Bristol, IL: 1855 House/CB&Q Depot

Current: (Satellite)

Original: (Satellite, my guess based on the 1939 aerial photo.)

Jeff Wojciechowski posted
This house in Bristol is too far from the tracks to be in its original spot but does anybody know if this is the former station from Bristol or some other place around here?
Davis ShroombergGroup Admin Yes it is. Confirmed via DepotMaps.com.

Robert BannonGroup Admin I spoke with a lifelong resident of Bristol and to the best of his knowledge the station has always been on the present site. Back in the day, the tracks were just a little north of present day BNSF rails. Also, Bristol was once called Bristol Station and the village of Bristol was located north of the Fox River across from what was once Yorkville. At some point, Yorkville took over Bristol across the river and Bristol Station dropped the station to become Bristol.

Michael Matalis For what it's worth here is a photo of a completely different depot at Bristol IL. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=586277

Robert BannonGroup Admin What a great photo. Appears to be from Northwest corner of tracks and Cannonball. I work at the bus barn on the southwest corner so tomorrow I'll do a little snooping and see if I can find any remnants of this depot such as foundation and or bricks still in the ground.

Robert BannonGroup Admin Well, well, well. Here is a link to a map of Bristol Station from 1870. It clearly shows a rather large depot on the southwest corner of the tracks and what is now Cannonball. http://www.historicmapworks.com/.../Kendall.../Illinois/

Robert Bannon It appears I was given bum information regarding the original post about what that structure is.

Robert Bannon Here is the 1903 map link http://www.historicmapworks.com/.../Kendall.../Illinois/

Davis ShroombergGroup Admin I'm having trouble viewing it in my phone, but if what you say is correct, that little house could very well be the original Bristol Station station. The style does seem to be correct for that period of time. Then, as the CB&Q got bigger, a bigger station would likely have been in order. A new station was then probably built, and the original station would then have been sold and moved.

This is not without precedent on the Mendota Sub. Both the original Plano and Sandwich wooden depots were replaced with brick structures and moved. Both survive to this day. The Plano station is at Lyon Farm on Rt 71 between Yorkville and Oswego, along with a CB&Q wood caboose. The Sandwich depot was cut in half. Each half then moved to the northeast side of Latham Street, just north of Center Street, where they were put on new foundations and turned into houses.

I suspect that if my hypothesis is correct, the 2nd Bristol depot met an untimely fate, and was subsequently replaced with that small wooden atrocity in Michael Matalis's 1965 photo, likely in the 30s or 40s based on the condition of the building in the photo.

Robert BannonGroup Admin OK folks. I spoke with the Bristol resident again who confirmed the passenger station was at present location on North St. The freight depot stood on the southeast side of tracks right at present day Cannonball. I was told passengers walked from station to tracks, a distance of about 50 yards.

Satellite

It appears the mainline was in the same location as today. And the extra tracks for the freight house, team tracks, etc. were south of the mainline. The lot that is now occupied by the photographed structure was vacant in 1939.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

The CB&Q Depot in Bristol

The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Depot in Bristol (Station), Illinois. The depot, now converted to a home, sits at 21 North Street, about 50 yards from the BNSF Mendota main line.

From my understanding, passengers would purchase their tickets and wait here, then walk to the tracks to board their train. This passenger depot is on the north side of the tracks, and the freight depot was on the south side. The freight depot has since been removed and replaced with numerous large buildings between Oak Street and the main line.

This thread (http://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/.../bristol-il...) has a handful of links to maps of the area, which was once called Bristol Station. Marty also has a photo referenced in this article; I'd love to hear your perspective or see any vintage photos you have of this area!

My photo from October 16, 2022.

Trenton Dominy: Bristol also had a depot agent station made out of a converted boxcar that lasted into the 1960s.
Greg Kozlick posted with the same comment

Jimmy Fiedler posted
Present day picture of the JM Berrien design 1855 depot built by the Chicago & Aurora RR in Bristol IL. Now a private residence.
[Some comments argue about whether it or the tracks were moved. The group is public so you can read them yourself if interested.]

Looking at maps, it seems to me that it had to be moved.

1953 Yorkville Quad @ 24,000

Andy Zukowski posted
CB&Q Railroad Depot in Bristol, Illinois. C.1910
[The comments provide links about the "house" depot.]
Thomas Whitt shared

Larry Candilas commented on Andy's post
A few years later compliments of Marty Bernard - Sept 6 1965