A collaborative venture between the Illinois Railway Museum, IRM’s Strahorn Library, and the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University has resulted in the “Don’s Depot Rail Photos” website being restored. The original Don’s Depot website was created by the late Don Ross and hosted thousands of railroad, train, and transit photographs until 2023. The restored website, which reflects the appearance of the original site as of February 19, 2023, is hosted by IRM as a tribute to Don at donsdepot.irm.org.
Don Ross was a longtime member of IRM. He joined the organization in the mid-1950s, when it was known as the Illinois Electric Railway Museum, and helped acquire several pieces of equipment including Illinois Terminal 170 and the last interurban sleeping car, Illinois Terminal 504 “Peoria.” He helped locate the present IRM site in Union, McHenry County, and assisted in moving the Museum from its original site in North Chicago. Don was also the first editor of Rail & Wire, the Museum’s newsletter, starting with issue #1 in February 1957. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 90.
The DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University owns Don Ross’s website and photograph collection and assisted Don in preserving these materials in his later years. Don’s collection is now being curated and prepared for digital preservation through the DeGolyer Library.
For general questions regarding the Don’s Depot Rail Photos website and the Illinois Railway Museum:
Strahorn Library at the Illinois Railway Museum
Street address: 118 State Street, Marengo, IL 60152
Mailing address: PO Box 427, Union, IL 60180
Telephone: 815-568-1060
Email: strahorn@irm.org
To order photographs shown on the Don’s Depot Rail Photos website, and for questions regarding the Don Ross Archives at the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, please contact:
Harry Nicholls, DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University
Email: h_k_nicholls@peoplepc.com