The Silvis Locomotive Shops: From World Class To Near Abandonment

Merch, anyone? okieprint.com/SPR/shop/home

I just hit 42yo last year, and watched this entire video without any distraction. Is this the age that I get really interested in the railroads? You never think it will happen to you, but I fear the day has come. Great video, thank you for making it. I'm from the Quad Cities, but the heyday of this rail yard was before my time. Seeing stuff like this makes me realize what the majority of adults remember when I was growing up in the 80's and 90's. The Quad Cities is a great place, but took a hard hit when manufacturers pulled out.

I'm 79yrs old so I've lived through steam, diesel & electric.It's a shame to see all the railroads die off.Thanks for the video.

The silvis shops has now become a working restoration museum. They’re restoring steam and diesel locos and cars as well. Most of those old gp9 and sd40-45 engines are old imrl engines they got from other railroads. Today sept 12 2023 the place is open and giving tours daily.

Sad to see what's become of Silvis. I grew up across the river, in Davenport, late 1980s into the early 1990s, and dad would often drive us to Frank's Pizza, which was very close to the SIlvis shops. Excellent pizza there, by the way, and I think they are still in business. Anyway, dad and I would scarf down our meals as quick as we could, mom and my sis would, of course, take their time. Dad and I, once finished eating, would drive over to the engine shops while my mom and sis were still eating, and we would check out the locos and sometimes friendly shop staff would even show us stuff they were working on. Back then security was pretty lax and so long as I didn't climb on anything or touch anything they were fine with a young railfan getting up close to classic locomotives. Dad still has a great photo of the family car nose to nose with a C&O GP-7 or GP-9 (I forget which it). So many good memories of the place, I hope better days are indeed ahead for it.

My grandfather worked for over 40 years for the rock island. His home was 6 blocks away, on the hill by the water tower, overlooking this massive trainyard. I have so, so many memories in the 1980s when I was a kid. Great piece of history that i hope lives on.

I worked for NRE from 1992 to 94. What a filthy grease pit. I rebuilt air compressors and reconditioned engine parts, and spent some time on “the ramp” and truck shop. Most of my time was spent reconditioning cylinder liners and building power assemblies. If I remember right, there were 3 sizes of cylinders: 1 had 8 1/2 inch bore, 2 had 9 1/16 bore diameter and could be either cast iron or chrome lined bores. I measured and sorted liners, honed the ones that were useable with a huge vertical hone, and the rest were sent out for repair by spray welding the inside bore and outside wear surfaces. It was an interesting place, but working conditions were terrible. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Thanks for the great vid. I hope the museum can make it a success, I would visit it often as I would not live 20 miles from there.

I believe I delivered to a warehouse nearby the Silvis Shops before. I remember seeing trackage like that and also many locomotives in storage. My best picture I took was of two strings of around 15 Union Pacific switchers parked along the building I was delivering to

Really nicely written video! Easy to follow and interesting. Hope to see these shops return to their former glory.

My dad was a mechanic and engineer there. Thanks for the memories.

It is a shame to lose so much history. Best wishes to the folks who want to save it.

Nothing breaks your heart like the passage of time.

We had a PL&E yard here in Dickerson Run Pa. that was huge all that remains now is a sewage plant and bike trail parking, sad to see history lost.

I sure hope they can save that place! Everything either gets scrapped or torn down, so sad.

The coastal city I grew up in had rail service from 1910-late 50’s early 60’s with passenger service ending in 1935. The tracks when I was there had been long gone sometime in the 70’s and ripped up 5 miles out of town ending outside the Dow chemical plant. The town had a awesome wye, and where it was then the city baseball field sits in the same configuration, and the point end went to a wharf out onto the bay which was wiped out for the final time in 1918, the only reminents of it in town is the pylons still used for the harbor, the huge trench formed by building up the grade and the oyster shells used for the ballasting. I’m modeling it these days, but pictures just make it hurt to see because I’d had loved to have seen it

Thoroughly Enjoyed this video and the job you did with the History of this Location. Breaks a Railfanner Heart ❤️ to see these Falling Flag Units in this Condition. 👍🙏

My grandfather worked as a laborer at the roundhouse pictured here. He and my grandmother raised 10 children including my now 94yr old mother. Retired sometime in the late 60's, my best guess. The Quad Cites area was an industrial powerhouse back in those days.

Im shocked you got that close. I grew up on the hill over looking that railyard in the early 90’s… the security was ridiculous there, all the way up to my last visit in 2018… you would think the president lived there. The second you even looked like you were gonna trespass the little barny fife twerps in their little minivans were onto you. Last time they were yelling at me not to take photos and i wasnt even on the property!!!! I would love to walk around the place now. My grandpa worked there and was yardmaster at one point. He died before i was built.

The NRE shop in Paducah, KY is an ex- Illinois Central building that still have signs that remain true to its heritage

Thanks for this video! Perfect length, well edited and presented; I learned a lot! I hope this facility receives the care and attention it needs...