Illinois Terminal 1595

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Built in:1910 by Illinois Traction System
Out-of-service/Retired:1956
Type of car:locomotive (four-truck boxcab) (Class C)
Current Owner:Museum of Transportation(Kirkwood, Missouri)

Car History by Frank Hicks


Illinois Terminal 1595
The country's second largest interurban network was the Illinois Traction System - the McKinley lines - that stretched across much of the state of Illinois and lasted into the late 1950's. The ITS shops in Decatur, where literally hundreds of cars were maintained and rebuilt, was perhaps best known for the large fleet of boxcab locomotives that were designed and built entirely in-house. The most numerous type of locomotives the IT owned were the Class C's, the successor design to the Class B. The Class C's were four-truck locomotives with eight 125hp motors, making them extremely powerful freight haulers (unlike the Class B's, the C's were never used in passenger service). Their design, which placed the carbody atop a pair of decks which each were supported by two trucks, made it possible for the locomotives to navigate the sharp curves that some of the ITS's street running areas included. Class C 1595 is the only survivor of its type; it operated across the ITS (and later Illinois Terminal) until electric freight service was ended by dieselization in 1956, at which time it was acquired by MoT near St. Louis. It has been fully cosmetically restored and is on static display.

Ownership History:Illinois Traction System #1595 1910-1928 / Illinois Terminal #1595 1928-1956 / Museum of Transportation(Kirkwood, Missouri) 1956-present



Facts and Figures


Status:displayed inoperableGauge:4'8.5"
Construction:steelRoof type:AREnded:DE
Length:52'5"WidthWeight:160000#
#Seats:n/a#Wheels/Conf.:16 (B-B+B-B)Total HP:1000
Trucks:Alco RM63BBrakes:14ELCompressor
Motors:GE 205B (8)Voltage (if not 600DC)

PHOTO PHOTO