Sycamore, IL: C&NW Depot and Freight House

(Satellite)

Street View, Jul 2021

Chicago & North Western Historical Society posted
Some, seeing earlier posts of the Chicago Great Western through Sycamore, Illinois, have asked about the north/south Chcicago and North Western line through Sycamore. This is a photo of the C&NW station and freight house in Sycamore taken on August 19, 1933 by A. W. Johnson (George Krambles collection). This line ran north to and past Belvidere, Illinois and south to Spring Valley, Illinois. this building still stands in very good shape in Sycamore.
Ken Hager Here is a link to what it is now!

Trent Briggs posted two photos.

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Dirk Craig: where is this at? what RR?

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Dirk's comment
The building was the C&NW freight house, https://maps.app.goo.gl/6SeB48r531EauzWk6. Sycamore terminated a couple of C&NW branches that came up from their mainline through DeKalb.

 It is the building cutoff in the upper-right corner of the lower aerial photo in Sycamore Industries.

Mark Llanuza posted
Its Dec 1962 photo above at Sycamore IL freight house .I went back a few years ago to match up what it looks like today as a office building.

Andy Zukowski posted
C&NW Railroad Depot in Sycamore, Illinois, circa 1910

Mark Kaspar: Built as the headquarters & main station of the Sycamore, Cortland & Chicago Railroad.

 https://www.dekalbcountyhistory.org/.../five-mile-spur.../

Steven Hooker shared

The C&NW sent north/south through this town. The CGW was the east/west route through town. And the CGW had a branch that went down to DeKalb. All of these routes are now abandoned.

1937 Sycamore Quad @ 62,500

William Shapotkin posted two photos with the comment:

On Wednesday, March 26th, Robert Hillman and I ventured out to the wilds of De Kalb County, Illinois to capture a few relics of railroads past. This is the second installment of what we saw.

Approx 5 miles north of De Kalb is the town of Sycamore. Sycamore is the county seat of De Kalb County. C&NW predecessor Syacamore & Courtland reached Sycamore in 1859 (a defacto branch  off the C&NW from Courtland -- located just a few miles east of De Kalb). The Sycamore C&NW station (abeit without tracks) remains standing and is in GORGEOUS condition. I had the occasion to visit this building previously (and even got to go inside in October, 2024).  In my opinion, this is one of the gems (if not THE gem) of surviving railroad stations. (The track operated along the west side of the buidling.) View number 1 looks N-N/W. View number 2 looks N-N/E. William Shapotkin Photos.

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