Need Help Identifying a Train

Hard to say for sure, since the picture isn’t that sharp, but it looks to me like letterboard on the doodlebug may just read “Burlington”, so I would suggest checking to see if Burlington had any doodlebugs like the one in the picture on their roster, and maybe see if any pictures exist for comparison.

Bill in FtL

Art,

You might contact the Burlington Historical Society, and enquire about that photo. I'm pretty sure that the Burlington did indeed have some gas-electric "doodlebugs" like that.

I had to enlarge the photo almost to the point of distortion but; I’m 90% sure it says “Burlington” above the windows on the rear half of the car.

Curt

Google is your friend:

Awesome!  Thanks a lot guys.

Art

It's a Burlington doodlebug, just as pictured in Rick-O's post (with RPO, Railway Express/baggage/LCL and passenger sections) which covered the Streator Branch. It is traversing the high bridge over the Fox River, at Sheridan, IL. The Burlington, along with many other railroads, acquired doodlebugs (gas-electric motor cars), to cut losses on branch lines....such as the Streator Branch.

Burlington doodlebug #9850 was destroyed in a head-on collision with Burlington O1a #4961 in April, 1943 at Oswego, IL.    Oswego is on the Streator Branch.

Good catch Mark.

https://historyonthefox.wordpress.com/2017/04/

"The big drawback with the gas-electric cars was the gasoline that powered their engines. That problem was starkly illustrated on a warm April afternoon in 1943 when miscommunication resulted in a head-on collision between the northbound Dinky and a southbound steam engine near present-day Boulder Hill.

Motorman F.E. Bishop along with baggage man Chalmers Kerchner and the car’s two post office employees, mail clerk Paul Chrysler and Assistant Chief Clerk John G. Gall of the U.S. Railway Mail Service, all riding in the front of the car, were killed as the car’s 160-gallon fuel tank burst, spewing flaming gasoline everywhere. Subsequently, one additional person died, high school student Harold Alderman."

http://www.kendallcountynow.co...ail-service/afi4bhw/

Bobby D - Excellent contribution!   Did not know that the collision was such a grisly affair. Many of the doodlebugs were converted to diesel electric, to avoid the danger of gasoline.  The Burlington had about 50 doodlebugs, dispersed for service all over the 10,000 mile system.

Have always had a fond spot for the Fox River line, as the 2nd fan trip I rode was the first trip of 2-8-2 #4960, 12-28-58, on this line. The high bridge at Sheridan and the big Illinois River bridge at Ottawa, were real highlights. Both bridges are extant and in fairly heavy use now, as fracking sand is quarried at Ottawa.  The Illinois River Valley grade out of Ottawa often required the O1a's used in steam days, to double and triple the hill. In diesel days, it was not uncommon to have 4 F's or a group of SD9's on the point of the heavy trains working on the line.

Just the week prior to the Dec '58 fan trip, #4960 was in mine-run service at Herrin Jct., IL.

A MNA doodlebug was hit head on by a KCS locomotive near Joplin in 1914.  This disaster  claimed 43 lives.

http://www.joplinglobe.com/new...cb-adb9a069fdbc.html

Very interesting facts regarding the railroad lines in the Fox Valley.  I never realized that gasoline was so dangerous in railroad use.  Those fires must have been terrible.

Art

MarkS & BobbyD, thanks for the interesting info on this subject.  Apparently the Burlington was running this service from somewhere south (Streator or Ottawa) to Yorkville or all the way to Aurora.  Because the picture I saw was the doodlebug crossing the Fox River just west of Sheridan.  I'm assuming it was primarily a connection for those folks to get to Aurora to reach service there.  The amusement park was one of the original draws, but I'm guessing that was primarily earlier than this photo was probably taken.

There is a lot of history regarding early rail travel in this area.  Today we see 6 to 8 silica sand trains on this branch seven days a week.  I know that most of the trains, if not all of them, originate in Wedron, IL.  I saw that mine from the air not too long ago and it generates a lot of business and keeps growing as the demand for silica sand has increased.

Art

Excellent info, Art. Seems kind of a shame that the BNSF abandoned all that lucrative traffic (6-8 silica sand trains, 7X per week) to a short line operator.

" Burlington doodlebug #9850 was destroyed in a head-on collision with Burlington O1a #4961 in April, 1943 at Oswego, IL.  "

I might be wrong, but wasn't that the wreck that lead to the CB&Q's employees negotiating a provision in their next contract that the railroad wouldn't buy any more engines, doodlebugs or whatever that didn't have a 'nose' in front? Seems to me I read that was one reason the Q never bought RDCs.

Stix - Had not heard that - could be !! ??    The last doodlebug working on the Burlington was functioning as a switch engine in Macomb and Bushnell, IL, until Spring 1967.

Interesting, I was born and raised in Ottawa, Il. Never lived too far from either the Burlington or the Rock Island. 

Ottawa is a huge silica sand region with Ottawa Silica, which my grandfather retired from, Wedron Silica,

and Bellrose Silica that I can remember. The sand was primarily used for automobile glass because of 

its purity. Libby Owens Ford was a huge windshield manufacturer and equally large employer in the 

area. I also lived in Wedron for a brief time after leaving the Navy in 1973. An interesting note about

Wedron. It is the only town in the USA with that name. Local legend had it that the railroad crews

called it Weed Run because of the weeds on the tracks. Unfortunately, the gentleman assigned to 

make the sign did not spell well, so it became Wedron. 

Beardog - That is amazing trivia on how Wedron got its name.   I wonder if Wedron isn't the only supplier of silica sand that still ships on the branch line?  Does anyone know if they still haul sand from any of the other mines?   It looks like they keep acquiring more land in Wedron as the demand for silica sand has really heated up.  Most of it is being shipped to Denver on the BNSF from Aurora, IL.

Art

It appears that Ottawa Silica is now part of US Silica and is their biggest producer in North America. I believe it

was always the largest producer in the country. I lived by the burlington track coming from their plant to the mainline

most of my childhood and trains of covered hoppers moved day and night. A lot of the sand was bagged and 

loaded in boxcars too. I was unable to find much about Bellrose silica. As it was very close to Wedron it may

have been incorporated into Wedron silica. Back in the 70's when I lived in Wedron, Wedron Silica was

a tiny operation compared to Ottawa Silica.

If you go to google earth and search for Ottawa Illinois, northern part of the state sw of Chicago you will

be able to see the size of the Ottawa silica operation, there is a 5 track yard within the operation itself.

The whole Wedron silica operation would easily fit in one pit at Ottawa Silica.

More railroad history connected to silica sand. Years ago the owner of Ottawa Silica, Edmond B Thorton  acquired

CB&Q #4978 along with its tender and a caboose from the Burlington to display in a park he developed for the use of the

local community. Tracks were laid to move the 4978 to its display area and the loco spent many years on display there.

I visited it a few times. Now it gets vague. Apparently the Burlington decided it wanted it back. I did not live 

there at the time, but from what I can find from locals, Mr. Thorton refused to let the railroad lay new

tracks on his property to remove it. I knew him, so I can believe this. Apparently the railroad had to 

come in with a huge crane and flatbeds to remove it.  From what I can find the 4978 now resides a few

miles away in Mendota Il adjacent to the former BNSF mainline.  I had a pic to upload of it at Ottawa

but it won't so if you want to see, search burlington 4978 ottawa

More folklore and local legend.

In July of 1943, a PRR doodlebug had a head on in Ohio that killed 38 people from the resulting fire.   I believe PRR converted their bugs to diesel after that accident.