Carthage Big Four Station - 1906-1916 The photo shows a hand powered hand car to the right center along with a locomotive and what would appear to be two people on the platform. Also, notice the lower quadrant semaphore. The engine is a Richmond locomotive (2-6-0?) built about 1895. Maurice Lewman Collection.
Shows why railroads were so important to rural towns. There appears to be no other transportation. Also see that the rails were spiked directly to the ties. When were tie plates introduced to spread the load and ease damage to ties?
I have an old GM&O Hist. Society newsletter (magazine) that shows the Big Four depot in East Alton, IL. This piqued my interest a little bit. So now I take note when I something related to that road.
Ok, we are looking north . The two houses on the left are still there as well as the one on the right . the elevator is lower but still there as well. The freight house ,next to the box car is gone . The tall stand by the locomotive is a high switch stand . Different track layout made this switch stand and the curve of the main track turned into a visual problem .The rail is 60 lb. to the yard ,( big iron) . I don't know about the tie plates. We used to collect date nails from 1915 - 1934
I believe tie plates existed at the time. It's just that the railroads were usually in such a hurry to lay track, they would forgo them and add them later, sometimes MUCH later. Doug
