Well, Chuck and I couldn’t make it to Fostoria this Saturday but we do plan to spend a couple of days in Galesburg early next week. I’ve been through the place a couple of times, but with minimal fanning and the conviciton that I’ve got to go back for more! Finally!
Any recommendations for hotels, restaurants, etc. very much appreciated. Even more so any trainwatchikng tips you’d like to impart. Is Peck Park still a good place to watch trains? Is it hard to get to Cameron and regardless, are there safe & legal venues from which to photograph?
peck park still good both times i was there i liked it the last time only one other railfan was there with me though never stayed there that long though want to go back soon
We stayed at a nice bed-and-breakfast a few blocks north and west of the Amtrak station (a block or two north of the ATSF track as well) when we were in Galesburg in May. Can’t remember the name, but there are several such establishments in roughly the same area. Wasn’t a problem to walk to the action–Peck Park would be a bit more of a walk, but possibly doable.
Al: I drop by Cameron sometimes. One mile north of Cameron, turn east on 190th av, then south on 150th street and cross the tracks. It kinda looks like a private road, but it is marked as a county road. Saturday morning has been the best experiences for me. I wish I had a better camera for Cameron. I have never met any other railfans thers.
Peck Park is still a great place. You can also stop on the County 10 bridge over the yard (known as the Thirwell Bridge). It provides a great view of the engine terminal and shops, and there is plenty of room to pull over on the side of the bridge and park, the shoulder is probably the width of a lane so you can pull off to the side and get a great and legal view of the yard. You never know what you will see off the bridge. The other side of the bridge usually provides a good view of the yard switchers working. One good thing about Galesburg is it is filled with lots of locations on both lines where you can legally get photos, it is pretty much a nonstop parade of trains constantly passing through at all hours of the day and it can be incredibly busy. Peck Park is the center where all of the activity comes together in one location, and over/under meets are not uncommon.
Directly across from the Amtrk depot is the Packing House restaurant. It is in a old Swift Co meat packing house that was built in 1912. Not quite sure of the hours, they may be closed during the afternoon from like 2-5 but I had the time, check it out.
Cameron is definately my favorite spot to railfan in the area, mainly because of the high speeds. But I love that county road. Absolutely no local traffic on it.
I’d like to thank you all for your help and suggestions. We just spent two days in Galesburg, a quiet town of about 33,000 in west central Illinois whose two biggest draws are probably the Carl Sandburg museum and Knox College.
But after that, surely the trains? Four Amtrak runs a day each way pass through Galesburg, calling at a reproduction-vintage depot just south of downtown. Galesburg also is where the exx-CB&W Savannah and Chicago lines cross over the ex-ATSF main, making a small local park (Peck Park) a great place to visit and photograph from. Then on the western edge of Cameron, a village about 8 miles west of Galesburg, they cross again, the ATSF heading south towards the Mississippi and Fort Madison, the CB&Q west toward Burlington IA. Both crossings are by means of flyovers (viaducts), so there is no physical contact at grade.
Now that BNSF controls both of the two former systems, about two-thirds of the way from Galesburg to Cameron, the company has built a huge set of wye’s. Or loops if you prefer. They allow trains in either direction on either main to cross to the other set of tracks allowing any kind of transfer from one former co.'s main line to the other’s. Try it on Google Earth–it’s amazing how big these loops are.
BTW did I mention Galesburg has a good sized hump yard?
We had a good time there and I won’t belabor this travelogue because I know so many of you know the town better than I do. We definitely intend to return, though.
Thanks again for all the good help and advice; it was put to good use.
We were there Wednesday afternoon and in Peck Park on Thursday. Also the ATSF main practically runs thru the backyard of the hotel we were in (former Ramada - now “America’s Best Value Inn”). We had these places pretty much to ourselves, as it was during the week.
Ah another Galesburg convert. Excellent! Each of the seven lines into/out of Galesburg has its railfan attractions and points of interest. Cameraon to the west is a favorite. Yost/East Galesburg on the former Santa Fe has photo opportunities. The Santa Fe west has a neat bridge at Media and a number of grade crossings with good sight lines for photography. The CBQ line from Chicago has several intact depots. Even line down to Peoria has a preserved CB&Q depot at Yates City and an old altered depot at the grain elevator in Gilson.
Nearly every way to get to Galesburg by car also has railfanning opportunities if you know where to look for them.
Railfan Bill Selleck created a wonderful Galesburg oriented site - lots of photos and information. But a search for it suggests that perhaps Bill has discontinued the site or perhaps temporarily lost it. If anyone knows Bill can you fill me in please. I did find a reproduction of the opening page – this is Galesburg as I remember it in my first visit in the early 1980s when the coaling tower was intact. The freight train in the bottom part of the picture is headed towards the depot area, either Chicago or Savannah bound.
I guess I didn’t have much in the way of expectations because it is a fifty-dollar hotel rather than a ninety-dollar hotel. I don’t think the “spit and polish” was as good as the more expensive chains in this ex-Ramada Inn, but I lucked out. Chuck didn’t have a telephone or recliner chair in his room; I did. Also, my A/C worked, the TV remote worked, the color TV had basic cable and a good picture; room was clean and king-sized mattress with three pillows; and there was plenty of hot water; towels adequate. My experience has been that even with the middle-priced chains one can start to suffer “death by a thousand cuts” when these little amenities refuse to materialize. If the A/C or heat refuses to work, it has been my experience that such places rarely get someone in to fix the unit; more likely, they’d have me moved to a different room. What was missing in my case? A “Do Not Disturb” dooknob hanger. I’d rather be awakened by a train horn than THUMP-THUMP-THUMP HOUSEKEEPING!
Also the Best Value Inn has a pretty-ok family style restaurant on its first floor that is open 24 hrs., and not only is the ex-Santa Fe main line practically in the backyard, the cross-street, Cedar, has been dead-ended but has pavement closer to the ROW than I’m used to.
And according to the manager, the only time the hotel is bound to fill up is – you guessed it – Railroad Days. - a.s.
From my Cameron shoot–# WB east of Cameron, Ill., on ex-ATSF main. My favorite of the bunch - al s.# # 9-24-08.doc Digital Image (C) September 24, 2008, Allen Smalling, Chicago, Illinois
I live in Canton southeast of Galesburg. They have this nice little restuarant next to the tracks down the road 2 miles or so from amtrack station heading towards wataga & when i went there last year they had good food.
The view from thill bridge is the best one can get in these next of the woods. Never been to cameron but if you want a good locale for train watching galesburg’s the best around.
About 60 miles to the sw sits Fort Madison in Iowa & if your ever down that way you can sit at the riverfront & watch the trains go by. Visit a fort,and caboose & get a beautiful view of the good old mississippi. Theres a rail motel on the main drag there thats right across the street from the same tracks. Not sure if it’s a dump or not but it’s in a goos location for train watching.
Glad you had a fun time Al. I keep seeing more and more railfans on the Thirwell bridge lately. I always try to wave or put on a show lol.
I had a GYI one day a couple weeks ago with a BNSF Junk Ge and on CN carbody style SD 40.Those were the only two running out of 6 motors!! I put up a smokescreen whenever I would try to get it to move.SOme guys were watching off the bridge and actually moved over to the departure tracks side ( from the Rat one service track side) to have us pass under them again. So out come the throttle and pwoossshhh went the smoke!! They loved it both times lol.
Also just to give my home a plug, the Quad Cities isnt a bad place to see actin as well.IC&E and IAIS put on a good show.
- al s.#