The GMO & Santa Fe Railroads

In the 1970s, Washington was home to three rail lines. One of these lines, the Toledo, Peoria, and Western, is still used today. The other two have faded to the sands of time, even though the seasoned Washingtonian can still see the scars of their existence.  

The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (later Illinois Central Gulf)

The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio line (GMO) originated at the southern end of Wood St, heading north and crossing Jefferson.  Currently, the Washington Recreational Trail from Jefferson to North Main follows the old track path of the GMO to its Main Street crossing.

By the 1970s the GMO was not being used very much at all.  In 1971, the GMO petitioned the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to close the branch.  It was reported at the time that the only local businesses using the spur besides the ones on GMO property (Faubel Concrete and American Allied Railway Equipment, both at the south end of Wood Street) were the Caterpillar Proving Grounds, Schrepfer & Martin, Metamora Woodworking, and Arco Chemicals in Metamora.  The justification for abandonment given at the time was that the original purpose of the spur, transport of coal mining and agricultural products, had long since been eliminated.  The coal mining north of Washington had stopped, and the river barge moved most crop yields at the time.  Also, most of the towns on the spur, except for Metamora, had other rail spurs.  The GMO track in 1971 was only running one train every other day.  The track was in poor shape and required more maintenance, leading to the railroad losing approximately $200,000 per year between 1969 and 1970.  After this announcement, the Washington Association of Commerce came out publicly against the railroad's closure.  The Association’s stance was the railroad could be crucial to Washington’s future development.  City officials disagreed as they supported the removal of the railroad.  In April 1972, there was a hearing for the ICC to hear the railroad’s petition.  Several Metamora representatives attended the meeting to oppose the closing of the railroad spur, but no one from Washington attended.  In November 1972, Judge J. Roger Corcoran ruled that the railroad had to keep the spur open for at least two more years.  Also, in 1972, the Illinois Central Railroad merged with the GMO, becoming the Illinois Central Gulf (ICG).

In 1974, the federal government started a two-year study to evaluate and potentially retire unnecessary or duplicating rail services.  Under this study, the ICG and the TP&W were being studied for potential abandonment.  Both railroads were spared as a result of this study.

In 1975, the depot at Wood & Holland, which had been left unused for several years, was destroyed in a fire.  Interestingly, the Washington Reporter had just done a photo feature on the depot two weeks prior.

In 1976, East Peorian Richard Howard offered $275,000 to purchase the ICG rail line and run his own private rail service.  ICG officials scoffed at the offer because they felt the scrap value of the railroad and the land was worth more than $2 million.  By 1976, trains passing through Washington on the ICG were down to just a few per year.  This author can remember being in kindergarten at Lincoln School in 1976 and being shocked to see a short train passing behind the school during recess.

The hearings held in 1972 repeated themselves in 1976. This time, Washington was adamant about terminating the rail line, partially because road conditions had become so bad at the crossings and along Wood Street. The ICG eventually permitted the city to repair the crossing at Peoria Street but not the other four crossings, deeming them “rough” but not dangerous.

The result of the 1976 hearings was a recommendation to the ICC to abandon the ICG railway.  This led to appeals from the village of Metamora and the railroad union.  After a short back-and-forth, the ICC issued its final ruling in April 1977.  The railroad was to be abandoned and either sold or removed.  More appeals and reconsiderations followed while crossings in Washington deteriorated as the railway still experienced some use. In 1978, a boxcar loaded with cargo caught fire on the Wood Street tracks.

The ICC handed down the final decision to abandon the rail line in July 1979, which officially occurred on September 15, 1979.  Richard Howard, who had tried to buy the line a few years prior but had since given up his quest, sold three cabooses he owned in anticipation of owning a rail line, one of which ended up next to Plaza Lanes.

The Santa Fe Line

The Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe (ATSF) line that ran through Washington was part of the “Pekin District” section, originally built around 1871, originated at Pekin and entered Washington Township from the south at Cooper Station, crossing South Main Street and heading north to town.  In the city, it traveled through the southeast segment of town, crossing Walnut Street just east of the Lawndale intersection.  East of town, the line merged with the still-existing Toledo, Peoria & Western railroad heading east to Eureka.  At Eureka, the ATSF line split with the TP&W and headed to Ancona, Illinois.  The railroad was profitable until 1980, but in later years, this line saw at most 3-4 trains per week, rising to daily in the fall when the Morton Libby’s factory was at full production.  In 1982, the ATSF petitioned for the abandonment of the entire branch.  In 1983, almost the entire branch was abandoned, but the line from Morton to Washington was originally to be the only section kept open as a Morton/TP&W spur connector. The connector was closed just a few months later, as the TP&W connects to Morton through East Peoria.

Thanks to Larry Miller III, Roger Holmes, Brandon Smith, Rick Bess, & David Jordan for their assistance with this article.