One Chicago railroad I fondly remember growing up with on the near southwest side of Chicago Illinois during the 1970's and early 1980's, was the former Illinois Central Gulf.
I lived approximately one mile north of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near South Kedzie Avenue and approximately West 33rd Street, where the former Illinois Central Iowa division Mainline was located north of the canal, and the former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio mainline was located south of the canal near West 36th Street on the near southwest side of Chicago.
Although the Illinois Central Gulf was created from the August 10th, 1972 merger of the former Illinois Central and the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio railroads, repainting the fleet of locomotives in the official ICG orange and white color scheme that was adopted by the former Illinois Central in 1967, was a big task that would take several years before a number of the former locomotives from the G,M & O would eventually make it to the railroad's paint shop. Many former G,M & O locomotives rolled around in 1960's era EMD factory paint schemes, in to the mid 1980's.
Rauilfan photographer Mike Grogg, photographed a now fading and still unrepainted former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad EMD SD 40 roadswitcher # 916, at Freeport Illinois during 1980. This was eight years after the merger that created the ICG, and was typical of some of the locomotives I had witnessed pulling ICG freight trains, prior to me purchasing my first 35mm camera in 1983.
I model the early merger era ICG in H.O Scale, and operate both Illinois Central and Gulf, Mobile & Ohio equipement, at the Oak Park Society of Model Engineers,H.O Scale Model Railroad Club
in west suburban Oak Park Illinois.
Thanks.
Eddie K.
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