IROQUOIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOC

WATSEKA, IL

Stick to the Classics With their train set out back in Lafayette, our viewing of the KBS nears its close. Coming back light power and with the sun having swung around to the west, it seemed a prime time for a different angle in Sheldon. This small town is home to four classic Type G trilight signals that protect the KBS / TP&W (formerly NYC / TP&W) diamond. I was able to snap one of them when our train was headed south in the morning, but now in early afternoon, shooting the north signal would be nice and backlit. So how about the west signal? KBS702, named "Dale," was our leader for the light power return trip back to Iroquois Junction. I tried a few angles on the signal west of the diamond here, but ultimately, I found the railhead was the way to go. Makes for a neat angle as our GP40 rebuild pounds the diamond as they near home to finish up their day early! Getting these signals was my primary goal for shooting the KBS that day, and to have gotten them twice over made for a great way to close out an already very good day out.
Stick to the Classics Credit: Leo Blackwelder

The Iroquois County Historical Society is a non-profit organization located in Watseka, Illinois, dedicated to preserving the history of Iroquois County and educating the public about its rich cultural heritage. The society was established in 1966 and is housed in the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Watseka. The building, constructed in 1866, served as the county courthouse until 1964.

The museum features a collection of artifacts, photographs, and documents that highlight the history of Iroquois County, including exhibits on the area's Native American heritage, pioneer life, agriculture, and industry. Visitors can view displays of antique farming equipment, household items, and clothing, as well as learn about notable figures from the county's past.

In addition to the museum, the Iroquois County Historical Society sponsors educational programs, special events, and tours of historic sites throughout the county. The society also maintains a research library and archives, which are open to the public by appointment.

The Iroquois County Historical Society is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of Iroquois County and the surrounding region. Its mission to collect, preserve, and share the county's cultural heritage ensures that future generations will have access to this important legacy.

IROQUOIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOC is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in WATSEKA IL. US MID #8401701231

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). Total revenue from most recent IRS 990 Form: $ 319,424 from tax period 201212 (YYYYMM).

Stick to the Classics With their train set out back in Lafayette, our viewing of the KBS nears its close. Coming back light power and with the sun having swung around to the west, it seemed a prime time for a different angle in Sheldon. This small town is home to four classic Type G trilight signals that protect the KBS / TP&W (formerly NYC / TP&W) diamond. I was able to snap one of them when our train was headed south in the morning, but now in early afternoon, shooting the north signal would be nice and backlit. So how about the west signal? KBS702, named "Dale," was our leader for the light power return trip back to Iroquois Junction. I tried a few angles on the signal west of the diamond here, but ultimately, I found the railhead was the way to go. Makes for a neat angle as our GP40 rebuild pounds the diamond as they near home to finish up their day early! Getting these signals was my primary goal for shooting the KBS that day, and to have gotten them twice over made for a great way to close out an already very good day out.
Authenticity It's not photoshop, no clever tricks - IC1000 is actually back in its white sill stripe after 17 years. Nothing fake here, it's the real deal. I admit to being skeptical (but hopefully excited) when the leaked photos of the IC1000 came my way recently. Too good to be true, surely! But when I got the heads up 1000 was leading A407 and priming to leave town, seen with its white sill, I knew I had to go out and see it with my own eyes. Still can't quite believe it's real honestly. The yellow reflective tape has plagued the surviving IC fleet - barring a single SD40-3 up on the Iron Range - since 2007 when CN changed over the majority from white to yellow. Although it may be seen as a minor detail and a nitpicky thing, the yellow sill massively changes the appearance of the IC units - and for the worse at that. To see one of the 26 all-black SD70s get its white sill returned to it (the class leader no less! My favourite of the bunch) is just delightful. It was done really well, too - nothing partial or half-assed about it, it's the whole way around the unit and even the steps match! I have no idea why the change was made or what the story is or may be, but the fact the look of the late Illinois Central has returned just makes me a happy fella. Of course, it leading CN A407 on a bright, sunny, cloudless winter day makes shooting the thing... difficult, to say the least. Far from my finest shots, but I am just happy to have shot it already. No telling when it'll come back, or if it will stay in white - I'll take what I can! At North Ashkum, IC1000 (paired with IC1028, still in yellow sill, and IC9608 in CN dress) pulls A407 out of the siding. They had stopped to meet Amtrak 393. Coincidentally, I was far from the only railfan to snap the 1000 here as a whole little group of us met together here, including a few familiar faces I got to chat with for a good while. Though light had fallen by the time the 1000 got moving, it was still a nice way to cap off my first sighting of its "new" look.
Sheltered in Sheldon Anyone that knows me at this point knows I am always after old school signals, and my visit to the KBS was not without seeking out this exact thing. KBS is cool for a number of reasons - power, trackage, grain elevators and other infrastructure, but they roster a few old signals. The small town of Sheldon, IL has managed to keep four Type G trilight-style signals, a New York Central staple, sheltered nicely. Though they look very well-worn, all of these old signals are still operable and earning their keep as they protect the KBS / TP&W diamond in the middle of town. Interestingly, the south-facing signal still here has the mount for a second head, but lacks the head itself, long ago removed. With good light, good power, and good signals, I was a very happy man. Matter of fact, I believe these are the first old school trilights I've ever shot, which was nice to be able to cross off my list. Sure can't complain about all that! My main goal accomplished, I had no other planned shots after Sheldon, making the rest of my KBS adventure another exercise in making things up on the fly. A fun way to do things, to be sure!
Sign of the Times I think it may be close to time to retire this flag at Iroquois Junction... Though maybe if you're into symbolism you could take it to represent the political divide in the country that we are all no doubt feeling in some way. Or maybe it just means they need a new flag. Man, high school English teachers would probably love this sort of thing... KBS701 & 702 lead fifty grain loads south on the ex-NYC, passing by their own shops and signage. The KBS scheme is simple, but sharp. Well-matching colours and pretty clean, especially compared to a lot of other shortlines and Class 1s, to be sure. Pretty handsome, all told. When I first arrived at the junction a little earlier that morning, there was no sign of activity - all quiet, no power sitting outside. I was a little concerned and checked out some of the nearest towns, wondering if maybe they were already picking up their grain from somewhere else, but still nothing. I returned to the junction at 7:30am on the dot to find two pairs of GP38M-2s pulling out of the shed. That was a relief, I hadn't missed a thing! Turns out when they say to show up at 7:30 to see what's going on here, they really mean show up at exactly 7:30am. Can't complain about that. And now, we head off to Sheldon - the real reason I have wanted to shoot KBS for so long now!
Cobbled Together In a surprise twist, I managed to get out of the house early for once. Thanks to some helpful heads-ups, I was finally treated to my first ever viewing of the Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern railroad. The KBS is a unique little shortline, shaped sort of like a funky triangle. The railroad is formed of tracks from the former New York Central, Milwaukee Road, and Nickel Plate Road. Here at Iroquois Junction, the ex-MILW crosses right over the ex-NYC. That old Milwaukee bridge sure is cobbled together out of a lot of designs... not quite unlike the heritage of all the companies trackage, I suppose. Doesn't apply to the motive power though, all six locomotives on-roster are all former NYC. Pretty neat to see ex-NYC power on ex-NYC rails. Watching these guys operate is fun. They pulled 50 loads off of the ex-MILW with two motors, lugged it onto the ex-NYC, and stitched another two motors onto the front. The four locos then got pulling and pushing alike - there was no waiting around! This is my kind of railroading right here.
23082405 Illinois Wind Farm
20220818 09 Telephone, St. Anne, Illinois
Small Town Central The midwest, and the IC by extension, is built up with a plethora of small towns. Buckley is one of them, another drop in the sea of fields. The "Dutchmasters" mentioned by the sign references the towns old organized baseball team, which took the Dutchmaster name somewhere around 1927. It seems they've held onto the name and used it in other places in town, but no doubt a local could tell you more about that than I could. At Buckley, we got our shot of IC1000/IC1021 on A407 blasting past the elevator. From here, we'd sprint hard to Gilman and go for the towers photo, but alas, 407 was a little too quick and I'm not much of a runner these days, so this was about as far as my successful shots got me on that day. Pretty good day, all told.
Blocked At The Last Second Upon sighting the CSX yn2 leader back in Hoopeston, we chased that thing down as best we could, eventually making our way to Watseka. The CSX train had slowed dramatically at Woodland Junction, which made it easier for us to find a nice spot to shoot the northbound freight. However, shortly after finding our spot, we heard horns - and they weren't the right ones. Then came the right one. Two trains! But what tracks would they be on? Suffice to say, it was a UP freight on the closer track (with an RSSX critter trailing, interestingly), one moving significantly faster than our CSX train. Totally SOL. I had a nice shot lined up, too! Gah, curse you, UP. That was a slightly sour ending to an otherwise mostly successful day out. Maybe we'll just have to try that way again sometime.
The Perfect Kiss The IC trio we'd been chasing made its way to Gilman and past the aging, and infamous, Gilman coaling towers. With the information that there was a far easier way to access the towers, Tal and I made the quick hike to the north end to catch the three deathstars pass by the towers and one very shot-up switchstand. You know, if I was funnier, I'd find some great way to make a proper pun out of the lyrics of the titular song. "Now I know the perfect kiss is the kiss of death..." ...stars. Or a joke about the bullet holes that are in the switchstand. Or something. Hey, why did the album version of TPK omit the titular lyrics? The whole third verse, actually. Seems like an important thing you wouldn't want to cut out, or, you know, the climatic ending that the whole other seven minutes of music are building towards... Not important at all, no... Oh, wait, this isn't a review of New Order singles, is it? With A407 past the towers, that was our chase done for the day. I think it made for a fine way to introduce my girlfriend into this ever-so-strange hobby I'm too deep into. Well, I mean, it must've been, or else I wouldn't have had that song pop into my head...
Holland, Michigan - September 2021 As summer was on its last wind down, and fall was steaming in - a beautiful trip to a wonderful city in Michigan!
Holland, Michigan - September 2021 As summer was on its last wind down, and fall was steaming in - a beautiful trip to a wonderful city in Michigan!

Contact IROQUOIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOC

IROQUOIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
103 W CHERRY ST
WATSEKA
IL
60970-1524

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IROQUOIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOC Information

MID # 8401701231
Name IROQUOIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Alternate Name IROQUOIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOC
Classification Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) 376075732
NTEECC A82
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM) 201212
INCOME 331,636
REVENUE 319,424
LAT/LONG 40.775086, -87.734609
CODES FIPS State Code: 17
FIPS County Code: 075
US Census Tract: 950400
US Census Block: 4015