Rockford, IL: Trolley Depot, Trolley and UP/C&NW Street Running

(Satellite; Streetview)

<update>
As recently as Apr 27, 2020, UP shares the trolley track because a UP train derailed on Madison Street. [rtands, Facebook]
Dennis DeBruler UP derailing a train is no longer a surprise. But a Class I railroad still doing street running is a surprise.
https://www.google.com/.../@42.2747117,-89.../data=!3m1!1e3
And industries still using rail service is also becoming rather significant.
https://www.google.com/.../@42.3189455,-89.../data=!3m1!1e3

</update>

Photo taken and provided by Brian Keith Landis
Summer 2016

Photo taken and provided by Brian Keith Landis
Rockford Park District Trolley car No 36, runs on gas.
Built in Minnesota.

Brian added: "The Former Kenosha Rockford Railroad line ran from Kenosha to Rockford till 1937. Only about 5 miles remains today from Rockford into Loves Park." The trolley shares the UP/C&NW tracks. He was the first person to be interviewed for the job of running the trolley, but he was not hired. He asks every year, but still gets turned down.

Brian has coauthored two books concerning Rockford railroads.

Photo taken and provided by Brian Keith Landis
U.P Freight train on its way back from doing switching in Loves Park. Trolley depot on the left and Trolley car barn on the right of photo. 2016

Photo taken and provided by Brian Keith Landis
Rockford Park District Trolley Depot built in the 1980s

Photo taken and provided by Brian Keith Landis
Fall 2016

Photo taken and provided by Brian Keith Landis
Trolley car going up Madison street.  The trolley runs of the same tracks that the U.P uses.

Rockford, IL: IC Depots

(Satellite, I believe it was along the diagonal of this parking lot)

Rockford Rewind posted
This train depot was the one behind Tinker Swiss cottage
Ned Carlson shared with the comment: "Old Rockford IC station, on the other side of Kent Creek from Tinker Cottage."

Rockford Rewind posted
Do you remember the Land of Corn ?
The train called "Blackhawk came through there between the years of 1974 and 1981.
- torn down in 1958
Source; brian landis collection
Mark Ludolph shared
Andrew Townsend The 50's depot was just torn down a few years ago. ICG, CC&P, IC, & CN were using it after Amtrak quit the "Blackhawk" (1985?).
Andrew Townsend Demolished 2011, was part of the then deal to re-start Amtrak service to Rockford. https://www.rrstar.com/.../PHOTOGALLERY/304149848/PH/1

Brian Keith Landis posted
Picture taken in the 1940s of a I.C.R.R Steam Locomotive passing in front of the South Main Street Illinois Central Railroad Station in Rockford . Got this picture from Rockford Photo back in the 1983. Brian Landis. Photo

Brian Keith Landis commented on his above post

Brian Keith Landis posted
Neat picture I don't know what year it was taken maybe in the 50s. Illinois Central Railroad Land O Corn train at the South Main Street I.C.R.R Station in Rockford Illinois. This picture was taken from the Winnebago Street Bridge. Brian Landis collection
Jeff James: WOW - thanks for sharing as we never see this direction of the old rockford yard

The bridge in the above photos is down to one track and a remnant.

Satellite

Andrew Townsend commented on Mark's share

Brian Keith Landis posted
Rockford il South Main Street I.C. R.R Depot

It is rare to see a depot with more than two stories in a smaller town.

They took the Rockford aerials during a time of the day that had very little shadow, so it is hard to confirm that this was a taller building. The train would be heading southeast toward the bridge.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Brian Keith Landis posted (cropped)
Nice I.C. R.R depot on south main street. This was taken before it was torn down.

Brian Keith Landis posted (cropped)
Illinois Central Railroad Land o Corn Passenger Train parked at the South Main Street Illinois Central Passenger Station in Rockford Illinois. Brian Landis ,Collection

Brian Keith Landis posted
Rockford city plat map showing Rockford's south main street I.C.R.R Depot and Freight house . all of this is gone now

So the building behind the depot in the above photo that shows the track and depot was a freight house.

Dave Durham posted, cropped
IC Depot and grounds, Rockford, Illinois, 1891.

Larry Foht posted

Rockford Illinois Depot 

Illinois Central Railroad

Iowa Division

Look at the beautiful garden in front of the Depot. This garden extends quite a bit more to the left. There was a swing bridge there that went from the garden  and up the bluff to a beautiful cottage.

Tinker's Swiss Cottage 

Note the people in the Garden 

Larry Foht collection:

Jim Boothe: I think the original bridge is gone. Torn down because it was too dangerous.

[A comment provided a link to a photo of today's suspension bridge.]

 

Andy Zukowski posted
Illinois Central Railroad Depot in Rockford, Illinois. 1916

Fredrico Von Furstenberger III: John Wanfalt This depot served from the 1880s until it was torn down in 1958

Richard Fiedler shared

Tim Howard commented on Andy's post

Tim Howard commented on Andy's post

Brian Keith Landis posted
Rockford Illinois South Main Street (second)  Illinois Central Railroad Depot .Brian Landis  Photo  9/12/2000
Jim Boothe: When was this station built?
Brian Keith Landis: Jim Boothe I think it was built in the late 1950s
Davis Shroomberg: Finally torn down in 2011 or so if I remember correctly.

Rockford, IL: C&NW Freight House

The passenger depot was one block east.

Joe Ikon posted
Ex CNW RR yard today Rockford Illinois
Joe Ikon Yes CNW Freighthouse in Rockford

It is unusual for a freight house to have office space over the freight handling part. I wonder if this was also a division office for C&NW.

3D Satellite

Streetview of the opposite corner. Streetview showing the horse&wagon, then truck, loading doors.

From a redundant posting:

Mark Ludolph shared
The CNW freight depot in Rockford. Built in 1917. Still there, but empty right now. Seems to be in OK shape, though.
Mark Ludolph The IC freight depot was just a block or so south of this. It was smaller. It burned down a few years ago. Probably arson, but nothing was ever done legally. I think the city was just glad to see it gone. BTW, the old main Post Office was about a block north of here. Post Offices were always close to railroad depots then.

Brian Keith Landis posted

You can see the three or four rows of boxcars parked along the south side for loading outbound traffic.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Rockford, IL: C&NW Depots

Main: (Satellite)

East Side: (Satellite, it is now a police station)

The freight house was one block West of the main depot.

David Jkief shared Darren Smith's post
Rockford C&NW Depot s main

Brian Keith Landis commented on Darren's post

A different colorization.

Brian Keith Landis posted
Rockford Illinois.  Chicago North Western Railroad Depot. That once stood on the South West corner of Main Street and Cedar Street. The Depot was torn down in the 1950s. Brian Landis. Collection

This is obviously the photo that was colorized to make the above image.

Lynn Mizner posted
Here's a pretty cool picture of the C&N.W. Depot in Rockford. No date mentioned.
Lance Wales: The C&NW passenger trains that used this station were the ones that ran between Chicago , Elgin, Marengo, Belvidere, Rockford and Freeport. Passenger service was discontinued about 1952 or so on this line. The only passenger trains thru town after that would have been on the Illinois Central line. Passenger service remained until Amtrak took over in 1971. Rockford had no service from Amtrak until 1974. And then state funding was cut in 1981 and the train was terminated.

Mark Ludolph shared
The street is South Main St. The viaduct to the left is still there, as are the tracks. The IC depot was about 2 blocks south (the view in the picture is to the south). Between the two stations was an IC freight house and a small yard with a three stall roundhouse. The old main Post Office is just out of the picture to the right on S. Main. It, too, is still there, but is not the main P.O. anymore.

Street View

Brian Keith Landis commented on Darren's post

It is not as distinctive as I thought it would be.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Dennis R. Reece commented on Darren's post
Here's an interesting article about its history. courtesy of the RPL archives.

Dennis R. Reece commented on Darren's post
Page2

John Smith -> Abandoned Rails
WOW! the only CNW depot from Rockford IL that is now LONG gone.

John Smith commented on his post

Brian Keith Landis posted
Rockford il Chicago North Western Railroad Depot .Stood on the south west corner of Main Street and Ceder Street . it was torn down in the 1950's, there were also 2 other station just south of this one on the same street , the C.B &.Q R.R / Milwaukee road and the I,C. R.R Depot .

Photo taken and provided by Brian Keith Landis
[Another contemporary view of where the station on Main used to be.]

East Side Depot (Now a Police Station)

Street View, Sep 2015

2 of 12 photos posted by Brian Berthold with the comment:

Merry Christmas Peoples

CNW 7th St East Side Depot 

Rockford Il

sadly Rockford PD owns it and its closed off to public

a

b

Two More Depots

Brian Keith Landis indicated that C&NW had two other depots in town:

• a wooden one off Winnebago Street
• a wooden one at 4th St. and 4th Ave

In addition to the four Landis listed, Berthold includes the depot that I noted as the Trolley Depot.

Brian Berthold commented on his above post