The Illinois Midland Railway was a 1.9 mile short line from Newark, IL. to Millington,IL. They (actually a one-man RR) hauled 350 cars per year. I have a photo of Engine #1 (taken 1914) which was a leased 4-4-0 and also photos of Engine #4, a 0-4-0T, (second hand Vulcan). Looking for any information on #2 and #3. Did they ever exist? Old timers in the area seem to remember a #3. Where did #4 come from? Lee Center Railroad? At one time they actually ran a passenger train, any info? My 93 year old mother remembers something about passengers riding the "Newark Train". I am interested in any history of the I.M.Ry., prior to 1950. I spent many years around and/or on the I.M., but didn't ask then and now have no one to ask these questions of now.

k.fleming@juno.com

> .... I am interested in any history
> of the I.M.Ry., prior to 1950. I spent many
> years around and/or on the I.M., but didn't
> ask then and now have no one to ask these
> questions of now.

Wish I could help. This brings back some memories.

I had my first cab ride on the Illinois Midland's 0-4-0; we happened to be driving by and my father stopped to let me watch, so the engineer/fireman/GM/dispatcher let me ride a couple hundred feet up and back on the siding alongside the main in Millington. And if this was the early 50s, what was his name?

It sounds implausible now to run a two-mile passenger train, but there have been shorter runs, I guess. I looked for evidence of the line a year or two ago but there didn't seem to be much. Let us know if you find anything. Thanks!

The man who operated the Illinois Midland Railway in the early 1950's was named Thorson. I'll see if I can find his first name in his log book. I know that he had a mower sharpening business in the engine house. It was a gathering place for the old timers in Newark. There was a large pot-belly stove that they sat around. My memory of my first visit (in late forties) has dimmed, but I believe at that time the C.B.& Q. had returned #4 from a shop trip with the cab first. This required an extension to the engine house so that #4's stack would line up with the engine house stack. Next trip to shop, they got it right. By the way, #4 died of a rotted out flu sheet. The "Q" wanted $5,000 for the repair. The CO-OP could not afford the cost. So, rather then losing the 350 cars a year business, the "Q" ordered a motorcar from Iowa to replace #4. Can you imagine a 65-foot motorcar switching in a yard that even #4 had "pole" cars to get around them. However, as the motorcar was being switched at Eola Yard, they pulled a draw bar. The "Q" then sent the 9120, a Whitcomb gas electric as a replacement. The 9120 was a kick to operate. She had GE streetcar type controllers. The 9120 proved to large and had alot of problems for one man to maintain. I don't know what happened to the 9120. A Plymouth was used unitl the railroad closed. The engine house was torn down sametime in the ninties. I have the both builders plates from #4 and the only un-broken glass number plate from the headlight.

k.fleming@juno.com

I can remember driving past the enginehouse in Newark probably in the late '50's and my father pointing the locomotive out to me. I didn't really know what I was looking for, so it didn't really register.
The line was abandoned after one or two of the small wooden bridges were set afire (arson). This was in the late 1960's, as I remember.
A little of the right-of-way is still visible in the small valley between Millington and Newark. In Millington, the rails are still visible in the concrete sidewalk where they cut across the street to interchange with the CB&Q Streator branch.
9120 was sold to the IM in July of 1959. I believe that she suffered some sort of electric failure that sidelined her. I grew up on the Streator branch in Oswego and remember the engine dead-in-tow just ahead of the waycar on the local after the failure occurred. I assume that she was on her way to the scrapper. It is hard to believe that operations like this survived as long as they did!
Don C.



old_fxrs@msn.com

I found a few pages on the 'net with some photos and info. The photos are mostly post-steam. The link is to the photo page, at the bottom of which is a link to some more info (the bridges were burned in '77 according to these pages):

Illinois Midland photos/info
bilburns1313@ameritech.net

I’m dredging up an old topic to share something I knew I had, but just finally located. This illustrated article on the Illinois Midland Railway is a page out of the October 3, 1943 issue of “Roto Magazine”, the Sunday rotogravure pages of the Pittsburgh Press. My parents had saved it because of a World War II topic on the opposite page. I’m sure somebody out there will find this of more than just casual interest. If anybody would like a higher resolution version, send me a PM.

/s/ Larry
Lawrence G. Lovejoy, P.E.

Larry -

Thanks for posting these 1943 photos from the Pittsburgh Press magazine. Extremely interesting! I noticed that headlight back then must have been the original that had been applied at the Vulcan factory when the 0-4-0T was built. The Burlington did locomotive repairs for the little line and I noticed that sometime later, the shop forces on the Q had applied an old CB&Q type headlight that they must have had laying around.

Les

Here's the correct link to the Don Ross page:
http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr029.htm

Jeff - Thanks for posting these photos from John Eagan's collection (John's Dad took them in 1957 and 1958). They show the old CB&Q headlight that replaced the original Vulcan factory headlight, as I mentioned above. In his post back in 2002, Ken Fleming mentioned that he had an unbroken glass number board plate from the 0-4-0T and if so, it had to be from this old Burlington headlight.

Les

Mr. Fleming's question from 2002, has never been answered. According to the info on Don Ross's website, number 4 was built by Vulcan in 1924, serial number 3422. Anyone have a list of Vulcan builder numbers and the original owners?


Les

Vulcan #3422 1/1924 0-4-0T Std 14x22 38” 3877 82000#
A F Jeanblanc -for-
Lee County Central #2, Amboy, Ill
Newark Farmers Grain Co., Newark, Ill
Illinois Midland RR #4

Good candidate for #2

Davenport #1538 7/1915 0-4-0ST Std 12x16
Illinois Midland RR Co, Millington, Ill
Ray & Son, Louisiana, Mo

The Illinois Midland Ran thru my Uncle Bobs Farm between Millington and Newark IL. When I was a kid dad took me for walks tru the woods and the tracks were still there! As I understand the railway was supposed to run from Kankakee to Rockford! The businessman or thieve rather was able to get people to invest there money! After the 1.9 miles from Millington to Newark was built he ran off with the assets! The Newark elevator took over the short line from there! What little is left of the old vandalized bridges that shut the line down i will photograph soon! My Cousin still owns the largest chunk of private land that the line ran thru! I will post more as time goes on from what I can gather! I remember my uncle at one time wanting to get a rail car to run into the woods as a getaway! This never happened as the county I believe wouldn't allow it? This is all from my scattered memory!