Hinsdale, IL: West Hinsdale and Hinsdale Depots and Hinsdale Freight House

West Hinsdale: (Satellite)

Hinsdale: (Satellite)

CB&Q had a policy that if a community would pay for a depot, it would stop there. BNSF now regrets that because they have to make a lot of stops on their way to town. That is why they run so many expresses. A local takes about an hour whereas an express can do it in half that time. I know that Downers Grove has three stations (Belmont, Main, Fairview). I just learned that Hinsdale also has three stations (West Hinsdale, Main, Highlands).

Bill Molony posted
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy depot at West Hinsdale.
Brandon McShane: Looks like it had living quarters for the agent in the second story.

BRHS posted

This two-story frame depot at West Hinsdale on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy was built in 1874.

CB&Q photograph.

From the Blackhawk collection.

Marilyn Hewitt: My father took the train to and from this station from 1955-1974. I can remember sitting in the waiting room with my mother when we would take a Saturday train downtown. It was heated by a stove, and the stationmaster lived upstairs. This was in the 1960's. I would guesstimate it was torn down about 1967 or so.

David Daruszka commented on BRHS's post
Another view.

David Daruszka commented on BRHS's post
RRpicturesarchive dates this Marty Bernard photo as 1965. The file itself is labeled as 1952.

 

Jim Arvites posted
View of a westbound Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad commuter train passing the West Hinsdale depot in Hinsdale, Illinois in July 1965. The station, built in 1875, was replaced by a new depot in 1982.
(Bob Bullermann Photo)
Timothy Leppert: This station had agents living there, which was common in the old days. When it was replaced, it eventually became the first RTA station on the Q before the Transit Agency Metra was created.

So many depots has also created a maintenance expense. I wonder when this was replaced by basically a roof.

Hinsdale

Hinsdale Historical Society posted

❄️ #Hinsdale is covered in snow, but at least we aren't in charge of shoveling off the train tracks! ❄️ This photo, from the #HinsdaleHistoricalSociety's Archives, is just over 100 years old--the snowfall of 1918! Here, we can see the men of Hinsdale out shoveling off the railroad tracks to make it safe for the train to pass through town! 

The Snowfall of 1918 greatly impacted all of Chicagoland: a 15+ inch snowstorm on the 6th and 7th of January, followed a week later by another 10+ inches of snow on the 11th and 12th!

Dennis DeBruler shared

I checked with Google Maps, Hinsdale in IL is the only Hinsdale in the country.

Mark Hinsdale: There are actually several Hinsdale communities across the U.S. I’ve been to most of them. Hinsdale IL is the largest, and perhaps the best known, but towns named Hinsdale also exist in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Minnesota, Montana and California. There is also Hinsdale County, Colorado, which is the least populated county in the state! Immigrants with a surname of Hinsdale landed in Massachusetts in the mid 1600’s, and as their descendants migrated west, they named settlements after themselves. A number of early Hinsdale families settled in Deerfield MA, and the name is often seen in historical records of the town.

Dennis DeBruler: Interesting. Then I guess specifying Illinois was worthwhile.

Mark Hinsdale: Dennis DeBruler, that’s also a great picture of the Burlington looking east. The depot, three tracked main line, and tall hospital smokestack at upper left above the freight house still survive today.

Mark Hinsdale: Dennis DeBruler, that’s also a great picture of the Burlington looking east. The depot, three tracked main line, and tall hospital smokestack at upper left above the freight house still survive today.