Nelson, Illinois

Union Pacific local job LPG04 provides a much needed reprieve from the monotonous parade of wide-nose GEs at Nelson as its crew heads for home after a day of servicing customers. The train is passing the junction with the Peoria Sub where trains can diverge off the double main from either direction and head south to Peoria on what used to be the Chicago & Northwestern's SI Line.

 

When this photo was taken in November of 2020, the tiny spec on the map of Nelson, Illinois still offered an incredible amount of railroading character to the interested photographer. One could spend an entire day shooting trains passing the steam era coaling tower and various C&NW searchlight signals that were packed into this very short section of Union Pacific's Geneva Sub. The Railside Bar and Grill, while not located directly next to the railroad, was a great place to grab a bite to eat during a lull in traffic.

 

Sadly this past week, operations commenced to dismantle the concrete coaling tower which only lasted a few years longer than the signals.

Done