Accurate work

This is just a fantastic work! The attention to details are awesome. Congrats and thanks for sharing.

Regards from Chile.

Good Job

You're rendition of the C&EI interlocking tower at St Elmo was excellent. I'm just beginning a tear down of a "Basement Filler" based on the B&O in West Virginia.

I have been researching Pana, Illinois for a  one town layout using the TOMA concept. My grandpa was a pastor in Pana in the early 50's and he was somewhat of a railfan. When I spent a couple of weeks there every summer we used to go watch the Central come through town.  I still remember hearing a steam whistle for the first time and he told me it was the B&O. Wow 70 years ago! 

The Big 4, the B&O, the Illinois Central and the C&EI all interchanged in the middle of town within a couple of blocks of each other. The interlocking tower is still standing although the only railroad in town now is the UP. The research is fun and there is a lot of info on a town that never had more than 7,000 people.

Anyway enough rambling - thanks again for your article

Since you brought up Pana...

@mecovey - Since your brought up Pana, I will agree that it is a very interesting railroading town.  I did the 3D design work for this C&EI tower.  I have also created a 3D design of the Pana interlocking tower as well.  It can be found on my Shapeways store here:  http://www.shapeways.com/shops/dougforbesshop.  Here are some in progess photos from the individual that had me do the design work for the Pana interlocking tower. 

The upper light green is a NYCS HS custom color by Tru-Color. Polly S special oxide red was used for the brick.

Pana Tower

I just looked at your Pana Tower on shapeways and it looks really good. I think I see a Christmas present idea. It's hard to believe this small town in central Illinois had at one time 109 greenhouses and 4 coal mines two within the city limits as well as many other industries. I have Sanborn maps and have looked at the C&EI site as well as the southernillinoisrailroads.com website but I'm still looking for additional info in the late 40's early 50's timeframe. 

Mike