The Recordings of Jim Adams, Volume 3
Trackside on the Illinois Central

Jim Adams was an employee in the shops of the Illinois Central Railroad at Centralia, Illinois. He used his unparalleled access as a railroad insider to document the last days of the steam locomotives he loved, taking his reel-to-reel tape recorder trackside and into the cabs of locomotives. In this volume, we present recordings made along the tracks of the Illinois Central in late 1958 and early 1959.

It’s railroading as it was, just before complete dieselization.

Track 1 – Introduction

Track 2 – Northbound passenger train at Richview, Illinois. - 1:39

Track 3-4 – 0-8-0 3511 working B-Yard at Centralia, Illinois. - 1:05

Track 5-6 – 0-8-0 drilling cars at Centralia’s B-Yard. - 10:56

Track 7 – 0-8-0 drilling cars at Centralia’s B-Yard. - 2:50

Track 8 – 0-8-0 drilling cars at Centralia’s B-Yard. - 4:51

Track 9-10 – 2-8-2 1674 working Centralia’s B-Yard. - 1:05

Track 11 – 2-8-2 1674 working Centralia’s B-Yard. - 3:15

Track 12-13 – 2-10-2 2807 switching the power plant at Chiles, Kentucky. - 6:54

Track 14 – 2-10-2 2807 switching the power plant at Chiles, Kentucky. - 0:56

Track 15-16 – 4-8-2 2604 on the C&C Local north of DuQuoin, Illinois. - 1:51

Track 17-18 – Northbound passenger train at DuBois, Illinois. - 1:44

Track 19 – 4-8-2 2604 on the C&C Local at DuBois, Illinois. - 3:07

Track 20-21 – 4-8-2 2604 on the C&C Local at Richview, Illinois. - 4:05

Track 22-23 – 0-8-0 3511 crossing the diamonds in Centralia, Illinois. - 1:04

Track 24 – 0-8-0 3511 switching a candy factory at Centralia, Illinois. - 3:33

Track 25-26 – 4-8-2 2613 on an extra at Richview, Illinois. - 3:46

Track 27-28 – 0-8-0 3503 and 4-8-2 2613 in the Centralia yards. - 1:23

Track 29-30 – Passenger train departing Centralia, Illinois. - 2:21

Track 31-32 – 4-8-2 2613 on an excursion in Kentucky. - 0:54

Track 33 – 4-8-2 2613 on an excursion in Kentucky. - 2:25

Track 34 – 4-8-2 2613 on an excursion in Kentucky. - 1:55

Track 35-36 – Diesels on the C&C Local at Richview, Illinois. - 2:24

Track 37-38 – Northbound City of New Orleans at Richview, Illinois. - 1:25

69 Minutes (66 minutes of recordings with 3 minutes of descriptive narration between recordings)