3003 ready for donation at Galesburg, 5/21/61:

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... -21-61.jpg

4960 in excursion service, at Beardstown, Illinois (where the roundhouse still exists), 5/21/61:

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... -21-61.jpg

5632 on excursion at Mendota, Illinois, 6/4/60:

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... 6-4-60.jpg

637 on display at Galesburg, same trip, 6/4/60:

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... 6-4-60.jpg

I think the smoke out of 637's stack is from burning rags in the smokebox.

5509 at Denver, 5/2/58:

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... 5-2-58.jpg

The 5509 was sold with five other heavy USRA 2-8-2s to the Colorado & Southern in 1957. They were renumbered 804-809 and placed in service except the 5509, which was to have become C&S 808. It was found to have a cracked steam dome and was robbed of parts for the others. It was sent to Houston for scrap with other C&S steam in early 1961. Of course the 5632 was cut up about 1976 after a dispute between Richard Jensen and the Chicago & Western Indiana.

The shot of 5632 appears to be Aurora, IL, not Mendota. The water plug at the west end of the platform at Aurora was maintained through the end of the excursion era so the locomotives could top-off their tanks prior to heading off across the Iliinois prairies.

637 would later be donated to Aurora for display (1963 or 1964) and then to IRM after the City of Aurora decided that they didn't need a reminder of their rail heritage. I often wished that 5620 would have been donated to Aurora instead of the little ten-wheeler but, unfortunately, that was not to be.

Don C.