I first became interested in the IT while I was in college, and I was especially intrigued by the architecture of its combination depot-substations. I decided to scratchbuild a model of the former IT depot-substation at Union in rural Logan County. This was a major undertaking that took me nearly three years to complete, and I reasoned that if I were going to invest substantial time and effort into this model, then it had better have a place on my future layout. So I settled on modeling the IT in the 1950s so I could run diesel-powered freights but still have electrified interurban passenger trains stopping at the depot. After completing the depot, I also detailed and painted an IT RS-1.
I was a member of the Illini Railroad Club while a student at the University of Illinois. I learned in late 2017 that a planned dorm renovation meant that the club would have to vacate the space its layout had occupied for 40+ years. In January 2018 I attended the final open house for alumni prior to the dismantling of the layout. For old time's sake, I brought along a train of the same covered hoppers and TP&W locomotives that I ran on the layout when I was in college. Seeing this train running on the layout reminded me of how much I like covered hoppers and second-generation TP&W diesel locomotives.
On the drive home, I started thinking about building a TP&W layout. Remembering how much time I had already spent building the depot, I talked myself out of it, but the thought didn't go away. I had some misgivings about the IT layout I was planning, namely the difficulty (and expense) of procuring models of IT passenger equipment and electric locomotives and a lack of enthusiasm (and time) for both stringing overhead wire and scratchbuilding many more structures. My IT layout plan also did not lend itself well to construction in phases, and based on my depot construction experience, I did not want to start a project that I couldn't enjoy until many years later when it was fully complete.
After a lot of thought, I ultimately concluded that I was more interested in the IT's depots than its equipment and operations and that a TP&W layout was more compatible with my interests and available time. So last summer I decided to go back to my original plan and build a TP&W layout. I am very excited to run trains of covered hoppers and modern boxcars pulled by red-and-white Alco diesels. Someday I may build a small IT layout or diorama, but for now the depot will remain a display model.
