Rock Island Trains including an ABBBBBBA pulled train. A velocipede, A rooftop brakeman +much more!

Rock Island Trains including an ABBBBBBA pulled train. 8mm. Now before you KIDs start complaining about the lack of sound. Way back before the 1980s filming with sound was an expensive proposition for the common railfan. Photographer Unknown. As for location, I think a lot of this is in the Springfield Illinois area but I could be wrong. From the vault here at RailyardProductions. © RailyardProductions. Digitally enhanced at the studios here at RailyardProductions. # Rock Island
#train #viralvideo

[@Barefoot12]

Thanks for the post! My old man was a brake man in ElReno. I live on the bnsf line south of abq now. Still no ac 60 years later. Sleep with doors and windows open still. If it's too quiet I can't sleep. I have a railrunner, atsf 2926 484 rebuild steamer and bnsf on the same railrunner tracks now. The bankruptcy blue would wash wash off in the rain. Have fun guys!

[@RailyardProductions]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@markreese4926]

As others have already commented, the bulk of this is definitely in and around Des Moines including the downtown passenger depot and Short Line junction. I was growing up in Des Moines when this was filmed so it's pretty interesting to see it again when it still had some passenger business. Interesting to see the north/south bound trains back down the Y from Short line Junction all the way to the station which was situated on the east/west double track main. So sad to see the Rock end up in such a decrepit state just a few years later.

[@RailyardProductions]

Thanks for commenting.

[@davidchapman1519]

What an awsome piece of what was and will never be again!!

[@RailyardProductions]

Thank you.

[@johnuhelski8613]

Your train at 3:17 with all the F Units is NOT a Rock Island train but a Chicago Great Western typical lash up of solid cab units. Great stuff , all !!

[@RailyardProductions]

Yes, The title is a bit misleading, I should probably change it.

[@JohnEDoey]

The ride out of LaSalle Street Station is just awesome!!! Gives you a real good feel for riding the railroad out of Chicago.

[@RailyardProductions]

Thanks for commenting.

[@garysprandel1817]

Just for the heck of it I counted individual road names and came up with at least 34. Only 2 still remain UP and CN.

[@RailyardProductions]

Yes, this film has a lot.

[@benmayer5932]

The bridge at 14:15 is also at Des Moines. It is the Rock Island bridge. The bridge that I mentioned below is just upstream, and was the Des Moines Union Railroad bridge. The Rock Island bridge is still in use, only single tracked, by the Iowa Interstate RR.

[@RailyardProductions]

Thanks for the info.

[@tubaman21]

The end of the video is definitely leaving LaSalle Street Station in Chicago. Most of the beginning is Des Moines, Iowa. I can't place the depot with the turreted tower. There were a few like that, but the ones I know of don't match the track profile. The Rock Island didn't go to Springfield, IL. Furthest south in Illinois was Peoria.

[@RailyardProductions]

I wasn't sure, I saw the white domed building in the background and thought it was something in Springfield.

[@tubaman21]

@@RailyardProductions Right idea on the dome, just one state to the west! 😀

[@robnachazel6969]

The turreted depot was at Grinnell, Iowa.

[@Albionviolinist]

@@robnachazel6969 Yes Grinnell, looked like he caught an M&StL or C&NW southbound train, vaguely see an M&StL boxcar in the billboard scheme in that train against the sunlilght, hard to make out

[@davidurban6813]

Not a big R.I. fan but Njoyed the video nonetheless. Love 💘 seeing E units with the oscillating headlight soooo classic! Thanks for sharing this. Have a great day everyone.

[@myxanadu65]

The depot at 21:21 is Iowa City, IA. Still standing and is privately owned.

[@RailyardProductions]

Thanks for the info.

[@djstrains]

Really interesting

[@RailyardProductions]

I think so too!

[@benmayer5932]

The bridge at 7:10 is definitely across the river at Des Moines. That bridge is now a pedestrian bridge and is painted bright red, and they lifted it a bit for some reason. Camera is looking Northeast.

[@RailyardProductions]

thank you

[@upking9080]

Excellent! I love seeing longer length vintage railfan films.

[@RailyardProductions]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@osmanjeffrey]

So cool! But, darn! At the film's end the train was just pulling into Englewood! What I'd give for the continuation of that footage!

[@RailyardProductions]

That was a problem. Film was short for home cameras.

[@raymondpaller6475]

Yeah me too! By the time I was an old enough teenager to ride trains myself (1979) I went to LaSalle Street Station to ride a Rock Island commuter train to Joliet; unlike old timetables I'd seen, there was no stop at Englewood and the station must have been pancaked by then ---- I don't remember seeing one despite zealously looking out the window! The NYC's most used 2 eastern tracks of the 4 track mainline were sketchy ----- they were still sorta there but whole 39 foot or what not sections were missing in alot of spots. In the video it was fun to see a NYC train near the end! The only NY Central thing I ever saw was the neon 'TICKETS' sign hanging from the ceiling just inside the street level entrance, with the green neon 'TICKETS' lit up and the red neon 'ROCK ISLAND' (with the right-pointing neon arrow!) lit up but the green neon 'NEW YORK CENTRAL' and neon left pointing arrow darkened/turned off. Nice memory.

[@jimikrentkowski4073]

Great video!! Wonder who filmed these great shots!

[@RailyardProductions]

No idea, unfortunately.

[@remylopez4821]

I have a question at about the 19:00 mark I saw a train with baggage cars, passenger coaches, intermodal cars with trailers and a caboose. Where would the conductor ride or would that train have two conductors?

[@RailyardProductions]

I don't know, Hopefully someone will know the answer.

[@deepspire]

A lot of this is in Des Moines. Short Line Jct. @4:50. None of it is in Springfield, IL. That ABBBBBBA is CGW, also in Des Moines.

[@RailyardProductions]

Thanks for the info.

[@ICUNA22]

Yes, at 3:15 the capitol building is in the background. The CGW crossed the Rock Isleand E/W line and the Spine LIne just west of Short Line yard and the Rock Island diamond. This video was probably taken from the interlocking tower at Short Line.

[@garysprandel1817]

Textbook CGW wall O F units.

[@shanan1124]

👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@RailyardProductions]

Thanks

[@roberttucker960]

How about you? After the Boris incident. 😼

[@RailyardProductions]

What?

[@thenekom]

23:41 what on EARTH is that thing on the back of the autorack? It looks like a crushed steel tank or something.

[@RailyardProductions]

Y, looks like an emploded tank car.

[@RailyardProductions]

Brakeman on the roof, 17:36

[@coasternamegenerator5611]

Abbbb…..A train at 3:11

[@johnredhd]

Looks like Des Moines

[@RailyardProductions]

yes

[@Greatdome99]

Terribly underexposed and dark. What a shame. It can be made lighter since it's now digital.