This October I will be traveling 1200 miles to Rochelle and back. What are some suggested stops along the way. (i.e. train museums, hot spots) have not got a travel plan yet so anything is fair game. I will be going from NE Georgia to Rochelle so what are some things in between? Some good info on Rochelle is also welcomed.
Thanks in advance.
If you’ve not yet been (since it’s sorta close to you) stop by the Tennessee Valley museum in Chattanooga, well worth it. Not sure if that would be on your route.
There is a train museum in Monticello, IL which may be on your way.
But you really need to make sure to plan a visit to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union. IIRC, it’s only about an hour (to the northeast) of Rochelle. It’ll be out of the way for you, but definately worth the visit.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Yeah, I have been to the Tennessee Valley museum once right after I got my new digital camera. I took 80 pictures and lost everyone of 'em trying to get them on my computer. Where planning on stopping by there again. I’m not really into the historical stuff but I love that NS mainline on the hill right beside it.
I’ll check into the other two places. Do they have a website?
Hey Lance, here’s the IRM site-
and the Monticello site-
Thank you, Brian. I will be stopping at these two for sure!
Are mondays slow at Rochelle like most other places or is it about the same as any other time?
I couldn’t tell you myself, but I bet if you PM’ed Carl (CShaveRR) with that question he’d be able to answer it quite well, as he works in Proviso.
Last time I went in 2005 I saw 50 in just 14 hours. That day was on a Sunday. There were two slow times. Around 10:30-12:30 and 4:00-6:00. Both times were due to Metra in Chicago.
Note: There are more UP trains than BNSF.
Kevin
Will do.
Thanks.
Well, there are no guarantees. I still remember being depressed all evening about a year ago after reading on this site an anguished letter from a young Australian woman who spent a day at Rochelle and saw . . . nothing. No movement at all.
In lieu of a “real” getaway vacation my partner and I treated ourselves to three nights at the Comfort Inn in Rochelle, which is a block north of the east-west street that eventually leads to I-39. We had a ten percent discount on our rooms (does anyone still give out that green business card?); but being Triple-A members would have gotten us the same deal. AARP too, is my hunch, but I don’t know for sure. The incusion of a very
Railfan1 check out the Kentucky Railway Musuem www.kyrail.org the first three weekends in Oct. are steam weekends L&N K2a class pacific 152 will be running. If you come on a Saturday stop by the shop, like to meet you. Say Al what you doing up so early on a Monday?
Dale
. . . why do I keep cutting myself off? Anyway, since I am haunted by a posting from that young Australian woman a year or two ago who budgeted all day for to see the trains at Rochelle, and found absolutely nothing, I thought I’d offer a diversion or two. Rochelle is famed for its frequency, but gaps do indeed happen. Just to let you know.
There are times people get so frustrated with a Rochelle dry spell they leave to go find some other railroading. Knowledgeable people from Rockford know how the short lines up there work, but those lines get only a few trains a day; so unless you know that environment well IMHO it’s well enough to leave that hour-long trip alone. One time-enhancer is to drive into DeKalb (about 20 mi. east); you’ll parallel the UP tracks and will be able to see any UP action that there is – including trains blocking DeKalb’s main street!. DeKalb is a state university town so if you’re of a mind to, you’ll find some trendish cafes and bookstores downtown that don’t exist in more workaday Rochelle. [Nonetheless I want to put in a “plug” for downtown Rochelle: this is one town center that hasn’t succumbed to blight or the plasticization of mall-like chain stores. A good “tavern row,” too, if you’re of a mind to. [:D] ]
Further to the north and east, the continued suburban - exurban creep draws ever closer . . . in fact the north end of DeKalb basically now flows into Sycamore and then you’re tied into Chicagoland. To the west and south, though, you are really out on the prairie here – the motorist will notice in particular a paucity of services on I-39 as it heads northward from Bloomington-Normal to Rochelle and parts north.
But there are options. For the closest thing to guaranteed movement on the tracks, if
When the Illinois Rail Museum indicates that “the grounds are open” on a specific day what that means is that the outdoor exhibits can be viewed, but the car barns are not accessable. As most of their really good exhibits are in the barns, that is a problem. Nevertheless, the amount of stuff they have outside is probably greater than most museums have in total.