Where is this Crossing? - Trains Magazine

CPGP60

I don't know the territory at all, so I suggest you see what info as to location can be provided by either Deggesty or samfp1943, and/ or maybe someone else. 

- Paul North. 

Paul!;

            You're killing an old man's memory. I am in the middle of a brain cell resurection out here!  I am waking up brain cells that have not been worked very hard for several years...And we're looking back 60 years, more or less, and I have no CLIFF"S NOTES to refer back on.

     Grenada, Ms.  Up until the late 1950's and  60's and 70's when Mississippi was building the I-55 HWY. The Ic was a pretty much straight shot through the Grenada area. North of town was a JCT for the line that came down From Jackson, Tn. through  Water Valley, Bruce (Hardwood Flooring Co.) Coffeeville to Jct.

Hwy 51 was the Eastern boundary for locals ( mre or less) of the Mississippi River's Delta to Jackson , and Hwy 61 was parallel to the East bank of the Mississippi River all the way to Vicksburg and then on to Baton Rouge.  Hwy 7 came down from the Area of Ripley (?) Holly Springs  and on to Grenada It junctioned with Hwy 51 nort of Grenada about where the railroad junct was. and the went kinda in a southwesterly direction where it junctioned with Ms Rt 8 west of the Grenada area several miles.

Looking at the Google Maps. The Highways have all been rerouted and changed with 7 being routed down    I- 55. So when it comes to the "Famous Billups Crossing all the geography has changed.  So in my original post my location was off (It was North, Not South of town)

During the 40's,50's and 60's Billups was a name known well thoughout that area of the Mid-South. They were an Independent Petroleum Supplier ( on the cheap side of retail, as opposed to the "Major" Oil Cos.

They were usually a few cents cheaper than the others, they sold their motor oil in glass jars with a tin spout, and when you were a teenager, cheap was good. ( gas was somewhere south of .25c a gallon)  So I suspect that the Billups Family errected the sign as a public service and a really good advertising ploy (60 years later we're still talking about it!

So as a disclaimer...As previously statedmy memory may not be 100% but I think I am in the ballpark and if anyone else can add or correct details...

I'll now yield to Johnny who probably has a better take on this than I.

PLEASE, Please, DO!  And Thanks, in advance

ADD NOTE:  Guys; While looking at this subject I found a link that I feel Johnny and probably Greyhounds will enjoy going through, and its varied links will be a resource for others here: 

It's called TOM"S CLOSET and is part of a larger body of Illinois Central centered Info that should be of interest to this group.