| Railway Preservation News https://www.rypn.org/forums/ |
|
| Lee County Central https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8439 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | Bob Yarger [ Sun Feb 08, 2004 12:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Lee County Central |
Nice article by Jim Boyd on the tiny Lee County Central in Illinois in the February 2004 Railroad Model Craftsman. Begun as a trolley line at the turn of the century, it acquired a 2-4-2T steam engine and began hauling grain from local elevators in 1911. A couple of used 4-4-0s followed, being discarded when they wore out, succeeded by an ex-CB&Q 0-6-0. The trolley wire was scrapped around WWI. A new Vulcan 0-4-0T was purchased in 1924, but didn't work out well and was resold to the two-mile Illinois Midland, where it ran into the 1960s. A 15-ton Whitcomb side-rod gas-mechanical was acquired in 1929 and became the main motive power until the early 1960s. Two small Plymouths followed the Whitcomb; the last operations were in 1972, and dismantling about ten years later, followed shortly after by abandonment of the ex-CB&Q branch the line connected with. It is an interesting story of a small farmers railroad like the original Strasburg, but one that did not survive. Interestingly, photos taken in the 1930s (see below) looked a lot like some of our less successful museum and tourist RR attempts, with derelict equipment in abundance. http://donross.railspot.com/dr096.htm ryarger@rypn.org |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|