In early August 2020 a friend took me up to Galena to which was the first time since 2009 I have been in the area. However before 2009 Dad took ust Galena in the 1990's. In the 1990s while i liked trains I had no clue about abandonments, old depots or mergers. I didn't start getting into history about lines til 2008. I had not idea about the Elizabeth depot til a few years ago actually.
Speed time ahead to 2020 we visit Elizabeth and look for the depot. It is now a Chicago Great Western Railroad museum. It was closed probably due to the weekend or Covid. I took many pictures of the depot, and a Milwaukee Road caboose on display here as well as the milepost markers. It was fun and a nearby elevator could have been served by the line at one time. I guess a road passed over the right of way by the depot but it was since filled in.
Elizabeth CGW depot:
The Milwaukee Road Caboose:
Mile post markers, and ROW:
Now onto some brief history on the Chicago Great Western Railway. The Railway line was completed by 1888 as part of the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad before becoming the Chicago Great Western in 1892. The railroad struggled on and off but survived until 1968 when it merged with the Chicago & Northwestern. The CNW started abandoning the line soon after. The line was abandoned in 1971 and the tracks were pulled from Galena Junction to Byron in 1972.
The depot at Elizabeth was built about 1877-78. I imagine passenger trains ceased by the 1960's if not sooner.
Map of Elizabeth 1936:
Elizabeth 1893 map
Notice it had a Stock yard down the track from the depot.
Another place of interest I have not been to myself yet but some has is the Winston tunnel which is nine miles west of Elizabeth also in Jo Daviess County, Illinois.
Winston Tunnel:
The tunnel was completed by the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad in 1888. It is located 152 miles west of Chicago. Due to rugged terrain engineers when building this line realized a tunnel would be need to be built. The construction started in 1887 and over 350 men worked by hand to dig through and construct through unstable shale and it took nine months. One man was killed and the cost exceeded expectations.
The tunnel in its entire history provided to be a constant nuisance to the CGW. The shale was unstable, ground water seepage was a problem and the isolation of the tunnel made repairs costly and frequent. The tunnel was originally braced by wooden beam when it opened in 1888. By 1902 they were replaced by brick and reinforced concrete. It had to be reconstructed several times during the years of 1912, 1918,1944 and 1947.
Another problem was poor ventilation and Steam locomotives with their smoke made it difficult. By 1912 the CGW was forced to install a huge fan, powered by a diesel motor and was staffed by operators day and night. The fan house was constructed by 1916 and was abandoned in 1947 since CGW started using diesel locomotives instead of Steam.
Due to constant burdens the railroad tried several times to rid themselves of it and wanted to reroute but this provide far more expensive for them. The merger with the Chicago & Northwestern in 1968 sealed the tunnels fate. Due to several factors as well as the tunnel burden the CNW opted to abandon the line. The last train through the tunnel was in 1971.
The tunnel today still exists but visitors are not encouraged due to multiple dangers including threat of tunnel collapse. The tunnel is gated up and the area nature claimed. The old fan next to the tunnel was demolished in early 2007.
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