Union Pacific
000 Lincoln, IL, Part Two
Union Pacific • Lincoln, Il • Day Seven
If Old Joe’s was the only thing I photographed in Lincoln, I could have left town happy, but there was a lot more.
On our list of Route 66 landmarks, filed under Lincoln, IL was the Lincoln Theater. GPS took us directly there. We parked across the street from the theater, grabbed a few frames and moved on to explore the town.
A set of railroad tracks ran through the center of town. We heard the train coming before the lights of the gate started flashing red and the gate swung down to block the road. A few seconds later, a Union Pacific freight train screamed through town. No slowing down. No stop in Lincoln. We scrambled to grab a few photos, unsure if any would be usable. I got lucky.
Condemned
As I mentioned in my previous post, Lincoln has seen better days, and it was painfully apparent given the blocks of vacant buildings on the outskirts of downtown. It was that area that drew us in. Behind the faded and pealing pain, boarded up storefronts, and No Trespassing signs, the details in the architecture hinted at the buildings’ past beauty.
This section of town wasn’t a complete picture of town overall, and not in any way like the people we met.
Open
While we were photographing our way back to the car, still in one of the depressed blocks, we were stopped by a young couple out for a walk with their baby and dog. The woman asked us what brought us to Lincoln. We told her of course about our Route 66 photo trip. She lit up like a Christmas Tree. Route 66, we found, was a great ice breaker.
Our new friend was a huge advocate for Lincoln. She pointed us to the nicer sections of downtown where, she told us, she and her husband owned businesses. She suggested a place to grab a coffee and bagel, and a great restaurant for a sit-down breakfast. We were keen on the breakfast place and were very grateful for the suggestion.
Christmas Front
Mama’s Arcade Cafe was at near capacity when we got there. We took one of the two open tables near the back. Rick asked our middle-aged waitress, “Are you Mama?” She chuckled, “No, Mama’s in the kitchen, where she always is.” Somehow, knowing our breakfast was going to be cooked by Mama herself made it taste even better already.
In between bites we chatted a bit with our waitress and a couple customers who were curious about our cameras and our story.
In the background, we could hear someone occasionally yell something into the kitchen.
Skull and Bones
As we were wrapping up and paying tour bill, a fellow customer popped by our table and said, “Hey guys, on your way out, pop your head into the kitchen and yell, “Thanks for the breakfast, Mama!”
We did. And with that, we left feeling like locals.
000 About This Series
From April 12 through April 20, 2025, I was on a Route 66 Photography Adventure (The Trip) with three good friends and like minded photographers. This series is recap of The Trip in stories and images.
All of the images were shot on that historic road or within a couple of miles of it. Neither the images nor stories are necessarily presented in chronological order.
Enjoying the series? Drop a comment.