View allAll Photos Tagged silvis
9/2025 - Silvis, IL
The BNSF/NREX interchange doesn't look like it's maintained this year.
I have no idea why Explored picked this up. My apologies.
IAIS 718/509 lead SIPE(Silvis Illinois to Peoria Illinois) along the Illinois River backwaters north of Chillicothe Illinois. Copyright © Revenge Photography. All Rights Reserved.
IAIS 715 solo leads 5 Union Pacific passenger cars bound for Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in the newly acquired building in Silvis, IL.
The NRE shop switcher, NREX 1349 (former CN), tows the Santa Fe FP45 92 from the IAIS transfer to the former Rock Island shop to begin work on mechanical restoration.
July 13, 2017.
CBBI-18 with 507 and 150 has pulled up to a stop at Silvis while the SISW and future SIPE power sits on the RIP tracks. Locomotives in NRE's deadlines round out the background. As seen from the IL Route 5 overpass on September 19, 2014.
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Gianni Armano Photo
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A pair of IAIS ES44AC's pull the "2nd westbound" into Silvis, IL as seen from the Hwy 5 overpass.
September 2, 2014.
Union Pacific has donated several historic locomotives, including DDA40X “Centennial” 6936, 2-10-2 5511, and 4-6-6-4 “Challenger” 3985, to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America. On November 19th the equipment arrived in Silvis, Illinois; it will be housed in the former Rock Island Silvis shop complex now owned by RRHMA.
Upon arrival into Silvis, the equipment was moved into the shop by the RRHMA crew. First inside was Centennial 6936, followed shortly thereafter by 5511.
A brief ceremony was held for invited guests during which Union Pacific’s Senior Manager of Heritage Operations Ed Dickens officially handed over the locomotives and cars to RRHMA President Steve Sandberg.
UP "Challenger" 3985 was moved in a short time later in the company of UP business car "Selma" and other donated passenger equipment.
Thanks to the Union Pacific Steam Crew and the RRHMA volunteers for making it all happen!
The Conrail Can Opener logo inside the bold Q is still hanging on as its displayed along the hood of NREX SD50 No. 8683 outside the former Rock Island shops at Silvis, IL. This was originally CR No. 6795, eventually becoming CSXT No. 8683 before being purchased by National Railway Equipment. NRE still calls the former Rock shops at Silvis home, in addition to newcomer Railroading Heritage of Midwest America.
Though not one of the main attractions at RRHMA's
"Summer of Safety" Open House, it was still nice to see some Big Blue on display. Also displayed from National Railway Equipment's collection was an NS 3GS21B Genset and an NRE-painted switcher. 6/29/24.
For one day this autumn, I got to witness something not many people in the modern era can say they have seen run a revenue train. The largest diesel engine ever built, the DDA40X, running on point of a special RRHMA passenger excursion across rural Illinois, with IAIS 513 (the Rock Island HU) added as backup in case of failure. As an added bonus, 6936 boasted a killer RS3L horn to set the stage for an amazing chase.
Our next stop brings us back to the town of Geneseo, this time going west, as 6936 races by the former Rock Island depot once again.
It's open house day at the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America Shop in Silvis, Illinois, and the "Big Jack" DDA40X is out on the "Fast Track" pulling a 3 car train full of excited guests back and forth across the museum grounds looking for all the world like a baby inspection train of years past. CP 2816 was also in attendance for thousands of people to enjoy, and run back and forth while on a "day off" from their ongoing "Final Spike Tour". Fitting that it met up pilot to pilot with an engine from a class nicknamed the "Centennial" after UP's own Golden Spike Ceremony 100th anniversary in 1969.
This former Rock Island site was once home to a 45 stall roundhouse, backshop, office building, power house, water treatment plant, and storehouse. Construction started in 1903, and the site was the Rock's primary shop until the 1980 shutdown. Afterwards the site was sold to Chrome Crankshaft, which later passed to National Railway Equipment. In 2022, RRHMA purchased the complex from NRE. It is now home to UP 5511, UP 3985, UP 6936, IAIS 6988, ATSF 537, and numerous rolling stock, all in various stages of restoration.
RRHMA is a non-profit organization associated with the Friends of Milwaukee Road 261, and is always interested in new volunteers and donations.
Locomotive: UP 6936
6-29-24
Silvis, IL
It’s the spring of 1980 and a business trip has brought my old man to the Quad Cities. As one steeped in Rock Island mythology he knew right where to go, only this time he was, in his vernacular “a day late and a dollar short”. Time had run out on the Rock, growing up in his shadow I was all too familiar with is work along the storied Rock Island, but his collection of images during the final months of operations were surprisingly sparse. I remember asking him once why he hadn’t shot the end of the Rock and he just looked at me and said “gee, I wonder”…. It seems he was preoccupied with a bouncing baby boy in the early months of 1980, oops. Sorry about that pops. He managed a couple of visits to Silvia before the herd thinned too much, liberating a builders plate or two as I recall. Those too are buried amongst his archives somewhere. For now we have frog eye U25b 209 to enjoy, resplendent in her faded red funeral dress.
For one day this autumn, I got to witness something not many people in the modern era can say they have seen run a revenue train. The largest diesel engine ever built, the DDA40X, running on point of a special RRHMA passenger excursion across rural Illinois, with IAIS 513 (the Rock Island HU) added as backup in case of failure. As an added bonus, 6936 boasted a killer RS3L horn to set the stage for an amazing chase.
Our next shot brings us to the former Rock Island depot in the town of Tiskilwa, IL, as 6936 rounds the curve and speeds ahead towards the final stop of Leg 1 of the trip.