Towns and Nature: Elgin, IL: C&NW Lake Geneva Line cut through town

Friday, January 13, 2017

Elgin, IL: C&NW Lake Geneva Line cut through town

Bill Molony shared
America in the 1950's... Chicago & North Western 4-6-2 #1608 (E) passes the Hotel Fox in downtown Elgin, Illinois. Photographer unknown.
Bill Werst The engine is on [crossing] Division St coming onto N Douglas. The C&NW station is behind the photographer.
[A correction from Bill's share below:
David Schnell Dennis DeBruler This was a Railroad Club of Chicago Circle Trip that took place on May 7, 1950. The East Elgin station was demolished on March 2, 1950. So, there was no station behind the photographer on that date.]
Kendall Hastings Most of that route is a bike trail today.

Buzz Baxter posted
40s downtown Elgin IL.
David Schnell The year is 1950. This was a special railfan excursion. It commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first train coming to East Elgin in January of 1850. Also, in April of 1950 the last passenger train on the C&NW passed through on the High North Western On March 3, 1950, the East Elgin passenger station was torn down
David Schnell That photo needs to be credited to George Krambles, Peterson-Krambles Archive.

Bill Molony shared again
David Schnell The photo is by George Krambles and needs to be credited to the Peterson-Krambles archive.
Alfred Fickensher Very coincidentally, this photo taken in the east side of Elgin is complimented (at least for an hour or so till Facebook rearranges the postings) by the 1933 CNW newspaper advertisement, posted by Jerry Jerry Hund, about a day trip on the CNW up to Lake Geneva. This branch line of course ran from Fox River Switch (junction) located right next to the MILW line at the east bank of Fox River, all the way up to terminate at Williams Bay on Lake Geneva and is the line pictured in this Elgin photo. Alf in Iowa BTW, probably abandoned within a couple years of this photo because none of the line to Lake Geneva is referenced in the 2/54 Official Guide.
David Schnell The year is exactly 1950. That segment remained in service until 1997. The segment between Crystal Lake and Elgin was abandoned about 1985. Regular passenger service ended in 1932.
Alfred Fickensher David Schnell thanks for filling in the details of this piccy. Adding a bit of trivia, in digging around the bookshelves and the rusty brain yesterday I was reminded that the MILW interlocking where this Elgin east side line crossed the MILW D&I right of way was named B-35 in the MILW timetable. That at-grade interlocked crossing was just fifty feet or so from CNW’s Fox River Switch, the junction where this Williams Bay line departed from the Freeport line. And for those younger than fiftyish or so, Elgin Watch Co. was located close to if not on, this line maybe a mile north of that switch and B-35. Lotsa Elgin BW Raymond watches in old rrers’ bib pockets, probably second only to Hamilton. Thx again David. Alf in Iowa
David Schnell Yes, the Watch Factory was located on line at National St There is still a station building called Watch Factory. As for B35, it called FORIS, which was the telegraph acronym for Fox River Switch. Even after the tower was torn down, the machine was still called B35 by the Milwaukee Road, Soo Line and Metra

The building in the right background in the 1950s photo is nicely preserved.

Street View

The Fox Hotel has also been preserved.

Street View

And this is the gap that the Valley Maid sign covered.

Street View

John Smith commented on Buzz's post
think that would be looking south on the line from Division street

John Smith commented on Buzz's posting
the fox hotel building along with the building with the bays still stand

In this satellite view, the Hotel Fox building is the one north of Division. The building at the corner of Division and Douglas existed back then so naturally its rear is on a diagonal to accommodate the C&NW RoW. What is interesting is that the building east of the RoW is new, but they paid a higher construction expense to exploit their property right up to the diagonal boundary.

Satellite

This leaves the question of who owns the "alley?"

Street View

A block south, the yellow poles show the curve we see in the passenger train in the 1950's photo.

Street View

A work train going through the north part of Elgin.

Junior Farmer posted ten photos, but the sixth one was a duplicate. His comment is:

Part 2 . Last time I was on the East Elgin spur. After finishing up our 3 day track repair job, I coupled up all of my cars and headed west to the run-a-round track . Since I was still without a conductor or helper ,(at this time I don't remember why) I had to put my crane on the east end of my little work train to see to travel back to Dog Town. Since I was on the west end of the cars, I of course, "had" to go to the very end of the track to see what was left of the line . Pictures of my caboose on your right denote me traveling west down the spur . I never saw a red board denoting end of active track so I continued till coming upon a brand new utility pole smack in the middle of the track with workers up on a high manlift attaching electric insulators. I did what any self-respecting railroad man would do . With all my bright headlights on, 5 chime Nathan express train horn blaring, Detroit 671 diesel screaming , the loud whoosh from dumping the air , and the priceless look on their faces. Look carefully to the left side of one of the pictures you will see the pole and man lift. I jokingly told the workers that a mile long coal train was coming behind me , they have to move the pole. LOL. After running around my cars , I headed west, crane now in front, though backwards which was no problem cuz I have backup mirrors on both sides of the crane giving me good visibility. I stopped along the way to get shots figuring I may never come this way again. One shot is of what's left of a single truck, track scale that I had weighed my crane on, a decade before. Last shot is of my crane squeezing through downtown Elgin which "was" for the very last time. All these pictures were taken between MP 42.5 and 44.