Illinois Central Railroad 8mm Silent Footage in Eastern Iowa in the mid-1960s to early 1970s

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Күн бұрын

While attending college in the early 1990s I worked part-time at a hobby shop and got to know two former gentlemen who worked for Illinois Central Railroad and became friends with them. They were willing to share some of their 8mm silent films whether it was shot from the ground, on a motor car, or from the train. Most of the filming took place around the Manchester, Iowa area and branches out towards Waterloo, Iowa to the west and Dubuque, Iowa to the east.
You will see a collection of not only Illinois Central trains but also derailment clean-ups, last days of the "Land of Corn" and "The Hawkeye" passenger trains. You will also see pool power equipment used on the Illinois Central. Most of the footage was shot in the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. Some of the footage is a little rough but these are images that can not be recreated today.

Пікірлер: 57

@jamesohare4776 4 жыл бұрын

Those films are absolutely priceless. Those fellows were really "carrying the mail" at that time, and it was quite interesting to see the amount of piggyback traffic on the IC. On infrequent occasions we would be held at Independence for an IC freight, and.they would roar by in the orange and white paint scheme. Much like the ill fated blue and white that would come to the Rock Island, the paint appeared to fade quickly. Thanks,Tony, for the wonderful history.

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Jim, I'm glad you enjoyed them. I figured with this additional time away from school that uploading old items I had stored away in a shoebox was a good use of my time. Stay safe and healthy my friend! Tony

@rimodeler7963 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Tony - I witnessed many IC freight trains in and around Dubuque in the late 1960s and early 1970s, so this camera footage brings back some great memories. I really enjoyed it and thank you for posting the vintage film. Mike

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Mike, No problem at all. I enjoy watching the different freight cars on the run by in the footage. A lot of good stuff there! Tony

@keithjackson9141 3 жыл бұрын

Wow one of the best footage I’ve seen in IC. I just purchased a GP9 black white paint green diamond screen for my O scale IC layout and this was a great take me back in time video! I agree Great watch

@daveburman8293 4 жыл бұрын

Wow! Things I sort of remember seeing when I was very young but now can revisit and have a better idea of what was going on while I was growing up along the IC. Thanks for sharing-these are Very Cool!

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Hello Dave! No problem at all and glad you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Thanks for watching and stay safe and healthy my friend! Tony

@caseyjones745 4 жыл бұрын

Color movies! What a treat! Thank you!

@ejejeff1722 4 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad those guys shared this with you, and thank you for sharing that with us!

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Jeff, No problem it wasn't doing much good in a shoebox I had it stored in. Tony

@raymondpaller6475 Жыл бұрын

Terrific video!!! Really enjoyed it.

@CornCountryRails Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@redbirdtony2010 4 жыл бұрын

Wow! Great footage and mix of power. I have a picture of the small steam crane in ICG paint. I thought there was some GM&O F units in there to? Thanks for sharing!

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Tony, I thought the same too that, that was a GM&O F unit but it is actually an MKT F Unit. Nice to see derailments being picked up by the railroad not hired out like it is nowadays. Tony

@markarnold8160 4 жыл бұрын

Nice to see some real original Great Northern and Western Maryland stock as well as the orange IC boxcars. Apart from a little dulling down of the colours on models, they really were that colour which surprised me. Thanks for sharing.

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

I agree with you Mark it is great to see footage of the ins and outs of railroading such as cleaning up derailments by the railroad. Not hired out like it is today. Tony

@yrunaked4 4 жыл бұрын

Tony, thanks so much for sharing this. Some of my first years alive and didn't get to see it like this. the beginning of the orange and white and even pre GM&O. just fantastic. Cheers Rob

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Rob, Glad you enjoyed it. Some neat footage and history there. Tony

@SCP344 4 жыл бұрын

I've been looking for videos in this area/time period for a while now, these videos are great! Thank you for sharing them.

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

No problem at all. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Tony

@stevenikitas8170 Жыл бұрын

Nice video... who would have thought back then that anyone would be interested in this grainy old film today. It's great to see the Fallen Flags logos and even a caboose (a really long one...). And no graffiti, which has destroyed the appearance of today's trains.

@jefflizotte4758 4 жыл бұрын

thank you

@vicodumb 3 жыл бұрын

I've heard that the IC hauled more fresh meat than any other railroad in Iowa. If you look at online packing centers West to East you have Sioux Falls, SD, Sioux City, IA, Cherokee, IA, Storm Lake, IA, Fort Dodge, IA, Webster City, IA, Iowa Falls, IA, Waterloo, IA, and Dubuque, IA. This doesn't include Cedar Rapids or the Council Bluffs line. I live in Fort Dodge and saw many Hormel reefers leaving town. Awesome film!

@CornCountryRails 3 жыл бұрын

I would say you are correct and there were many smaller packing plants as well. Also don't forget about that IC line north up to Albert Lea, MN where there was a second Rath Packing Plant.

@vicodumb 3 жыл бұрын

@@CornCountryRails Let me guess. You worked at Caboose Stop Hobbies in Cedar Falls. Great place! Loved their book selection. I stand corrected about the Albert Lea branch, although I believe the Rock Island and Milwaukee had the lion's share of the packing business there. Being from the Western part of the Iowa division, wasn't sure if I was missing meat plants in places like Manchester, Independence, and Dyersville. I really enjoy digging into the revenue sources for the granger roads. Again, great video and thanks so much for posting it up for all of us to enjoy.

@CornCountryRails 3 жыл бұрын

@@vicodumb Yes, While I going to school and UNI I worked at Caboose Stop Hobbies.

@raymondpaller6475 Жыл бұрын

I think you're spot on. Bought a 1953 IC system timetable; one of the directors of IC was the Rath family member running Rath meatpacking; the meatpacking traffic makes sense too when one thinks about it, as they needed traffic & how much bridge traffic alone could IC get from UP when there was CNW, Milwaukee, RI, CGW, CB&Q (though UP and Q hated each others guts one imagines) all trying to get some.

@daveprasse6643 10 ай бұрын

Love the UP SD35 in the consist of the 2nd yrain

@stevenspore415 2 жыл бұрын

I WORKED FOR ILLINOIS CENTRAL FROM 1969 TO 1972 IN WATERLOO'S 4TH STREET HUB QUITE A EXPERIENCE, WISH I WOULD OF NEVER QUIT, IM 70 NOW

@Perfusionist01 4 жыл бұрын

Neat stuff! Even if the films aren't crystal clear they provide a look at railroading in the 60s. I got a couple of model inspirations from this.

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Gary, I couldn't agree with you more. Rough footage or not you won't see trains like this again. Tony

@8mmfilmsmichigan174 2 жыл бұрын

I wonder if any of these trains rolled through Atkins, Iowa in the early 60s? My parents used to manage a railroad cafe, which would later have the name, Short Stop Cafe

@robertweber3140 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing Tony!

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

No problem at all! Glad you enjoyed it! Tony

@Robbi496 4 жыл бұрын

I think it is interesting that Ed Moyers And Hunter Harrison saw the Iowa Line as an "Appendage" but when the CN took the IC over, they bought (And brought) it back :)

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Correct. They seemed to want that route to New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico but forgot that the line across Illinois and Iowa was profitable. Tony

@raymondpaller6475 Жыл бұрын

If I remember correctly, Mr. Moyers and Mr. Harrison came aboard after, and they were up to their ears in takeover debt at first; the Iowa line was sold off in the 80s by Mr. Johnson, the architect and chair of of IC Industries, the railroad anchored conglomerate that didn't want to be a railroad anymore. The parent couldn't offload it whole, so it started selling off pieces wherever it could. Furthermore if I remember right, Mr. Johnson was a lawyer at the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 60s, when Pennsy's diversification efforts via subsidiary Pennsylvania Company looked like a big winning idea. Illinois Central then poached him to copycat the PRR/Pennco playbook at IC. Great seeing that Iowa line back in good condition! I am in the Chicago area & I was surprised when looking at it a number of years ago, it had welded rail! Not sure, but when I looked at the rail it seemed the older 115 lb variety but welded, perhaps CN took the old bolted rail and welded it and put it back in service???? Fascinating stuff!

@Robbi496 Жыл бұрын

@@raymondpaller6475 Very good info, but it was Wayne JohnSTON who helped form IC Industries, though JohnSON was brought in to replace him as President in the late 1960's. The railroad was highly neglected under Mr Johnson

@mhbpodnk 4 жыл бұрын

Great video

@Robbi496 4 жыл бұрын

I don't know about anyone else, but I much prefer the black paint scheme with the Green Diamond emblem :)

@fredholley6248 4 жыл бұрын

nice catch of the exchanges at 18:45 and 19:00!

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

One of those almost forgotten times of the past for some generations. Tony

@davekroeger9571 4 жыл бұрын

Great stuff! Do you know who originally took these? These are gold! Thank you Tony

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Dave, I do but would rather not share that on this public forum with both of them having passed away several years ago. Glad you enjoyed them. Tony

@davekroeger9571 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks again Tony. Im working on a Rock Island Photo CD for the NRHS Iowa Chapter. Watch for an announcement here soon.

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

@@davekroeger9571After many years of saying I should join the NRHS I think its time I do. Thanks for the tip on the RI photo CD coming out. Stay safe and healthy! Tony

@Robbi496 4 жыл бұрын

That Passenger Trains must have been the Land O' Corn, since the Hawkeye went through at night?

@CornCountryRails 4 жыл бұрын

Except for when there were derailments and delayed the passenger trains to run at different times.

@seththomas9105 7 ай бұрын

@@CornCountryRails That would have been a seriously late Hawkeye to be running in daylight east of Waterloo.