RE: [CBQ] Photos at Riverside, IL [1 Attachment]

[GLEN HAUG <glenehaug@msn.com>]

[Attachment(s) from GLEN HAUG included below]

Rupert:
 
The Riverside photos unfortunately did not show any block towers.  One photo did show the the location of the bracket mast signals on the west end of Riverside (for eastbound trains.  I will attach that photo.
 
CB&Q Timetable #173 (1891) for the Chicago, Galesburg, and St. Louis Divisions lists in the Special Instructions what I assume is a complete list of block stations.    From east to west they are listed as California Avenue, Millard Avenue, Crawford, Hawthorne, Clyde, Riverside Cabin, Grossdale, Fifth Avenue, Western Springs, Hinsdale Cabin, Greggs, Downers Grove, U, W, Naperville, X, and Eola.  The ones west of Clyde would have been for the 'telegraph' manual block system.  A later timetable (1906 I think) adds a block tower at Berwyn.  In addition to those, the 'Sy' Office at the east end of the yard at Aurora controlled EB signals.  From what I can determine this was at about High Street in Aurora, or about MP 36.55.
 
I believe we know fairly closely where the block tower at Western Springs is located.  I have studied quite a few timetables, and without going into a lot more detail, the timetables in the era where there are still only two mains between Riverside and Hinsdale (until 1891) and between Downers Grove and Eola (until 1914) indicate that block cabins are located at 'middle track terminals' (which I assume means where the end of 3 main tracks was located) at Eola, Downers Grove, Hinsdale and Riverside.  This would have put Downers Grove cabin at MP 21.5 and Eola cabin at MP 33.4.  It would have put Hinsdale Cabin at MP 17.5 about, because at the east end of 3 main tracks at Hinsdale, there were two middle sidings east of Hinsdale cabin before the 3rd main was extended from Hinsdale to Riverside.  The two middle sidings had to be roughly between MP 17.5 and MP 17.0.  Conversely, Riverside cabin must have been somewhere near MP 10.9.  Unfortunately, this doesn't explain why there is reference to a block cabin at West Hinsdale in the article about the Western Springs accident, although MP 17.5 is fairly close to West Hinsdale (about MP 17.85).
 
Riverside Historical Society is still looking for more photos for me.  The contact person has been very helpful.  And they are open on Saturdays.  I told him that when I visit Chicago next fall to do further research at the Newberry Library, I will arrange my trip to plan a Saturday visit to the historical society so that I can look at other old photos.  After I exhausted Riverside, I was going to try Hinsdale Historical Society next.  They have furnished me with a signal bridge photo in the past (1914-15 time period) so I know they have railroad photos, and perhaps something from the 1889-1891 timeframe.
 
Glen 
 

---

To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
From: gamlenz@ihug.co.nz
Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2012 15:41:33 +1200
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Identification of Date of Head-On Collision 1911 at Riverside, IL?

 

Glen

I don't suppose the Riverside photos showed any block signal towers, did they? The Western Springs HS couldn't find any photos of
their tower so I'm looking for others along that track for the Bulletin article, on the grounds that they would have been built at
the same time and to the same plans. Can you advise roughly where the other towers were located, other than Congress Park and
Hinsdale, so that I can try other historical societies.

Thanks

Rupert

----- Original Message -----
From: "zephyr98072" <glenehaug@msn.com>
To: <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2012 5:20 PM
Subject: [CBQ] Identification of Date of Head-On Collision 1911 at Riverside, IL?

>I was corresponding with the Riverside (Illinois) Historical Society about railroad photographs from the 1890's, and they asked if
>someone could verify the date of a head-on wreck at Riverside. They think it was 1911. I don't know if we have information like
>that, but someone may know.
>

Attachment(s) from GLEN HAUG

1 of 1 Photo(s)

Riverside 1896.jpg

__._,_.___

Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___