MONON BOARD
MONON Trains => Passenger Trains => Topic started by: Tim T Swan on June 20, 2013, 01:06:52 am
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Found this photo of a long MONON departing Dearborn as the Photo of the Day on Classic Trains website. Though similar to many others, I don't believe I've ever seen this one before. Note no "Lee" ad on the background building, but black roofs on the F3's with letter suffixes on their numberboards. I would say it's around 1950 or 1951.
The Classic Trains caption says it's the "Thoroughbred" but I wonder, given its unusual length and "foreign" cars mid-train. Any ideas? Maybe the day before the Derby? /Tim
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What about a baseball special? I know the Monon ran an occasional baseball special. I have no specific data to support this, but just thinking out loud. It is a great photo. Thanks for posting it.
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Almost all of the Dearborn photos appear to be taken from an elevated position over the tracks just outside the terminal entrance. Was there an overpass or a pedestrian walkway across those tracks where photographers could stand? If there was, I've never seen a photos of it.
George L.
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Roosevelt Road overpass was a great place to watch trains Dearborn, Lasalle, and Union Station.
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There is an article in the July 2013 issue of TRAINS Magazine titled "Chicago's Legendary Roosevelt Road", pages 24 - 33. There's a 1973 photograph of an empty Dearborn Station on page 29.
Stew
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Other observations on dating.
In additition to the black roofs and suffix on engine numbers are the two shades of grey instead of the later single grey top & bottom.
The multiple head end cars would indicate the Louisville train short shadows indicates an early afternoon departure such as #5 had in the late '40s-early '50s departure times. (roughly 1-2 pm).