We have in the archives only one photo which shows what I believe to be the wooden coal chute at Lafayette which preceeded the concrete one still standing today. An analysis of that photo (attached) proved to be quite interesting.
The photo was taken by H.L. Goldsmith, from the collection of Mike Sink, dated July 16, 1926, and provided the following information which tends to confirm that date.
Engine #200 was built by Brooks in 10/1887 as #72, and renumbered to #200 in 1/1911. It was finally retired in 8/1927, but was still in service in 1926. Engine #513 was built by Alco-Brooks in 8/1912, and retired in 1942.
Bob Wheelers excellent Annual Reports Summary CD (available from Company Stores) shows that a new 300 ton wooden coaling tower was built at Shops during 1915, apparently similar to the 300 ton towers built for Monon, In. and McDoel in 1917. We have no good photos of the McDoel tower, but we have several good ones of the Monon, In. tower.
The Annual Report Summary further shows that the Lafayette coaling tower burned in 11/1927, and in 1928 was replaced with the 500 ton concrete one still standing. The thing I find so unique about the 2nd. wooden tower at Lafayette (pictured, at least the 2nd. because it was not built until 1915) is the very tall hoist house extending from the roof. I had never seen one quite like it before.
If anyone has any good photographs of any Monon wooden coaling towers, please share them with the Archives. We would like them to further study these historic railroad structures, made even more interesting because through the years as the locomotives got bigger, they built new coaling towers at a number of locations, and we have no photos of the older towers, or other facilities, which they replaced. / Ron
PS, a small related aside, Smokey Jamison, an engineer from Bedford who hired out in 1899 and retired in 1961, once told me that when he first went to work, they were sending the last of the wood burning locomotives to Lafayette to have the grates changed to burn coal.
