An early 1970's era Illinois Central Gulf local freight crossing the Missisippi River lift bridge.

An early 1970's era Illinois Central Gulf local freight crossing the Missisippi River lift bridge., a photo by Eddie from Chicago on Flickr.

I took this photograph last week Wednsday night, at the Oak Park Society of Model Engineers,H.O Scale Model Railroad Club.

My early 1970's era Illinois Central Gulf Railroad local freight train, is viewed crossing and exiting the model representing a lift bridge over the Missisippi River on the club layout.

The locomotive, is a Life Like Proto 2000 model, of an Illinois Central Railroad EMD SW 9 yard switcher painted in the pre 1967 Illinois Central black and white color scheme, with the green diamond logo on the side of the cab. Behind the locomotive is a mix of cars from the 1950's, and 60's era. The caboose on the rear, is a solid orange model of an Illinois Central Gulf side door cupola caboose from a company known as the Centrailia Car Works.

Although the Illinois Central began painting some of their diesel locomotives in an orange and white color scheme begining in 1967, several locomotives would rol around in the black and white color scheme through out the 1970's and in to the early 1980's.

My train represents an early ICG train from the 1972-1973 era, after the merger with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio in August of 1972.