IC Bridge over Rock River in Dixon, IL

(Bridge Hunger, Satellite)

1939 Aerial Photo
from ILHAP

Harold J. Krewer posted

More on the IC bridges

I'm reminded that you see photos in Facebook in reverse order. I believe the caboose above is for the train below. Harold J. Krewer posted those two photos with the comment:

North of Amboy, the main roads didn't follow the Gruber very closely and the train showed no indication it would be stopping for anything, so instead of gambling on getting another out-in-the-country shot I went straight to Dixon for the "money shot" of crossing the Rock River. I was not disappointed!August 1985, Harold Krewer photos.

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Update:

Jim French posted
Poor photo but lots of nostalgia. ICG Southbound at Dixon, IL (Summer 1978). Southbound ICG Train #73 crossing the Rock River at Dixon, IL. Com-Ed's former INU Dixon Station is seen in the background. It would be demolished the following year. Jim French photo.
[The cars look short like sand cars. The IC Gruber line does come north from LaSalle, which is close to the sand mining area along the Illinois River. So they hauled long cuts of sand long before fracing was invented.]

Another update: I agree with a comment that the cars are probably carrying cement instead of sand. Cement was also a dense material that used short 2-bay covered hoppers. And there were a few cement factories along the Gruber line close to the Illinois River, e.g. Buzzi Unicem. In fact, there still is the Illinois Cement plant in the area. Unfortunately, it uses just trucks. Evidently they use a lot of trucks because the Rockwell Road Bridge had signs indicating that only one truck at a time was allowed on the bridge.

And a comment below indicates they are carrying cement. In fact, I just discovered that Dixon has its own cement plant.

Michael Wayne Sitter posted
The southbound Freeport to La Salle local with an all orange Geep crossing the Rock River at Dixon, IL in the summer of 1985. The train is approaching the stone arch viaduct to the right where the joint ICG/CNW Sandusky spur crossed under the ICG on its way to the Medusa Cement Plant. The north side of Dixon had many grade crossings and when I heard the horn sound I had ridden my bike as close as I could for a quick grab shot. I lived just a few blocks to the west from this location. The grassy field in the foreground once was the site of a large coal fired steam plant. -Michael W. Sitter

A Flickr Album that starts with a 1977 photo of the bridge with IH combines crossing it. (source)