Just the other day I was at the Illinois Central station ( now Amtrak ) in Hammond La ( 859 miles mile from Chicago and the first stop north of New Orleans ) ... I have been there before but on this visit noticed a unique 100 year anniversary plaque mounted on a huge rock, just south of the depot. I have seen Illinois Central 100 year anniversary paper weights that are virtually identical to this with the exception being that the display in Hammond is about 16" diameter ( pretty large )...

I suspect given the fact the rock / stone was shaved to have a flat surface to mount the two items that this likely dates back to 1951 and the 100 year Illinois Central anniversary..

I have never seen another display like this, and perhaps someone with greater knowledge of the Illinois Central can answer if these were common at all IC stations, some IC stations, or perhaps this was done locally by the station master of the era....

Has anyone ever seen a similar display ?

thanks


Dean Levin

Dean,

There is one in Natchez, Miss., also. Photo here, near the bottom of the page
http://www.msgw.org/adams/monuments.htm

Jim Tatum

Dean -

Another railroad that celebrated their 100th year of existance was the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific way back in 1952. They did theirs a bit different though than the IC, by painting up a series of newly purchased "Centennial" boxcars with a special Rock Island herald. Here is one on box car #22082:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1063552

Since these cars were "just ordinary" 40' steel boxcars, most ended up as scrap. However, a friend of mine in Kansas just purchased the body of one recently that had been used as a farm shed and set it up on a set of freight car trucks. The paint is badly faded these days, but the outline of the "100 YEARS OF PROGRESS 1852-1952)" on the car is still faintly visible.

Les

Dean,

I believe the IC placed on of these in just about every major town or city they served at the time of their centennial. I personally know of several:

1. Displayed next to the IC steamer in Centralia, IL
2. KRM has one that came from Central Station, Louisville
3. The IC steamer in Paducah, KY has one on display next to it.

I seem to recall seeing one in Champaign, IL by the station. I will have to look next time I am down there. There is a bell on display in the University of Illinois Grainger Engineering Library whose plaque claims it was from the last IC RR steamer.

Steve

During it's centennial year, IC provided such a marker to the county seat of every county it served, thus they were most likely to be found at or near the county courthouse. There are a lot of them still around; many have been relocated

thanks for all the informtion... never seeing one before, I was curious how common they were along the Illinois Central System, and I appreciate the responses....

hard to believe they were likely placed 60 years ago


Dean Levin

I would like to know if these were cast from brass/bronze that had been sourced from scrapped steam locomotives. 1951 would have been in the era when many steamers were getting the torch, reusing existing material would have been a cost-effective way to make all of these. Is it possible that IC shop crews cast the plaques?

This is a fascinating area of Railway Preservation.

T7