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| John Stell posted TP&W Illinois River bridge looking west in March 1982. John Stell slide. John Stell posted TP&W Illinois river bridge at East Peoria looking west towards Peoria. John Stell slide from February 1982. Rick Braggs If that is the one next to steak 'n Shake it was hit by a barge in the winter of 1970 never rebuilt. David JordanGroup Admin John Stell I thought most of the bridge was dismantled by the late 1970s? John Stell I know this was Feb 1982 because I had a railfan visitor from Canada. |
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| David Jordan comment [I lost track of which post this comment was on.] TP&W's alignment looked more like this (orange). |
The other railroad bridge was the Illinois Traction.
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| 1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP |
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| D Scott Kramer posted Here's a nice aerial view of Peoria, IL and East Peoria, IL looking toward the southwest. The lowest bridge in the photo is the Franklin Street Bridge followed by TP&W's bridge over the Illinois River. The Illinois Terminal / Illinois Traction System Bridge is also still in place just past the TP&W bridge (which places the photo pre-1950). Hope you all enjoy this view as much as I do - there's a lot to see! Dean Cunningham: In the early 1970's a westerly pier of the TP&W Railroad bridge was destroyed by a barge traveling down the Illinois River. About one hour prior to the piers destruction I was inspecting it's pier cap that was loose and also the track alignment on the bridge. I had returned to the General Office when I got a call from the bridge tower operator that a barge had struck the pier I was inspecting and it was now in the river. It was a very cold day, not a good day to go swimming!!!!! |
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| Larry Miller III shared Local History Collection : Peoria Public Library's photo T.P. & W Bridge - 1922 McKinley Bridge in the background Courtesy: Peoria Public Library https://www.facebook.com/ppllocalhistory |
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| Howard Keil shared Ken Christianson''s photo train coming from Peoria side next to Franklin St. bridge |
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| Haward Keil shared TPW bridge Peoria 1970 |
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| Larry Miller III posted From this photo essay of the Peoria journal Star on the building of the Murray Baker Bridge. http://www.pjstar.com/photo…/…/20180712/NEWS/712009997/PH/1… [The piers of the Illinois Terminal McKinley Bridge still exist in this photo.] |
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| Mike Raia posted TP&W 80 Eastbound through Peoria, IL on 5-27-37. Paul Stringham photo-Raia collection Larry Miller III: The Illinois Terminal interurban bridge to the left and the powerhouse in the background. I would guess that Paul Stringham was shooting the Franklin Street Bridge for this shot. Great photo! Dean Cunningham: I was inspecting this bridge before a barge knocked it into the river in the 1970's. I will need to look up the date to know what winter day it was. [Other comments indicated a barge knocked this bridge into the river on Feb 12, 1970.] |
Larry Miller III shared two photos from Retro Peoria posting:
Peoria, IL 1940's. Wallace Station in background. Illinois Terminal McKinley and TP&W railroad bridges. Not sure which of the many railroads the steam locomotive belongs to. - John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library[The comments indicate the engine is a TP&W 4-8-4.]
David JordanDavid is an administrator in this group. Vantage point is probably the TP&W offices in P&PU's Union Depot.
David Jordan In the first photo, you can see the tender and part of the engine just coming off the TP&W bridge.
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| 2 Marilyn Leyland Note little white Ritschel Coal Co. building in background, with coal piles |
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| John Woodrow posted Their was not any place or date on picture. (Wayne Bridges photo) [According to the comments, it was destroyed by a barge on Feb 12, 1970. It remained standing until the Franklin Street Bridge was replaced by the Bob Michael Bridge.] |
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| Third Photo in a 1947 TP&W Album |
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| Photo from Dan Mickalonis album |
This is a day I will never forget. It was the winter of 1970 when the TP&W Illinois River Bridge was struck by a south bound river barge in Peoria, Illinois.
Early on this winter day Ben Bailey Field Engineer and I were inspecting and surveying a problem we were having with the pier cap that had separated from the pier that stood on the east side of the river channel. The bridge's truss span rested on this pier cap and the separation could cause the railroad track to go out of alignment. We saw no problem at the moment so we returned to TP&W Main Office.
Once back in the office we received word the bridge had fallen into the river. A river boat with barges had struck the very pier we were standing on during the inspection. It and a truss span had collapsed into the Illinois River.
These three photos were shared with me by Jack Franklin the Chief Engineer of the TP&W. A.W. Polich was Vice President of Operations at the time.
Was not a good day for the railroad, however Ben & I survived. We were not ready to go swimming that winter day. I have always said, the railroad is not the safest place to work.
Dean Cunningham - System Engineer TP&W 1970
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| Photo from Dan Mickalonis album |
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| Richard Mead posted |
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| Carl Venzke posted TP&W Illinois River Bridge - Eastbound train coming from Peoria side next to Franklin St. bridge - Ken Christianson photo - sorry no date Peter Zimmerman posted Original Toledo Peoria & Western Railway bridge over Illinois River, destroyed by a boat in the 1970's. Today the TP&W operates over the Tazewell & Peoria Railway to cross the river |
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| Larry Miller III shared Franklin St., TP&W and McKinley Bridges circa 1925 Courtesy: Peoria Public Library https://www.facebook.com/ppllocalhistory |
The story I heard was that construction was started on the Peoria side before the land on the EP side was secured. The owner of that land tried to hold out for more money but the land next to it was bought to complete the bridge. Hence the dogleg.From that same posting, we learn that the barge allision happened on 2/12/1970.
From a share:
Dean Cunningham Chief Engineer TP&W Jack Franklin took these photo's. One hour before the bridge was struck by a barge I was standing on the pier that is shown collapsed and in the Illinois River Peoria, IL. I was TP&W System Engineer at the time and was inspecting the track alignment since the pier cap was separated from the pier. Field Engineer Ben Bailey was with me only he was on the river bank. We had returned to the TP&W Office when we heard of the incident!! It was my lucky day!!
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| Larry Miller III shared Written on back: April 16, 1922, TP&W Bridge |
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| Larry Miller III posted Illinois River Bridge July 1968 - photographer unknown. Tell-tales? Would they still be in use in 1968? Dennis DeBruler: It looks like the river was running rather high. Michael Matalis: Maybe, there was no benefit in taking them down until they had to. Dennis DeBruler: Running boards were still required on boxcars in the 1960s. It wasn't air brakes that got rid of them, it was dynamic brakes. And, of course, the diesel revolution had to happen before dynamic brakes could happen. Joseph Tuch Santucci: Many railroads did not have dynamic brakes on their diesel power. Personal injuries got rid of tuning board on boxcar roofs. Railroads began implementing rules about staying off car roofs by the late 1960’s. Patrick Cooney: Neat to see the remains of the McKinley Bridge in the background. |
I've added this "sheel metal" photo here because the comments document the industry that used to be close to this bridge.
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| Jeff Carlson posted From my dad's 1981 trip to Peoria, he came away with this sweet shot of the TP&W 202, smoking it up like only an Alco can do. This was from a massive, two unit order of RS2s from 1949, and this was their only RS2 to receive the chop-nose. Ken Carlson, photo Harold J. Krewer  Here is the Google Maps view of the area today:https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4... Of course, ETTS...the 202 would today be on the lawn along Farm Creek roughly across the street from IHOP. |
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| 1 Harold J. Krewer commented on Jeff's post This is on the TP&W in East Peoria, on what had been their main line prior to the destruction of their Illinois River bridge by a barge in 1970. You are west of East Peoria Yard and (at that time) the "Amshack" terminal for the Prairie Marksman, looking east. In the background you can see the traffic lights for the intersection of Cam St. (parallel to TP&W on opposite side of tracks) with Main St./Caterpillar Trail. The P&PU connection is just east of that intersection. Just THIS side of the intersection is the location of the truss bridge with the curved main track over Farm Creek. There was still quite a bit of industry along Camp St. west of the P&PU connection (almost to the old bridge) that required regular service. Here is the first of two CLIC maps showing the area 202 is working in: |
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| 2 Harold J. Krewer commented on Jeff's post The second one, farther west. You can see the line across the main denoting end-of-track at river's edge: |
Excellent History and photos of this bridge
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