PIATT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

MONTICELLO, IL

Hanging onto Hayes When M396 had the IC heritage unit 3008 leading it earlier this year, my buddy and I had originally only planned to start our day at Hayes, but we decided to go find it, hence our viewing at Tuscola previously. It was a pretty easy race to Hayes thanks to the speed restrictions in and around Tuscola at the time. Hayes has been my go-to spot on the IC this year it seems like, I think I'm subconsciously making up for missing the old Lodge elevator. At any rate, the classic Hayes elevator makes a wonderful framing device for CN3008 and CN3219 as they lead M396 north towards Champaign. They'll stop there for yard work, though we didn't follow beyond there. Something else caught our attention to the west after we saw them into town...
Hanging onto Hayes Credit: Leo Blackwelder

The Piatt County Historical Society is a non-profit organization located in Monticello, Illinois that is committed to preserving the history and culture of Piatt County. The society's collection includes artifacts, photographs, and documents that chronicle the county's past, including its early settlement, agriculture, industry, and social and cultural life.

The society maintains a museum in the historic Monticello railway depot, which displays its collection and offers educational programs and tours to visitors. The museum's exhibits cover a wide range of topics, from Native American life and pioneer settlement to the impact of the railroad and the growth of local businesses.

In addition to its museum, the Piatt County Historical Society publishes a quarterly newsletter and hosts events and programs throughout the year, including historical reenactments, lectures, and workshops. The society also works to preserve historic buildings and landmarks in the county, and partners with other organizations and institutions to promote the study and appreciation of local history.

Overall, the Piatt County Historical Society is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history and heritage of Piatt County, and serves as a testament to the community's rich and diverse past.

PIATT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in MONTICELLO IL. US MID #8401701215

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin).

Hanging onto Hayes When M396 had the IC heritage unit 3008 leading it earlier this year, my buddy and I had originally only planned to start our day at Hayes, but we decided to go find it, hence our viewing at Tuscola previously. It was a pretty easy race to Hayes thanks to the speed restrictions in and around Tuscola at the time. Hayes has been my go-to spot on the IC this year it seems like, I think I'm subconsciously making up for missing the old Lodge elevator. At any rate, the classic Hayes elevator makes a wonderful framing device for CN3008 and CN3219 as they lead M396 north towards Champaign. They'll stop there for yard work, though we didn't follow beyond there. Something else caught our attention to the west after we saw them into town...
The Little Things NS 50G hauls its Gibson City grain loads south past the old Wabash H5 dwarf at Lodge, IL. These dwarf signals were installed originally as just the single H5 head on the ground, but later on were retrofitted with the HC-33 lamp atop it. This allowed the signal to display a lunar, making some very interesting indications you can still see today - though not commonly. Today, it's dark as nothing is on the siding, but it's a wonderful piece of Wabash history on this old line.
End in Sight Just north of Bement, the final and southernmost searchlight on the Bloomington District can be found right beside a crossing. Based on some older track charts, this signal used to be located about a quarter mile to the south and had previously been two masts, one on each side of the track. These, installed back in 1959, were moved and apparently combined into the single-mast intermediate we know here today as the Bement Intermediate during the signal updates in the early 2000s, around 2003-04 for signals south of Mills including this. All of the intermediates remaining on this line saw similar changes around the same period. Snapping a shot of this signal can be a tough one for southbounds thanks to how close it is to the crossing. But, careful timing and a little crop can work wonders to make sure no remnants of the crossing signals remains in-frame. NS D36, led by 3395 and 6936, comes flying down the last miles of the Bloomington District. They'll rejoin the Lafayette District in Bement itself and head on to Decatur, where they will be done for the day.
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Unusual Suspects Most traffic on the Bloomington District is either one of the daily pair of locals or random grain shuttles. This was no exception, except for the exception. This train was not the usual D09 or D12 or 17 or 21 or what have you - today, NS 50G greeted us on the District, with grain loads coming from Gibson City itself. Not a symbol I'd heard before, but you always learn something new. Thanks to a friend having been following them since Gibson City, I was able to join the fun a little late after taking care of errands back home. This pair of GEs had actually shoved their train from Gibby down to Osman and ran around it there - not the usual way things tend to go here! Evidently, this train spent the better part of a solid hour to get from Gibby to Goembel after spending a couple hours pulling cars out of Gibson City. I rolled up as the power was approaching Osman to run around the train, and then the chase was on. Scanner traffic and my friend having run into a manager here and having a chat gave us the info that this would head to Bement, power would wye in Decatur, and then it would go east. Though power wasn't unique, this train certainly was a little different than normal, even when it isn't. At Osman, NS4290 and NS4702 haul 50G south towards Bement. Where it goes after this... I don't know. Georgia, apparently?
Local Power Every so often, seems like once or twice a month, the CN Humko job goes back to Prairie Materials to drop off limestone loads. Up until just a week ago, the Humko was staffed by a pair of GTW Geeps - a fine combo! The two units initially shoved back far enough to clear Springfield Avenue, but then later pulled up to the switch back onto the Seymour Spur, where they would sit for a good few minutes and block up the road for a while. Comparing GTW5846 and GTW4906 is fun - both GP38-2s, but with quite a few phase differences! 5846, a former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie unit, is a 1977-built ph2a1 unit, which was acquired by GTW about 1984. The 4906, meanwhile, is former Missouri Pacific, and one of the earliest GP38-2s manufactured with a build date of 1/1972. The differences between these units are generally minor, but a few notable things are easily seen - the easiest of which are the radiator intakes, note the early phase split-intakes on the 4906 and the late phase single-section on the 5846. Plenty more details are different between units - 81" vs 88" nose length, handrails, pilots, even numbers of rivets on panels and louvres on battery boxes cover differ. The rabbit hole of production phases differences is a deep one, but an interesting one for the modeler especially! Also, GP38-2s are cool, especially still painted in blue and red. Always nice to see these on the Humko.
Tangled Up Getting from Goembel to my car is a great way to remind me I really should work out. Not as quick on my feet as I used to be, suffice to say... Made catching back up to D36 a little more of a challenge, especially with juuust enough "traffic" to slow me just that much more. Not a huge margin for error with following D36, but that's the way it goes in many places. Conveniently, I arrived at Lodge just as D36 was coasting in. Speed restriction was still in place since the snowy day out a few weeks prior, so while I couldn't snap a photo with the dwarf like I had wanted to, I did sneak ahead just enough to snap a quick shot through the old codeline. The poles are in decent shape here considering their age and how most codeline has been treated, though cabling is strewn around pretty much everywhere. Have to watch your feet, don't want to get tangled up in it! NS3395, a former Conrail SD40-2, leads its SD60E partner south through the Lodge-Mills siding on train D36. It was nice to try a different angle at Lodge, and I think I'll have to give this spot another whirl at some point. Some fun to be had here!
Terminating the Terminal NS 1072 leads the 256 Roadrailer through Sadorus. To my surprise, the thing had slowed right on down. I had been expecting to have to really put my foot down to stay ahead for another shot or two, but then it wasn't really necessary. Turns out 32N was stopped just ahead of it, and CN had revoked NS control of the Tolono diamond just minutes after giving it to them. They just kept lining CN trains through the diamond for ages and got 256 and 32N stuck for quite some time. Got a chance for some long distance glamour shots though, so that was fun. Wacky day out!
The Boy Who Cried Roadrailer Well, I naturally had to join the frenzy with the Illinois Terminal heritage-led NS 256. Geez, that whole thing about my quota the other day suddenly feels moderately outdated. I guess if I start doing this regularly this means roadrailers will disappear within the next year or something. There is a rumour of that sort out again, funnily enough, but you know... rumours. This comes after the big one last year, and probably about a decades worth of "this is the end!" rumours on these things at this point. Makes it hard to believe them anymore... Oh well. Anyway, at Ivesdale, NS 1072 was really moving as it blasted past the old and new elevators alike. The old wood box elevator is a treat, and one I've been shooting a few times recently. Thanks to the heads up the night prior, I was up reasonably early enough to head on down to Ivesdale and wait for our roadrailer. Not a long wait either, 40 minutes or so. Not too bad! I would learn I really should have been at Sloan to see it meet the 255, but you win some you lose some. Anyway, heritage roadrailer at old elevator. I dig it.
Making the Quota I was chatting with a friend about roadrailers, sharing photos and the like, when I realized I almost never actually photograph the things. I had a look through my folders and have consistently only shot them once a year. This is frankly absurd considering the the things run within spitting distance of home. What have I been doing the last five years? For once, I actually went out and sought the elusive Triple Crowns out. After already meeting my yearly quota back in January, it seemed like snatching a roadrailer would be a good way to spend a day. I got more than I bargained for when the day was said and done, but more importantly, I did find the 255. At Milmine, NS 255 makes haste on its westward journey to Kansas City. NS7676 had quite a lengthy train of trailers on it today, and pairing that with warm temps, clear skies, and even a friendly wave from the conductor, I don't think I could complain about anything here if I wanted to. Nice day out!

Contact PIATT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PIATT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
118 E WILLIAM ST
MONTICELLO
IL
61856

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PIATT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Information

MID # 8401701215
Name PIATT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Alternate Name
Classification Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) 376045597
NTEECC
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)
INCOME 0
REVENUE 0
LAT/LONG 40.026163, -88.571888
CODES FIPS State Code: 17
FIPS County Code: 147
US Census Tract: 954600
US Census Block: 5015