Hi,

After reading some older threads that involve the topic, I think it would be nice to share some of my information about the John E. Thompson collection in Monee, Illinois since my family visited the farm many years ago, and one of the survivors is now at one of my favorite spots to railfan.

Here's a brief history with everything I could find out on the Internet and from my family:

Collection included three depots (Illinois Central from Browns, IL, C&EI from Beecher, IL, and another IC one that I don't know the origins of), an ex-ATSF baggage car and RPO, Illinois Central office car number 2, a wooden caboose, eight steam locomotives and one diesel.

The original farm was located just west of town on the property presently occupied by a large warehouse. A video of this can be seen here: https://youtu.be/JBXmlXhh8ag (what a catchy tune!)

Later on, the collection was relocated to a new site just off of Pauling Road near the Monee Reservoir and the IC mainline (I think the move was in the late 60's). Here, Thompson created a vineyard for wine grapes and placed three historic depots including the 1881 C&EI depot from nearby Beecher. The two IC ones I mentioned earlier were taken to the center of the property and turned into the winery itself. Beecher was placed at the entrance off of Pauling and used as a gift shop/museum. Across from the IC buildings was Texas & New Orleans 4-6-0 number 319 and the passenger equipment, as seen in these old photographs taken by my grandparents around 1973. The IC office car was just out of view. Other than that, I'm not sure where the rest of the collection was displayed, but this was a fairly large property so there was plenty of room.

In the mid eighties the grapes became hard to grow and the winery shut down (I'm sure there were more reasons). The collection was slowly broken up but my dad said there were trains visible from Pauling Road as late as 1995. Old satellite images reveal that all three depots, the caboose, and the passenger cars remained until the 2000's, with the last aerial shot dating from 2008. One source says that the two IC depots burned down around 2005 and the remaining trains were scrapped on site soon after.

The Beecher depot has been returned to its original site in Beecher and one can catch 30+ trains a day from a replica wooden platform. The building now houses the town museum and is open every Saturday from 10:00 to noon. There's also an old MoPac caboose on display nearby.

Around 2008, the Illinois Railway Museum harvested the remains of the Monee collection - the property needed to be "cleaned up" because the powers that be considered it an attractive nuisance, and IRM was contacted.

I believe that the Passenger Car department got two pair of trucks, from a heavyweight combine and another passenger car, if I recall correctly. I believe that they picked the bodies of other interesting parts but scrapped the bodies on-site. Corrections appreciated!

A pair of steamers were on-site, on a track immediately adjacent to the remains of the "winery" buildings. These buildings weren't much more than foundations. Also on-site were a flatcar and a small diesel (a Buda?). There may have been other equipment; I don't remember. The small diesel and flatcar were unfortunately scrapped before they could be moved by the Steam Department.

The Steam Department acquired the 2(0)-6-0 (missing its pilot truck and pilot) and ex Coronet Phosphate #9, a 2-6-2T. The steamers were on a track immediately North of the remains of one of the "winery" buildings - pretty much foundations filled with fire debris. I recall being very careful not to fall into the pit while preparing the steamers for movement.

The Steam department trucked out the two steamers, via three gooseneck trailers. Last I knew, they were both on-site at IRM. I haven't been around lately, so I cannot confirm their continued presence. There was some interest in selling and/or trading one of these steamers, but I don't know if anything came of that.

Regards,
Bob Milhaupt

Bob -

Also at the old Thompson winery at Monee was an old "Park Bench" wood bodied transfer caboose; Rock Island #19049. This was probably the rarest piece of equipment at the site, and one I was disappointed to find out was not preserved by IRM when they cleared the property. The car was originally a single sheathed (outside braced) box car; the original number was 41509 and the car was built by Western Steel Car in 1913. The Rock put "back to back" benches at the center point of the roofs of these cars for crews, although during inclement weather they could ride inside. I actually attempted to save this car, but got involved in other things and I still feel bad that I let things slide. The CRI&P used these cars in Chicago terminal service and, I understand, also in Kansas City. They may also have been used elsewhere on the system. The Santa Fe also had some of this type transfer caboose, but I think that RI #19049 was the last extant example. IRM probably thought that the car was strictly an old wooden maintenance of way box car and had no idea of its historical significance.


Les

The winery site always had the two ATSF head end cars, IC office car 2, and the T&NO ten wheeler. The other rolling stock came over from the farm property, probably when they sold it.

The IC office car was relocated in the mid 90's to another Thompson property a few miles away. I was told by someone connected with the sale of that property that they wanted someone to take it but were unsuccessful and it was scrapped on site. This was a wood bodied car covered with a steel sheath.

The ten wheeler went to the "Roosevelt Railroad" in Georgia as a display item.

The ATSF cars, a baggage / RPO combine, and a baggage car with a small rider coach section, had the misfortune of not being from one of IRM's hallowed three roads (CB&Q, C&NW, MILW). Not that they (we---I have been an associate member for many years) don't have many, many pieces of other roads' equipment but difficult to imagine them scrapping them if they'd been from these roads. My opinion only.

Last I heard, the T&NO ten wheeler (Cooke 1892, as I remember), was sitting in an overgrown field in Georgia; the museum it was associated went out of business. It might be available. The former owner in Monee had some boiler work done on it and wanted to steam it, but never did. The engine worked on the Louisiana division until the forties and was sold to a sugar mill to switch cane cars. Probably spent time in Texas during its long career.

Did Thompson ever own any ex-IC commuter cars? Someone was claiming this and they were kept at the farm site. I don't recall seeing any and I first visited the farm site when it was still the place with the 6 (?) silos. And the winery since I was very young. Never saw any but that doesn't mean they might not have been elsewhere on the property.

Your oft-repeated opinion has been noted (yet again...), and once again, it has been found lacking in factual basis, down to it's very rotten foundations.

Please reference this list: https://hickscarworks.blogspot.com/2010 ... -list.html , in particular the "Passenger Cars" section.

In particular please note the listings for the following items :

CB&Q 90 (wood office car) Scrapped 1994
C&NW 404 (steel sheathed business car) Scrapped 1997
C&NW 1131 (wood baggage-RPO) Scrapped 1998
MILW Camp Grant (heavyweight solarium) Scrapped 2009

All THREE of your so called "Hallowed Three" roads are represented there, so as difficult as it may be for you to accept, there is no "Hallowed Three", among the steam roads represented at IRM.

Jeff

No, not oft-repeated. You are responding to a comment I made 2.5 years ago. Do try to pay attention. I was asking about an assertion someone made about Thompson owning ex-IC commuter cars. Guess I should have started a new thread to avoid confusing the easily confused.

filmteknik -

I was out to the Thompson place(s) in Monee on and off through the years, and don't ever recall seeing any ex-IC heavyweight commuter cars. But that doesn't mean he hadn't acquired some. Perhaps never moved them to Monee. I think there are a few people still around that may know better than I. Perhaps they might eventually chime in.

Les

Oft repeated, or not, it's still dead wrong

(EDIT...) And I'll stand by the "Oft repeated" as well:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12225&p=218292&hilit=irm#p218292

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35625&p=203396&hilit=irm#p203396

Perhaps you would like to move into the present instead of obsessing over my opinion as expressed over many years? You seem to be obsessed with this, going on ad nauseam. The topic was commuter cars. I will ignore further responses that are, by now, off topic.

Thanks, Les. Just someone on a fan group on Facebook. Specifically, he mentioned the farm property (not far from where Federal Signal is now). I was there a few times, too, and don't recall any cars. But of course it is impossible to prove a negative.

BTW, I always was amused by the industrial park spurs seeming to reach out to the engines on the farm as though to reclaim them.

Lol, ad naseum, look in the mirror.