I went to Dubuque and back yesterday…long day and 525 miles, but I had a little extra time and took in a few rail sites.
The wig wag crossing signal in Galena is still there. Hopefully one day I will be there when a train passes.
Portage (down by the river) was a little disappointing. A BNSF westbound passed but the scenery wasnt what I expected.
No time to go to Winston Tunnel, perhaps next time.
I caught a WB CN passing thru the tunnel at E Dubuque, I arrived as the last few cars passed thru.
Dubuque Yard was busy with the WB arrival and 2 EB’s ready to go. Unfortunately I had a 2:30 meeting and couldnt go wait for a nice photo exiting the tunnel.
On the return trip, I stopped and noticed that East Cabin is still there. It makes me happy to find a tower or cabin in 2008 that is either in operation or still standing (East is not in use).
Seward, Il has a great depot still standing. The CN Freeport-Rockford local was fueling up (pop and snacks) at the BP while I was there. The crew indicated there are now 2 Chicago trains each way plus the local.
Byron, Il still has some CGW trackage in place. It appears from Google Earth that the CGW line from the ICE eastward is still in place and runs to the nuclear plant. Is that used at all?
Davis Jct had a WB ICE tied down. The crew was catching a taxi to Savanah.
Lets see…four trains, wig wag, cabin, tunnel, CGW trackage, and I found a couple of glass insulators from code lines. Not a bad day.
NW Illinois is an interesting area…gotta head back with a little more time.
I had a similar day yesterday, driving from Minneapolis to Aurora (about 420 miles) in just about seven hours. I stopped for a McD’s at Tomah, WI and dropped by the Amtrak station in Tomah just in time to see eastbound #8 make its station stop on its way to Milwaukee and Chicago. I REALLY have to bring my camera on these trips!
It is an interesting place. Lots O’ trains (BNSF, CN, ICE) complete with tunnel and swing bridge. Galena, which is the only place I’ve ever toured a mine (an abandoned lead mine.) The Mississippi, casinos and, important to me, one of the top Greyhound tracks in the US over in Iowa. (I like to watch things that run on tracks.)
The next time anyone drives from the Twin Cities to Illinois I’d suggest wasting some gas and time by driving down the east bank of the Mississippi instead of I-94. You’ll be right next to the BNSF double track and the river for a decent part of the way. I was pacing a BNSF intermodal when it went by a towboat locking though one of the many lock and dams needed on the upper Mississippi.
The excellent book Illinois Central, North of the Ohio River has a nice chapter on the Iowa line. There is a photo of the depot at Seward taken in 1970’s. It has been very nicely preserved and looks nearly the same.
Is that small town civic pride?
One other thing I omitted was stopping at the CGW depot and museum in Elizabeth. It wasnt open but worth the 5 minute detour.
That has got to be one of the best driving roads I have ever been on. It is so beautiful; I think it would be awesome even without the tracks. It seemed like every other quaint town had its own micro brewery when I was on it.
I decided about half way up that road that, if I ever had enough money to buy a vacation home, I wasn’t going to be one of the billions who went to build another trailor in hot, sticky, rainy, Florida but would build in that area.