Cab Ride to Chicago
Bloomington Yard,
Shops and Terminal
The Jacksonville Line
GM&O 1952
System Map
Alton Route Steam
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I lived in Bloomington, Illinois, during my high school and college years, 1954-1960. Although I was a steam fan, steam was virtually gone from central Illinois by the end of 1957 and I was reduced to photographing diesels and other railroad subjects. Bloomington's major railroad was the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio's former Alton Route, featuring the shops and yard, the junction with the line to Kansas City via Jacksonville, and the fast Chicago-St. Louis passenger trains such as the Ann Rutledge (discontinued 1958), Abraham Lincoln and Alton Limited (after 1958 simply The Limited). Click here to view the 1956 Chicago-St. Louis and St. Louis-Chicago passenger schedules, which will open as PDF files in a separate window.
I never expected these scenes to be of much interest six decades later, but they are presented here for the enjoyment of "fallen flag" GM&O fans. A few of these images were shot in the 1960s or later. To my original collection I have added a number of photos that are the work of my brother, the late David V. Leonard, and my father, Dr. R. D. Leonard, as well as a few from the collection of Gary Thompson of Normal, Illinois. These are so identified. Of special interest is a set of photos my father took on a 1960s cab ride from Bloomington to Chicago.
Below are images from the main line with brief descriptions. Click on a selections for the full-sized version with more commentary, or page through the gallery from photo to photo. And explore the links in the navigation panel at left.
Bloomington Depot
1920s Post Card
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Abraham Lincoln at
Bloomington Depot, 1954
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Train Approaching
Bloomington Depot, 1957
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NKP and P&E Crossing at
Bloomington Depot, 1954
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Southbound Freight
Leaving Yard, 1955
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Servicing at
Bloomington, 1957
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Alton Limited at
Bloomington Depot, 1957
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Crew Change at
Bloomington Depot, 1957
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The Limited Approaching
Normal, 1957
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The Limited Approaching
Normal, 1957
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Alton Limited South
of Bloomington, 1957
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Alton Limited, 1957 —
"We Do Windows"
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The Limited Approaching
Normal, 1961
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Southbound Limited
in Normal, 1961
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The Limited at
Bloomington Depot, 1958
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The Limited Leaving
Bloomington, 1958
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Southbound Limited Arriving
Bloomington, 1958
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Ann Rutledge Leaving
Bloomington, 1958
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The Limited at
Bloomington, 1959
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Abraham Lincoln at
Bloomington, 1959
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Southbound Limited
Leaving Bloomington, 1962
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The Limited Stopping
at Bloomington, 1965
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The Limited Stopping
at Bloomington, 1966
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Approaching Bloomington
Depot, 1961
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Abe Lincoln Discharging
Passengers, 1961
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Bloomington Depot
Platform, 1961
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Abraham Lincoln
Leaving Normal, 1958
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Alton Limited Leaving
Bloomington, 1957
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Freight Train Leaving
Bloomington, 1958
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Pacing a Freight on Route 66
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Pacing a Freight on Route 66
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Meeting a Train on
Route 66, 1964
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Freight Train Departing
for Chicago, 1964
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Freight Train Departing
for Chicago, 1964
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Freight Train at
Iles Tower, Springfield
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EMD F3 Units in
Bloomington, 1970
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Freight Train in
Bloomington Yard, 1972
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GP38 732 at
Bloomington, 1974
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Amtrak Turboliner
Bloomington, 1974
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Amtrak Turboliners
Bloomington, 1974
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P&E Passenger Train
at Bloomington Depot, 1957
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View North at Lincoln
Depot, 1959
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Images from GM&O
Annual Report, 1957
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Miniature Train in
Bloomington's Miller Park
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