Due to size restrictions of the TH-cam description file, we'll put the additional acknowledgements in the comments section. We'd like to thank the Elizabeth Historical Society and Gerry Spear for their help in producing this video. Their Railway Museum is a gem and we'd highly recommend it to our viewers. We'd also like to thank David Scharenberg and Bob Williams for generously providing us with additional photos and images that added to the video narrative. It is much appreciated!
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, agreed. There are multiple locations along the former CGW where local farmers and landowners have preserved a piece of the railway, such as at Clare, at Egan, at Woodbine, and others. Even though the condition is not great for some, it is far better than the alternative of no longer existing. So we, like you, applaud these people.
Thanks again for watching and commenting! Yes, we too believe that it's important to catalogue these sites and the remaining infrastructure. it disappears year over year - and so it needs to be documented and described. Thanks again!
One of the 2 mile marker posts that are standing to the South of the Elizabeth Depot was my son’s school buddy’s Eagle Scout project. The mile marker was from an area just west of German Valley and somehow survived being intact through the years. Most of them have been broken, buried or hauled away. Unbeknownst to me I was volunteered to haul it on my trailer to the place it is now. I was told they needed my trailer that day. I did not have any Idea what I was hauling. So when we showed up to where it was and I started talking to the kids dad I found out it was an old Great Western post. Zoom full circle. I grew up in Sycamore and remember the waning days of the railroad and it has been a fond memory of mine. What an awesome experience to help that young man donate his time to help restore and install that precious piece of history. Now some years later you have made this wonderful series about the railroad. Thank you for the hard work that you have put into this gem.
Thanks for much for the kind words and especially for sharing your story in the preservation of one of CGW's artifacts and reminders. That's great - a fantastic and memorable project. I don't believe we saw that marker while at Elizabeth, so we'll need to make a point of stopping along there the next time we drive through the area. Thanks again for sharing that!
Because of this video, just today I stopped shortly to see Elizabeth & Woodbine depot on my way into Chicago from Dubuque on a day-trip for work. I'll have to stop by Elizabeth depot on a day I have time, but thank you for making this series! My next stop I'm planning will be Winston tunnel, once hunting season is over.
Thanks for commenting - and for sharing your visit to Elizabeth and Woodbine. Yes, Elizabeth depot is very much worth the visit. You can easily spend a few hours there, if not several. Thanks again!
Really enjoy the videos of old train depots. Glad some are still standing. Sad that so many are gone. It would be nice if the Woodbine depot could be restored some. I like when old depots are restored to what they originally looked like. I don't really like when they modernize them.
Thanks for watching our videos and commenting! We appreciate it. Yes, agreed that it is very nice to see some of these 130+ year old buildings still surviving to the present day. Even better to see a few of them nicely restored, such as at Elizabeth and Elmhurst. Thx again!
Thank you very much for watching and commenting! We are very glad that you are enjoying the series and the material. We try to get as much footage as we can at these various sites to show things from multiple angles - so that viewers get a good sense of every site. Hoping that our future videos continue to be as interesting to you. Thanks again!
Very glad that you enjoyed this video! Thank you for watching and leaving a comment! The Jo Daviess story of the Chicago Great Western is indeed one of the most compelling parts of its history. Thanks again!
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Yes, fully agreed. Each of these communities has their own story to tell. We find the Wild West period in Illinois (early 1800s) to be particularly fascinating. Thanks again!
Thank you for watching, commenting, and the support! We are very glad that you enjoyed it - and hope that we can hold your interest in future segments!
@@BeHistoric eagerly awaiting the Winston Tunnel and Galena Junction segments. I've hiked to the tunnel a few years ago. Amazing place. Too bad it couldn't be reopened for foot traffic.
Ach! Yet another great and informative video from you guys. Much appreciate the time you take to make these, and looking forward to future videos. Well done!
The Elizabeth depot just got added to my list of places that I need to visit. Wow, what a wonderful building. Another great episode. I'm definitely looking forward to you guys covering the Winston Tunnel!!!
Thanks for the kind words and for watching! We very much appreciate it! The Elizabeth Museum is definiitely worth visiting and exploring. Even without all of the artifacts and materials in the museum, just seeing the interior of one of these buildings is very interesting. We especially enjoyed all of the photos and pictures lining every wall and shelf, many of which we had never seen before. Thanks again!
The tracks followed Highway 20 west of Woodbine for a distance before following the north side of the Terrapin ridge to Elizabeth. Some of the grade is still visible.
Thanks for commenting! And thank you too for that observation. Yes, you can still see the grade level at various places between Woodbine and Elizabeth.
Once again you have created a delightful historic documentary on railroads of northern Illinois ! They way you present the history and backstory of these places is just wonderful, I haven't found anything thing like these on line . I think any PBS station would happy to air any of your productions . I look forward to more of your presentations, you folks are the best !
Wow! Thank you for the extraordinary compliment! What a nice thing to say! Very glad that you are enjoying this series and our channel. If PBS were to contact us, we'd definitely take their call - but we're not holding our breath. :-) We do enjoy the autonomy and freedom of picking topics of our choosing and saying what we like (responsibily), without anyone looking over our shoulders, except our viewers, of course.
28:57 CGW had only two FP7s. This is one of them. The other was 116C, which was wrecked/destroyed. 116A would be renumbered as CNW 217. In 1978 I caught 217 leading an F3B at Minneapolis jct. Mn. 217/116A is at the Hub City museum.
Another enjoyable video. You are now getting into my neck of the woods.I was happy to see that the Woodbine station still survives, but a bit sad to see that it wasn't in better condition. I've visited the Elizabeth Depot Museum. Magical is an understatement. The Elizabeth Historcal Society did a great job of restoring the building. I was amazed at how much they have in the building without it seeming to be crowded. I can't recomend it enough as a must see place. As you are getting closer to Dubuque you are drivng along some of the most scenic views that Highway 20 has to offer. Sadly, once you get past Elizabeth, not much is left of the CGW route except for the Winston Tunnel & the IC bridge & tracks that the CGW used to enter Dubuque. There is a small bit of track near where the Interstate Power electric plant stood that was track used by the CGW to get to where the station stood but is now mostly where US 61 & !151 run. Looking forward, as always, to your next video.
Thanks for the kind words and very glad that you are enjoying the videos! Fully agreed regarding the Elizabeth Museum. We tip our hat to the Elizabeth Historical Society and to the village of Elizabeth for preserving and restoring the depot - and then converting it into a fascinating museum. They've done an outstanding job of it. We already done recording to the west of Elizabeth - even some of the Winston Tunnel, although we have more trips to make (as is typical as we rarely get everything we want to do or see in a single visit). There are a few surprises forthcoming, we think. We are looking forward to the Dubuque area, as we have some extended family in that region - and so are already somewhat familiar with the history and terrain. Thanks again for watching and supporting our channel!
Thank you for another fascinating video in your series on Chicago Great Western Railroad depots. I enjoyed the historical information about Woodbine, Illinois. The historical information about Elziabeth (Apple Valley), Illinois and the Black Hawk Indian War on 1832 was information that I was not aware of. There is no additional information in the book, "Chicago Great Western: Depots Along the Corn Belt Route" by Joe Piersen and Jerry Huddleston that you did not cover in this video. The railroad museum in the Chicago Great Western Depot in Elizabeth, Illinois looks like a wonderful place to visit. The tour that you gave us of the Depot was informative.
Thanks for watching and the kind words! We are very glad that you enjoyed the video! Glad too that we were able to cover most of the historical material regarding these sites. There is still much to be known about these places - but there is often only limited documentation available. We find a great deal in local newspapers, especially in rural communities, where events and news at the railroad station were more typically covered by the local press. There is also some very good information in the early Chicago Great Western corporate statements, regarding expenses and major projects at various points along the railway line. It takes time to piece it all together, however. Thanks again for the continued support of the channel!
Ok it's already enough that you're feeding my ferroequinologist and CGW nerd needs but then you just had to go and just force that like out of me with a Doctor Who reference....well played. 🙂 Passed through Elizabeth shortly after the caboose was added and me and my railfan buddies just groaned seeing an obviously Milwaukee Road rib side caboose painted as a CGW bay window caboose. In May of 2009 my late wife and I did an anniversary trip to Galena and we get out of our hotel Saturday morning and hop into her vehicle with me fully expecting a left turn into town but instead she turns right heading away from town. When I asked about the heading out of town she simply oh like I didn't see you checking out that CGW museum back in Elizabeth, I'm sure I don't have to twist your arm but the first thing we're doing this weekend is going to that museum. I enjoyed the museum, found a few out of print CGW publications in the gift shop and she started an obsession with collecting railroad code line insulators that would last the remaining 4 years she was with me with several insulators harvested off the old ROW.
Thanks for watching and glad that you enjoyed the video! The Tardis was the first thing we thought of when entering the building - it truly feels bigger on the inside than it appears from the outside. Perhaps the high 12' ceilings are part of that feeling. Glad too tha t you and your wife had a chance to check out that museum. Sounds like that visit triggered a nice insulator hobby and collection for her and you as well. Thanks again for sharing your experiences with the museum. It's a real treasure. Hopt that they can keep it going.
What a magnificent museum! I took a trip out there about 10 years ago but unfortunately was there on a day the museum was closed. It was a great trip nonetheless, having discovered not one but two depots. Thanks for a great video!
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, it's an excellent museum and very much worth seeing. On our first trip, the museum was closed - but we managed to explore around the museum and ROW. On our second or third trip, we arranged to get a tour of the museum, as the weekend hours were no longer in season. And you are right - two depots to see within perhaps 20 minutes of driving - hard to go wrong there.
Fantastic video, really enjoy your series. Depot Museum looks awesome. I want to visit from New Orleans for 43 years after graduating from UW-Platteville.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Yes, the museum is an outstanding and very interesting location to visit in the Elizabeth area. Would highly recommend!
Due to size restrictions of the TH-cam description file, we'll put the SFX CREDITS for this video in the comments section. Sound FX in the video include the following, where FS = www.freesound.org - Steam Whistle (71778) by Bidone (FS) - Stone Grind (232102) by thalamus lab (FS) License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ - construction bulldozer diesel (165199) by rincewind87 (FS) - Railway Construction FX: - Excavation by gerardhadders (FS) - Bat hitting by mzoern1 (FS) - Anvil Hit 2 by michorvath (FS) - Battle FX includes: - arrow whoosh (50773) by smcameron (FS) and CW Battle ends in Victory (162627) by richardemoore (FS) license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ - aaronsiler musket 2 (128978) by aaronsiler (FS) license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ - Musket Shot (234869) by mlsulli (FS) - Native Americans and Horses (479551) by craigsmith (FS) - Arrow cutting through the air (527435) by bruno.auzet (FS) - Old Musket Bang (538795) by bruno.auzet (FS) - Rifle Musket Fire Volley (YAL) - People Screaming in agony when charging into battle (563011) by florianreichelt (FS) - arrow (574044) by thecrow_br (FS)
Terrific video!! I've visited the Elizabeth station on trips to Dubuque. It's just a turn off Route 20 and worth the stop. I did NOT know about the Woodbine station. It needs work but can be rehabbed.
Thanks for commenting and for watching the video! Yes, the Woodbine station is a pleasant surprise - and just a short distance from the ROW, which can be easily inspected as well. It's not too far from Elizabeth - so easily reached. Thanks again!
Thanks for commenting! Yes, that building does look interesting. We did not have time to investigate that building the few days we visited the site. Perhaps someone who lives in the Elizabeth area may know and comment.
Since you mentioned that building, I saw it is not on the plat map in the video-near the old stock yard, and it's not mentioned on the Railroad Station Historical Society website. Very interesting though, maybe a former scale house
Hello i like what i have seen so far on your video's but i would like to add to your part 10.I know you turned to see the concret bridge enbankment but if you had gone on on us 20 on your left is the rightaway and poles of the railroad were still there.I am a railroad buff of sort's and in our many travels on U.S. 20 i make sure i look to see the pole's on the old right of way.Thank you very much. Paul of Rockford
Ah, that's very interesting! Thank you for sharing your observations. We will need to check that out on our next trip along US20. Are you referring to the area west of Stockton? Or west of Elizabeth? Thanks again!
West of Stockton, on the left hand side before going up the hill on U.S. 20.also west of Woodbine on U.S. 20 you can still see the old right of way of the Chicago Great Western on the right hand side going west.And if i can in your St Charles video the old bridge across the Fox River at one time there was a old sign on it saying it was the Chicago Great western line above the Illinios 31 highway.I want to tell yo i am very intrested in the Great Weastern line and i like seeing the old right away.Thank you very much for e-mailing me back.I look farward to keep on watching you video's they are very good.Paul Carter@@BeHistoric
Hello this is Paul again,i am sorry to bother you again but i want to tell you my wife and i were on U.S. 29 agin this past Sat. and were heading to Woodbine to visit a nice store in town and on our way i looked to the left heading west andto see if i could see the pole i told you about but there was nothing but tree's there so it was hard to see if the pole's were still there or not.I hope so.Thank you again paul@@BeHistoric
Hi Paul, no problem at all. Thanks for this additional information. We will definitely look for this line of utility poles along the former ROW, beyond Stockton and Woodbine. As you say, the old utility poles were an excellent marker for the former trackway. They are easy to miss, as we tend to erase them from the landscape, since we see them so often everywhere. And so this information is quite useful to us. Thanks again!
You are very welcome.Thank you very much for writeing me back.Like i told you it is hard to see them from the highway now because of all of the tree's that have grown there now.Nothing wrong with tree's but it is hard to see the pole's now.And in the other message i sent to you both about the CGW sign on the Fox river bridge in St. Charles,it has been gone for a while,can not tell you for how long.I wonder what happened to it.I hope it was saved.Again thank you very much and take care to the both of you.Paul@@BeHistoric
CGW should have merged with the Erie to New York. Or the KCS to New Orleans. But the idea was to get rid of competition. C&NW pulled alot of dirty tricks to get rid of competition. Getting rid of competition so rates can be raised. Part of the reason we had inflation until this year. If you read outstanding performance of the stock market you know it's from no competition to drive down rates. Dow just hit 40,000 the other day.
Thanks for commenting! Do you mean the outbuilding behind the Woodbine depot? Unfortunately, many of these remaining artifacts are decaying right before our very eyes. There is an urgency to documenting these sites as they are disappearing. Thanks again for your support!
@@BeHistoric the street goes east and west so it was a small outbuilding right to the east of it il get another pic when i make the no leaves trip so il be able to see in the woods
In 1973 I was riding the Amtrak Blackhawk train back and forth to Chicago. I worked in Dubuque for the C&NW at the Fairgrounds yard. Amtrak with a little help from the Federal Government could have bought the CGW all the way to Chicago for nothing! Instead cause Iowa would not pay a dime to help continue the train. It came off. 50 years have past. And the idea of a passenger train to Dubuque has not passed. Illinois. Has announced it will run Metra service as far as Rockford with Metra many trains a day. Iowa remains remains in the hands of anti passenger rail people in Des Moines. This will change too over time. South Freeport could have been free and SAFE parking. Just think what will be spent bringing train service back on the now Canadian National RR former IC. But the highway lobby has so far controlled the transportation policy for the country. Illinois has upgraded the Saint Louis corridor for 110mph again in places. Long term plans are Galesburg to Quad Cities route too. The station for the Moline service is there put up by private funding with a popular hotel over it paying the bills.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts regarding this former railroad - and what it could have become. We were not aware that Amtrak or Metra was interested in this line. It is a shame that it wasn't preserved, as rail passenger service between Illinois and Iowa would be a good thing. We've lost too many passenger routes over the past century. As the rest of the world has demonstrated, railroad transportation is an efficient, green, and excellent way to travel, a very viable alternative to automobies and flying. But for most places in the US, railroad travel is simply no longer available. It's unfortunate. Thanks again for commenting!
Due to size restrictions of the TH-cam description file, we'll put the additional acknowledgements in the comments section. We'd like to thank the Elizabeth Historical Society and Gerry Spear for their help in producing this video. Their Railway Museum is a gem and we'd highly recommend it to our viewers. We'd also like to thank David Scharenberg and Bob Williams for generously providing us with additional photos and images that added to the video narrative. It is much appreciated!
The farmers and buisiness owners who buy old interurban and railroad structures are unsung heros, as many historic buildings survive because of them.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, agreed. There are multiple locations along the former CGW where local farmers and landowners have preserved a piece of the railway, such as at Clare, at Egan, at Woodbine, and others. Even though the condition is not great for some, it is far better than the alternative of no longer existing. So we, like you, applaud these people.
Well they were all business buildings. Too bad in this country we wait until everything is gone then try to restore some of it. Somehow.
Such important, but all but forgotten, history. Thank you for it's catalogue.
Thanks again for watching and commenting! Yes, we too believe that it's important to catalogue these sites and the remaining infrastructure. it disappears year over year - and so it needs to be documented and described. Thanks again!
One of the 2 mile marker posts that are standing to the South of the Elizabeth Depot was my son’s school buddy’s Eagle Scout project. The mile marker was from an area just west of German Valley and somehow survived being intact through the years. Most of them have been broken, buried or hauled away. Unbeknownst to me I was volunteered to haul it on my trailer to the place it is now. I was told they needed my trailer that day. I did not have any Idea what I was hauling. So when we showed up to where it was and I started talking to the kids dad I found out it was an old Great Western post. Zoom full circle. I grew up in Sycamore and remember the waning days of the railroad and it has been a fond memory of mine. What an awesome experience to help that young man donate his time to help restore and install that precious piece of history. Now some years later you have made this wonderful series about the railroad. Thank you for the hard work that you have put into this gem.
Thanks for much for the kind words and especially for sharing your story in the preservation of one of CGW's artifacts and reminders. That's great - a fantastic and memorable project. I don't believe we saw that marker while at Elizabeth, so we'll need to make a point of stopping along there the next time we drive through the area. Thanks again for sharing that!
Because of this video, just today I stopped shortly to see Elizabeth & Woodbine depot on my way into Chicago from Dubuque on a day-trip for work. I'll have to stop by Elizabeth depot on a day I have time, but thank you for making this series! My next stop I'm planning will be Winston tunnel, once hunting season is over.
Thanks for commenting - and for sharing your visit to Elizabeth and Woodbine. Yes, Elizabeth depot is very much worth the visit. You can easily spend a few hours there, if not several. Thanks again!
Really enjoy the videos of old train depots. Glad some are still standing. Sad that so many are gone. It would be nice if the Woodbine depot could be restored some. I like when old depots are restored to what they originally looked like. I don't really like when they modernize them.
Thanks for watching our videos and commenting! We appreciate it. Yes, agreed that it is very nice to see some of these 130+ year old buildings still surviving to the present day. Even better to see a few of them nicely restored, such as at Elizabeth and Elmhurst. Thx again!
Thank you for your continued video contributions. Those of us who love trains but don't get out much anymore are particularly pleased.
Thank you very much for watching and commenting! We are very glad that you are enjoying the series and the material. We try to get as much footage as we can at these various sites to show things from multiple angles - so that viewers get a good sense of every site. Hoping that our future videos continue to be as interesting to you. Thanks again!
I am impressed, You guys are doing an exemplary service by documenting the history of this part of Illinois.
Thank you for watching and for the kind words! Glad that you are enjoying the videos and that they are providing some useful information.
And yet ANOTHER outstanding video!! Really enjoying this series and the tunnel story just facinated me!! What an intresting story!!
Very glad that you enjoyed this video! Thank you for watching and leaving a comment! The Jo Daviess story of the Chicago Great Western is indeed one of the most compelling parts of its history. Thanks again!
Fantastic video with great pictures and facts. All of your videos are so professional done. A must watch for any Chicago Great Western fan!
Thanks very much for watching and for the kind words! Thanks for supporting our channel!
Well done. Every town has the ubiquitous historic society. You bring them to life so well. There are 1000s of stories waiting to be told. Bravo.
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Yes, fully agreed. Each of these communities has their own story to tell. We find the Wild West period in Illinois (early 1800s) to be particularly fascinating. Thanks again!
This series is really fascinating and I am looking forward to more.. This series is really fascinating and I am looking forward to more..
Very glad that you are enjoying the videos and series! Thanks for commenting!
I love how you potray the station moving by having it just grind along the ground, it's just funny for some reason
Thank you for noticing! It seemed like the thing to do.
I've often wondered about the CGW history of this area as I've traveled through from Iowa. I love this series. Thank you.
Thank you for watching, commenting, and the support! We are very glad that you enjoyed it - and hope that we can hold your interest in future segments!
@@BeHistoric eagerly awaiting the Winston Tunnel and Galena Junction segments. I've hiked to the tunnel a few years ago. Amazing place. Too bad it couldn't be reopened for foot traffic.
This series is really fascinating and I am looking forward to more.
Thanks for watching and commenting! We are glad that you are enjoying the series!
Wonderful video series. I really appreciate The fine work you've done. The Elizabeth museum is great, and this is really neat local memories for me.
Thanks very much for the kind words and for watching. Really appreciate it! Glad that you are enjoying it.
Ach! Yet another great and informative video from you guys. Much appreciate the time you take to make these, and looking forward to future videos. Well done!
Thanks very much! Very glad that you enjoyed it - and thanks too for the support! That helps a great deal.
The Elizabeth depot just got added to my list of places that I need to visit. Wow, what a wonderful building.
Another great episode. I'm definitely looking forward to you guys covering the Winston Tunnel!!!
Thanks for the kind words and for watching! We very much appreciate it! The Elizabeth Museum is definiitely worth visiting and exploring. Even without all of the artifacts and materials in the museum, just seeing the interior of one of these buildings is very interesting. We especially enjoyed all of the photos and pictures lining every wall and shelf, many of which we had never seen before. Thanks again!
The tracks followed Highway 20 west of Woodbine for a distance before following the north side of the Terrapin ridge to Elizabeth. Some of the grade is still visible.
Thanks for commenting! And thank you too for that observation. Yes, you can still see the grade level at various places between Woodbine and Elizabeth.
On Google Earth I noticed that huge fill just west of the golf course in sight from the highway
Once again you have created a delightful historic documentary on railroads of northern Illinois ! They way you present the history and backstory of these places is just wonderful, I haven't found anything thing like these on line . I think any PBS station would happy to air any of your productions . I look forward to more of your presentations, you folks are the best !
Wow! Thank you for the extraordinary compliment! What a nice thing to say! Very glad that you are enjoying this series and our channel. If PBS were to contact us, we'd definitely take their call - but we're not holding our breath. :-) We do enjoy the autonomy and freedom of picking topics of our choosing and saying what we like (responsibily), without anyone looking over our shoulders, except our viewers, of course.
28:57
CGW had only two FP7s. This is one of them. The other was 116C, which was wrecked/destroyed.
116A would be renumbered as CNW 217.
In 1978 I caught 217 leading an F3B at Minneapolis jct. Mn.
217/116A is at the Hub City museum.
Ah, very interesting! Thanks for that additional information! That is good background for the Hub City museum FP7. Thanks again!
Another enjoyable video. You are now getting into my neck of the woods.I was happy to see that the Woodbine station still survives, but a bit sad to see that it wasn't in better condition.
I've visited the Elizabeth Depot Museum. Magical is an understatement. The Elizabeth Historcal Society did a great job of restoring the building. I was amazed at how much they have in the building without it seeming to be crowded. I can't recomend it enough as a must see place.
As you are getting closer to Dubuque you are drivng along some of the most scenic views that Highway 20 has to offer. Sadly, once you get past Elizabeth, not much is left of the CGW route except for the Winston Tunnel & the IC bridge & tracks that the CGW used to enter Dubuque. There is a small bit of track near where the Interstate Power electric plant stood that was track used by the CGW to get to where the station stood but is now mostly where US 61 & !151 run.
Looking forward, as always, to your next video.
Thanks for the kind words and very glad that you are enjoying the videos! Fully agreed regarding the Elizabeth Museum. We tip our hat to the Elizabeth Historical Society and to the village of Elizabeth for preserving and restoring the depot - and then converting it into a fascinating museum. They've done an outstanding job of it.
We already done recording to the west of Elizabeth - even some of the Winston Tunnel, although we have more trips to make (as is typical as we rarely get everything we want to do or see in a single visit). There are a few surprises forthcoming, we think. We are looking forward to the Dubuque area, as we have some extended family in that region - and so are already somewhat familiar with the history and terrain.
Thanks again for watching and supporting our channel!
Thank you for another fascinating video in your series on Chicago Great Western Railroad depots. I enjoyed the historical information about Woodbine, Illinois. The historical information about Elziabeth (Apple Valley), Illinois and the Black Hawk Indian War on 1832 was information that I was not aware of. There is no additional information in the book, "Chicago Great Western: Depots Along the Corn Belt Route" by Joe Piersen and Jerry Huddleston that you did not cover in this video. The railroad museum in the Chicago Great Western Depot in Elizabeth, Illinois looks like a wonderful place to visit. The tour that you gave us of the Depot was informative.
Thanks for watching and the kind words! We are very glad that you enjoyed the video! Glad too that we were able to cover most of the historical material regarding these sites. There is still much to be known about these places - but there is often only limited documentation available. We find a great deal in local newspapers, especially in rural communities, where events and news at the railroad station were more typically covered by the local press. There is also some very good information in the early Chicago Great Western corporate statements, regarding expenses and major projects at various points along the railway line. It takes time to piece it all together, however. Thanks again for the continued support of the channel!
Ok it's already enough that you're feeding my ferroequinologist and CGW nerd needs but then you just had to go and just force that like out of me with a Doctor Who reference....well played. 🙂
Passed through Elizabeth shortly after the caboose was added and me and my railfan buddies just groaned seeing an obviously Milwaukee Road rib side caboose painted as a CGW bay window caboose. In May of 2009 my late wife and I did an anniversary trip to Galena and we get out of our hotel Saturday morning and hop into her vehicle with me fully expecting a left turn into town but instead she turns right heading away from town. When I asked about the heading out of town she simply oh like I didn't see you checking out that CGW museum back in Elizabeth, I'm sure I don't have to twist your arm but the first thing we're doing this weekend is going to that museum.
I enjoyed the museum, found a few out of print CGW publications in the gift shop and she started an obsession with collecting railroad code line insulators that would last the remaining 4 years she was with me with several insulators harvested off the old ROW.
Thanks for watching and glad that you enjoyed the video! The Tardis was the first thing we thought of when entering the building - it truly feels bigger on the inside than it appears from the outside. Perhaps the high 12' ceilings are part of that feeling. Glad too tha t you and your wife had a chance to check out that museum. Sounds like that visit triggered a nice insulator hobby and collection for her and you as well. Thanks again for sharing your experiences with the museum. It's a real treasure. Hopt that they can keep it going.
What a magnificent museum! I took a trip out there about 10 years ago but unfortunately was there on a day the museum was closed. It was a great trip nonetheless, having discovered not one but two depots. Thanks for a great video!
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, it's an excellent museum and very much worth seeing. On our first trip, the museum was closed - but we managed to explore around the museum and ROW. On our second or third trip, we arranged to get a tour of the museum, as the weekend hours were no longer in season. And you are right - two depots to see within perhaps 20 minutes of driving - hard to go wrong there.
Fantastic video, really enjoy your series. Depot Museum looks awesome. I want to visit from New Orleans for 43 years after graduating from UW-Platteville.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Yes, the museum is an outstanding and very interesting location to visit in the Elizabeth area. Would highly recommend!
Due to size restrictions of the TH-cam description file, we'll put the SFX CREDITS for this video in the comments section. Sound FX in the video include the following, where FS = www.freesound.org
- Steam Whistle (71778) by Bidone (FS)
- Stone Grind (232102) by thalamus lab (FS)
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
- construction bulldozer diesel (165199) by rincewind87 (FS)
- Railway Construction FX:
- Excavation by gerardhadders (FS)
- Bat hitting by mzoern1 (FS)
- Anvil Hit 2 by michorvath (FS)
- Battle FX includes:
- arrow whoosh (50773) by smcameron (FS) and
CW Battle ends in Victory (162627) by richardemoore (FS)
license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
- aaronsiler musket 2 (128978) by aaronsiler (FS)
license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Musket Shot (234869) by mlsulli (FS)
- Native Americans and Horses (479551) by craigsmith (FS)
- Arrow cutting through the air (527435) by bruno.auzet (FS)
- Old Musket Bang (538795) by bruno.auzet (FS)
- Rifle Musket Fire Volley (YAL)
- People Screaming in agony when charging into battle (563011) by florianreichelt (FS)
- arrow (574044) by thecrow_br (FS)
Terrific video!! I've visited the Elizabeth station on trips to Dubuque. It's just a turn off Route 20 and worth the stop. I did NOT know about the Woodbine station. It needs work but can be rehabbed.
Thanks for commenting and for watching the video! Yes, the Woodbine station is a pleasant surprise - and just a short distance from the ROW, which can be easily inspected as well. It's not too far from Elizabeth - so easily reached. Thanks again!
29:55
That brown building with a red roof looks very railroad-related, in terms of shape.
Thanks for commenting! Yes, that building does look interesting. We did not have time to investigate that building the few days we visited the site. Perhaps someone who lives in the Elizabeth area may know and comment.
Since you mentioned that building, I saw it is not on the plat map in the video-near the old stock yard, and it's not mentioned on the Railroad Station Historical Society website. Very interesting though, maybe a former scale house
Hello i like what i have seen so far on your video's but i would like to add to your part 10.I know you turned to see the concret bridge enbankment but if you had gone on on us 20 on your left is the rightaway and poles of the railroad were still there.I am a railroad buff of sort's and in our many travels on U.S. 20 i make sure i look to see the pole's on the old right of way.Thank you very much. Paul of Rockford
Ah, that's very interesting! Thank you for sharing your observations. We will need to check that out on our next trip along US20. Are you referring to the area west of Stockton? Or west of Elizabeth? Thanks again!
West of Stockton, on the left hand side before going up the hill on U.S. 20.also west of Woodbine on U.S. 20 you can still see the old right of way of the Chicago Great Western on the right hand side going west.And if i can in your St Charles video the old bridge across the Fox River at one time there was a old sign on it saying it was the Chicago Great western line above the Illinios 31 highway.I want to tell yo i am very intrested in the Great Weastern line and i like seeing the old right away.Thank you very much for e-mailing me back.I look farward to keep on watching you video's they are very good.Paul Carter@@BeHistoric
Hello this is Paul again,i am sorry to bother you again but i want to tell you my wife and i were on U.S. 29 agin this past Sat. and were heading to Woodbine to visit a nice store in town and on our way i looked to the left heading west andto see if i could see the pole i told you about but there was nothing but tree's there so it was hard to see if the pole's were still there or not.I hope so.Thank you again paul@@BeHistoric
Hi Paul, no problem at all. Thanks for this additional information. We will definitely look for this line of utility poles along the former ROW, beyond Stockton and Woodbine. As you say, the old utility poles were an excellent marker for the former trackway. They are easy to miss, as we tend to erase them from the landscape, since we see them so often everywhere. And so this information is quite useful to us. Thanks again!
You are very welcome.Thank you very much for writeing me back.Like i told you it is hard to see them from the highway now because of all of the tree's that have grown there now.Nothing wrong with tree's but it is hard to see the pole's now.And in the other message i sent to you both about the CGW sign on the Fox river bridge in St. Charles,it has been gone for a while,can not tell you for how long.I wonder what happened to it.I hope it was saved.Again thank you very much and take care to the both of you.Paul@@BeHistoric
CGW should have merged with the Erie to New York. Or the KCS to New Orleans. But the idea was to get rid of competition. C&NW pulled alot of dirty tricks to get rid of competition. Getting rid of competition so rates can be raised. Part of the reason we had inflation until this year. If you read outstanding performance of the stock market you know it's from no competition to drive down rates. Dow just hit 40,000 the other day.
Thanks for the comment and for watching the video! Very much appreciated!
was there just yesterday .. the outbuilding is fully collapsed now
Thanks for commenting! Do you mean the outbuilding behind the Woodbine depot? Unfortunately, many of these remaining artifacts are decaying right before our very eyes. There is an urgency to documenting these sites as they are disappearing. Thanks again for your support!
@@BeHistoric the street goes east and west so it was a small outbuilding right to the east of it il get another pic when i make the no leaves trip so il be able to see in the woods
In 1973 I was riding the Amtrak Blackhawk train back and forth to Chicago. I worked in Dubuque for the C&NW at the Fairgrounds yard. Amtrak with a little help from the Federal Government could have bought the CGW all the way to Chicago for nothing! Instead cause Iowa would not pay a dime to help continue the train. It came off. 50 years have past. And the idea of a passenger train to Dubuque has not passed. Illinois. Has announced it will run Metra service as far as Rockford with Metra many trains a day. Iowa remains remains in the hands of anti passenger rail people in Des Moines. This will change too over time. South Freeport could have been free and SAFE parking. Just think what will be spent bringing train service back on the now Canadian National RR former IC. But the highway lobby has so far controlled the transportation policy for the country. Illinois has upgraded the Saint Louis corridor for 110mph again in places. Long term plans are Galesburg to Quad Cities route too. The station for the Moline service is there put up by private funding with a popular hotel over it paying the bills.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts regarding this former railroad - and what it could have become. We were not aware that Amtrak or Metra was interested in this line. It is a shame that it wasn't preserved, as rail passenger service between Illinois and Iowa would be a good thing. We've lost too many passenger routes over the past century. As the rest of the world has demonstrated, railroad transportation is an efficient, green, and excellent way to travel, a very viable alternative to automobies and flying. But for most places in the US, railroad travel is simply no longer available. It's unfortunate. Thanks again for commenting!