Updated October 26th, 2020
Paxton, IL
http://www.cityofpaxton.com
|
 A southbound CN manifest train stops in Paxton, IL to meet a northbound train.
Unlike many towns along the Illinois Central Railroad Paxton was settled originally by Swedish who settled nearby along a road that was leading out of Danville, IL. The town really came together along the Illinois Central which is why Paxton ended up a few miles away from the original settlement... so not to say the railroad and the towns placement doesn't have a relation, but rather that Paxton was not an area where land was directly sold and settled by the railroad. It was 1859 when the name Paxton came about and 1871 for it become the City of Paxton. Much like Monee, IL; Paxton, IL has a trench dug through town that the Illinois Central runs through. 3 bridges connect the town over the tracks and to-date the city remains busy. At one point the Nickel Plate Railroad ran through the town east and west, the bridge over the Illinois Central used to be where the Holmes St. bridge is now. Also noteworthy is that Paxton is home to the Illinois Central Historical Society, utilizing an old depot as their headquarters with a few pieces of historic equipment on display.
|
Uneven Interchange - Nickel Plate & Illinois Central Railroads
|
The Nickel Plate Railroad interchanged with the Illinois Central on it's east-west line through the town. Originally, both railroads had a level diamond interchange with a shared "L" shaped depot and freight house on the southwest corner of the interchange.
In the 1920s, approximately 1924, Paxton's tracks were lowered into the current trench a mainline improvement program that sought to improve grading and general efficiency of the line. The depot was changed to one similar to that of other towns that saw trenches dug during this period. (Monee and Mattoon, IL, to name a couple) It was an improved brick and mortar depot with a concrete base. Stairs and elevators led to the lower track side platforms. A picture of the depot in 1958 can be seen here. |
The Illinois Central Presence
It is truly interesting how railroads are chartered and how decisions are made. The Illinois Central line through Paxton maybe have been trenched to permit easier traversing for the mainline traffic, but that did not write off Paxton as a place for business.
Nickel Plate Road Presence
