| ICG GP38-2 9625, on the wye at Paducah, Kentucky, June 25, 1986, photo by Chuck Zeiler. Built in December 1974 (c/n 74646-26) it eventually became IC 9625, was rebuilt and repainted to CN colors by NRE, Capreol, Ontario, Canada between May 2007-August 2008. It was named RICHARD COBDEN. Who the heck was he? I looked him up, and here's what I got: The Illinois Central Railroad is responsible for the development of Cobden, Illinois. When the town was laid out in 1857, it was called South Pass, but during the next year Sir Richard Cobden, an English statesman who was a stockholder in the railroad, visited the United States and spent some time riding the rails. His enthusiasm for the locale of South Pass and the warmth of the people he found there were so great that the local residents agreed to change the name of the town to Cobden. Cobden developed into a spectacular fruit and vegetable distribution center. Several box and crate factories were built to provide shipping cartons for the great quantities of produce. Nearly from its beginning, Cobden shipped thousands of dollars worth of fruit and vegetables to northern markets. The Peoples Fruit and Vegetable Shippers Association constructed a large market in 1934. Although the quantity and variety of fruits and vegetables are much less in the Cobden area today, peaches and apples are plentiful in season. An annual Peach Festival, complete with the coronation of a queen, is held during August. The Cobden museum on the main street contains much memorabilia of Union County. |