Mattoon Extra at Indianapolis, IN

NG502057

Mattoon Extra at Indianapolis, IN

The relatively small part of this volume devoted to the Illinois Division does not, of course, give nearly as comprehensive a picture of latter-day steam operations as did the Indiana Division section. Not that stean capitulated early on the Illinois -- in fact, not until Mattoon called the 1587 and 1334 to doublehead an extra east at 9:35 AM on March 7, 1957, was the white flag run up, and this occurred only 13 days before the Indiana Division run which terminated all steam activities in road service. There was a distinct difference, though, in that stean in the late stages was concentrated as much as possible on the Indiana, to the extent that nearly all of its freight services were steam-powered at times, even in 1956 (with the exception of the Springfield District, dieselized in March of 1954). On the Illinois, however, steam was run with more reluctance, and by early 1955 it was restricted to local and occasional drag freight services on the main line, plus yard assignments at East St. Louis, Last Alton, Mattoon, Midland and Duane, The sparseness of the following pictorial record is due to this early and extensive curtailment of steam in Illinois Division road-haul service. The introductory action below is provided by the 3058, shown slamming westward out of the Indianapolis terminal, onto Illinois Division rails with an 85-car Mattoon extra. The home signals in the background are at Mount Jackson interlocking, the eastern limit of the Illinois Division main line.

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor

2-1/4x3-1/4 neg

3/1955

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448

L-3c

#3058

Alco-Schen

Mt. Jax, Indianapolis, IN