboose preservation. Lemont Illinois USA.

Historic railroad rolling stock preservation is wherever You find it in the Greater Chicagoland Area. This modern 1970's era Illinois Central wide vision caboose, is on display in southwest suburban Lemont Illinois. This caboose is located on the east side of Lemont near the north bank of the former Illinois and Michigan Canal, and is part of a Childrens safety City exhibit.

During the 1970's and mid 1980's, I would occasionally spot these orange colored Illinois Central cabooses on the I.C Iowa Division Mainline just south of My old neighborhood in Chicago. They were usually on freight trains being pulled by orange and white Illinois Central Gulf locomotives, or even older black and white locomotives in the pre 1967 color scheme. Sometimes former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio locomotives would show up on these freight trains. Unfortunately...I wasn't a photographer yet, and I missed getting those on film. This caboose brought back happy early railfan memorys for Me.

A simular Illinois Central Gulf wide vision caboose in ICG markings is on display and occasionally operated at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union Illinois. There is also an Illinois Central caboose and a retired I.C EMD GP 10 on display in Homewood Illinois. The Fox River Trolley Museum located in South Elgin Illinois, and the Illinois Railway Museum, both have an older steam era Illinois Central side door caboose in the pre 1967 red color scheme with white Illinois Central markings. The Illinois Central became a fallen flag upon the 1999 merger and acquisition by the Canadian National Railroad. Two former Illinois Central steam locomotives also exist at the Illinois Railway Museum.

1 comment:

Lily Creek Ridge said...

http://www.mudcreekfarms.com/Pro-Auctions.html

IC caboose 9775 will be auctioned off
on 10/24/09 at Freeport, Il.
3238 W. Lily Creek Rd.