I arose in Ottawa, Illinois, worked on the story, had the motel's breakfast, which was very good, then drove to Mendota where I parked behind the Union Depot Railroad Museum which I wrote a story about in 2009. I just wanted to photograph the railroad equipment this time with my newer camera.
Milwaukee Road Railway Express Agency car 2713 built by the railroad in 1938.
Southern Pacific lounge car 10402 "Golden Trencher" ex. WRLX 402 "American View", exxx. Cadillac and Lake City 402, exxx. Amtrak 10512, exxxx. Amtrak 10502, exxxxx. Amtrak 8502:1, nee Southern Pacific 10402 "Golden Trencher" built by Pullman-Standard in 1949.
Metra Electric Highliner cab car 1619, nee Illinois Central 1619 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1971.
Metra Electric Highliner car 1602, nee Illinois Central 1602, built by St. Louis Car Company in 1971. These two cars were both scrapped in 2016.
The line of railroad equipment.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy wooden caboose 14451 built by the Aurora Shops in 1911.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 2-8-2 4978 built by Baldwin in 1923. It was originally assigned to the CB&Q Galesburg division, which included Mendota, and was active as late as 1961. It was retired in 1965, when it was donated to the LaSalle County Historical Society.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy steam engine and caboose.
Santa Fe Mendota Union Station built in 1886.
A Mendota view.
BNSF 4627 East came through town.
Amtrak 380, the Illinois Zephyr, arrived, did its station work then left for Chicago.
Amtrak 381, the Carl Sandburg, also arrived, did its station work and then departed for Quincy. I left for Amboy but had to make another stop before leaving town.
Northern Pacific wooden caboose 1278 built by the railroad, currently numbered 10278, at Civic Center Park in Mendota. From here I drove northwest on US Highway 52 into Amboy and followed the signs to my next stop.
Amboy Depot Museum
I pulled into their parking lot.
Three views of the Illinois Central station built in 1876.
There is a steam engine and caboose on display here.
Grand Trunk Western 0-8-0 8376 built by Baldwin in 1929. The engine is one of sixteen 0-8-0s the Grand Trunk Western sold for scrap in 1960 to the Northwestern Steel & Wire (NS&W) Company in Sterling, Ilinois. Rather than cut them up, however, NS&W chose to use them as switch engines in their yard, and some survived in service into the early 1980s. 8376 was renumbered 76 under NS&W ownership and operated in daily service until the mill owner's death in 1980. After retirement in 1981, it was donated to the City of Amboy and placed on display at the Amboy Depot Museum along with Norfolk & Western caboose 518125, built in the N&W shops in Roanoke, Virginia in 1915.
Railroad crossing Sign.
An important safety message.
Norfolk and Western Wooden caboose 518125 built by the railroad in 1915.
Illinois Central freight house built in 1904.
The steam train display.
The Amboy station was the former Illinois Central division headquarters.
This clock caught my eye.
It has interesting pictures on each face.
One last view of the Amboy Depot Museum. From here I drove north up to US Highway 30 then north on Illinois Highway 251 which took me into Rochelle.
