While the initial images in this collection came from my photographic efforts or those of my late brother, or from small collections we had on hand, the Random Steam Photo Collection has reached its current size through the contributions of many others through the years. This page and the one following acknowledge their work.

A group of Illinois Central photos came from the late Bruce Meyer, familiar in Midwest railfan circles, and his brother David Meyer, whom I knew while living in Bloomington, Illinois during my high school and college years. Gary P. Thompson of Normal, Illinois (whose wife Lois I also knew in high school), has contributed several views from his collection. Robert Leffingwell of Chicago loaned a number of photos of Baltimore & Ohio, Nickel Plate and other Midwestern railroads he took in the 1950s; Edward Lorence also shared photos from his B&O collection. Tom Rock of Cleveland, Tennessee (Rock on Trains) provided several Illinois Central and other images.

Other contributors to this collection are mentioned the following page. For information provided about specific Illinois Central locomotives we are indebted to a comprehensive spreadsheet prepared by Ray Breyer.

Click on the selections below to bring up a full size image with commentary. You can also page through the collection sequentially. (The beginning of Part 2 will page back to Part 1, and the end of Part 2 will page forward to Part 3). For further enjoyment explore all the links at left.

Dr. Richard Leonard

Note: In the specifications for these locomotives, cylinder dimensions are stated as diameter times stroke (e.g., 26x30). The abbreviation p.s.i. applied to boiler pressure designates pounds per square inch.