Old structures and bridges.

Here is some list of structures and bridges that has peak my interest some of them I know more about than others and i'll try to make it brief and to the point.

Canton, Illinois CB&Q depot:  The railroad line was built in the 1860's somewhere in that time period give or take a few years and provided passenger service and freight for almost one hundred years or so.  Passenger Service ceased in the 1961 as the automobile pretty much killed what remained of passenger service in this county.   CB&Q merged with Burlington Northern in 1970 and they used this for freight in the 1970's.  The city of Canton bought the depot in 1989 and now use it to hold council meetings and such.  The tracks that once ran by has recently been pulled early in 2017.  This depot was built in 1914 and is on the National Register of Historical Places and has been on it since 1993.





At the Canton CB&Q depot sits an old Whitcomb locomotive that was built in 1935 for  Barber Asphalt Company before United Electric Coal Company  bought it and used it for some time. It was donated to the city in 1998.



Another CB&Q depot sits in Lewistown, Illinois off the current BNSF line that heads to Duck Creek Power Plant.  Other than passenger service ceased in or around 1961 I have no idea when it was built or when the railroad stopped using it for anything altogether.  It looks like it's used to store stuff from whom ever still owns it.





If we're going to mention this depot in Lewistown we cannot forget the Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railroad depot as well.  As to when the depot was built and when it ceased service I assume when CB&Q took over then redirected a spur off the mainline to the old FCNG line which they upgraded to Standard.  FCNG provided Freight and passengers from Galesburg to it's terminal in West Havana for twenty five  years before CB&Q bought them out. CB&Q upgraded to standard and  around 1934 and 1935 most of the line was abandoned and removed other than a section from Lewistown to Fairview to serve coal mines.  This depot remains and is open for the public on the Spoon River Drive every year.  I'm not sure about other times of the year.





This is a Canton building that is old and sat next to the CB&Q/BN line. All i know about it is it used to be a Laundromat, had a auto repair shop buisness and appliance store.  I was also told a pet store shortly but no idea about that.




This next one is of the Canton Opera House which may be torn down or retored.  There is several rumors about this so it's up in the air.  An explosion which was the cause of a gas line hit  killed one person and injured some in November 2016.  It took out the back of the Opera house and made it's structure unstable as well as damaged alot of downtown buildings.  It was constructed in 1891. In 1893 a fire damaged a good chunk killing a seventy eight year old man. On July 4, 1901 a part of the building came down on a little girl killing her and I think another.  It was the Masonic Temple and meeting place during a good chuck of the 20th century.  This building was also damaged in the F-3 tornado of July 1975.  It seen major restoration in 2000. Now it's fate is unclear.









Here  coming up next is a famous one in the area the Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville, Illinois.
This was recently torn down or so I read.  This was run by the state from 1902 -1973.  At one time railroad tracks came to this facility ending probably by the 1930's. It was state owned tracks which led to the old front entrance to the hospital and  patients may have been hauled here by the train load.  I read this anyway.  There is still some structures in the area and a cemetery where former patients are buried in only marked by numbers no names.

















Bernadotte bridge:  It was built in 1910.  People were trying to come up with money to restore it but nothing yet that i know of. A few years back a  portion of the bridge collapsed into the Spoon River after an ice jam took it out.  It was the old highway bridge I think and it was a old metal bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.









The next one is the location of an old metal railroad bridge which was the former TP&W now KJRY at Seville, Illinois. The bridge  was built  in the 1890's one sourse said and around 1900 -1905 someone else said.  Either way it was a very old bridge.  I guess KJRY derailed on it September 13, 2013. The railroad was fined for corn syrup getting into the river which did kill some fish but mainly took out the invasive species no one likes the asian carp. I'm like good riddence to the suckers why would anyone fine the railroad for doing something we all wish we could killing them stupid fish.  They don't even taste good I hear and provide no use. They are known for destroying the eco system in area rivers so screw them.  Dumb Carp....ugly suckers also.













Bryant, Illinois:  Here sits an old depot I was told that was the Fulton County Interurban Railway System .  The Illinois Electric Railway Company (ICE) founded in 1903 and construction was completed   from 1907-1912 through out several areas.  It ran from Farmington down to Lewistown and even had a line to Fairview.  The line was abandoned July 25, 1928 due to loss of business due to competition with the automobile and CB&Q still was providing Passenger service on their line.




Saint David Illinois:  There is an old big structure we're all used to seeing but not sure the history but it may have been ST David Farmer's Elevator Company.







Tremont, Illinois:  Around Tremont lies an Old Railroad bridge off Route 9 that was once the Peoria and Eastern Railway I think. The line was abandoned  by 1984. This branch went from Pekin to Bloomington.







Farmington, Illinois:

Off the old CB&Q/BN line sits a building that had a spur track to it.  I have no idea what it was or when it was active but curious about it. The tracks were removed in 2017.





Also in Farmington was the CB&Q trestle that passed over the right of way  of the former M&STL line.  Both lines abandoned and torn out.  The bridge remains.  CB&Q was on top and the other went under.  CB&Q/BN line torn out in 2017 and M&STL /C&NW in 2010.





Waterford, Illinois.  I'm not sure the age of the church and town hall because they could have been rebuilt in the place of the old one or whatever maybe restored.  This was a town that thrived for a while until 1880.  The Fulton County Narrow Gauge was built at the nearby Sepo and population dwindled. Today a church,town hall and even a cemetery of the name marks the spot of the former town site.  It is located southeast of Lewistown in Fulton County, Illinois.




Last one for this blog I think and I know i have more but don't feel like digging through it all...lay moment my bad. 

Keithsburg, Illinois:  On The Mississippi River sits a town that once was where the Minneapolis & St Louis Railway ran crossing the river at the lift bridge.  It was constructed in 1909 and replaced the old Iowa Central Railroad one which was built in 1886 in the same location. Iowa Central became M&STL then in 1960 they merged with Chicago & North western. The line discontinued service over the bridge in 1971 and abandoned parts in sections in the lower to mid 1970's.  In 1981 a section of the bridge fell into the river after a fireworks accident set a portion of it on fire.
The bridge remains but  a  portion is missing.










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fulton County, Illinois Ghost towns Part 1

Middle Grove- Rapatee Coal mine

Buckheart mine of Dunfermline