Osage, IA: Sulfer Explosion, Wood Grain Elevator and IC Depot

Sulfur Storage: (Satellite)

Wood Elevator: (Satellite)

IC Depot: (Satellite)

Feed Mill: (Satellite)

Oct 17, 2026, 7:36am fire engine dispatch:

wcfcourier
"The Osage Fire Department stated on its Facebook page that the structure may smolder or burn for the next couple of days. If smoke becomes an irritant, residents are advised to keep their windows closed."

Once again, we see that supplying fertilizer is an important service provided by a co-op. The building that burned is near the top of this image.

Satellite

The elevator has grown a lot, but it still has its wood elevator core. This former-IC route is still owned by CN, and it is obvious that CN provides rail service.

Street View, Oct 2024

I think potash is another fertilizer.

Street View, Oct 2024

I recognize this L-shaped building as a classic IC-depot design. Since it is still close to the tracks and well maintained, I presume that CN now uses it as an office.

Street View, Oct 2024

The concrete silos peaking above the depot in the above view are part of a feed mill. Feed must be heavy because the trailer has three axles.

Street View, Oct 2024

Actually, I noticed that the rear axle is not touching the ground. So its purpose is not to reduce road impact but to accommodate soft gravel driveways on farms. The augur is mounted on the front of the trailer, normally they are on the back. This mounting makes sense because the driver doesn't have to backup to the farmer's feed storage, and the driver has a good view of the end of the auger as it approaches the feed bin. 

Street View, Oct 2024

A different street view driver caught three feed trucks. Again, they have extra axles that normally don't touch the road.

Street View, Aug 2021

You know you are in a rural town when you have to stop for a combine.

Street View, Oct 2024

The concrete silos for the feed mill would have been a grain elevator along the CGW. That route is now abandoned.

rail.guide

Kent, IL: Lost/CGW Depot and Wood Feed Mill

Depot: (Satellite, based on the aerial photo below.)

Feed Mill: (Satellite)

Andy Zukowski posted
Chicago Great Western Railroad Depot in Kent, Illinois. C1910

The wood elevator is behind the big wood building. Obviously, the feed mill has grown over the years. I don't remember seeing a feed mill before that advertises both Kent and Purina brands.

Street View, Jul 2026

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

1943/43 Lena Quad @ 62,500

Clare, IL: Extant/CGW Depot and Wood Grain Elevator

(Satellite)

Street View, Aug 2023

Andy Zukowski posted

Chicago Great Western Railroad Depot in Clare Illinois 1975.

Regular Rail operations and passenger services at the Clare Depot ended in 1956 amid declining rural rail traffic.

Larry Candilas commented on Andy's post
MP 64.1 Chicago District. It had freight service until CNW abandoned it in the early 1970s. Still had a depot in 1963

Edward Stevens commented on Andy's post

And it’s still there!! Red line shows original ROW. Arrow shows the building.

Edward Stevens commented on Andy's post
Electric pole still on the side of the building. I wonder if the “Clare” sign is still there?!

As the satellite image shows, there is a lot of bins behind the wood elevator that we can't see from the north/south road. Fortunately, this field has soybeans instead of corn.

Street View, Aug 2023

Virgil, IL: Lost/CGW Depot

(Satellite, I think this is the remnants of the platform.)

Andy Zukowski posted
Chicago Great Western Railroad Depot in Virgil, Illinois. 1958
Richard Fiedler shared

Note the short white line west of Meredith Road and just north of the long white line. I think the long white line was the CGW right-of-way, and the short white line was the platform. As in Andy's photo, the depot is just north of the platform.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

I think this is the building to the right of the depot in Andy's photo.

Street View, Sep 2022

Fortunately, the building has been restored.

Street View, Aug 2025

Stillman Valley, IL: Lost CGW and Milwaukee Depots

CGW: (Satellite, a guess based on the aerial photo below.)

Milwaukee: (Satellite, a guess based on the aerial photo below.)

The Ogle County Historical Society posted two photos with the comment: "Found a couple pictures of the Chicago great Western Depot in Stllman Valley courtesy of Sharon Hildebrand‘s volume two book Stllman Valley, Illinois."

These are the versions of the photos enhanced by Chad Hoefle.

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1918 Kings Quad @ 62,500

Both grain elevators have prospered even though they have no rail service.

CGW:

Satellite

Milwaukee:

Satellite

Chicago, IL Depot: Grand Central Station, Marty Bernard's Collection

Please see Grand Central Station for general information. These notes have photos posted by just Marty Bernard because he and his friends covered this depot well.

Marty Bernard posted five images with the comment:

Grand Central Station and Trains, Chicago, Part 1

From the Historic American Buildings Survey Collection of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

The pictures are the best I have seen of Chicago's Grand Central Station. It was an amazing structure. 

Captions with photos.

Brian A Morgan commented with some background:

Grand Central Station was a passenger railroad terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, from 1890 to 1969. It was located at 201 West Harrison Street on a block bounded by Harrison, Wells and Polk Streets and the Chicago River in the southwestern portion of the Chicago Loop. Grand Central Station was designed by architect Solon Spencer Beman for the Wisconsin Central Railroad (WC), and was completed by the Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad purchased the station in 1910 and used it as the Chicago terminus for its passenger rail service, including its Capitol Limited service to Washington, D.C. Major tenant railroads included the Soo Line Railroad, successor to the Wisconsin Central, the Chicago Great Western Railway, and the Pere Marquette Railway. The station opened December 8, 1890, closed November 8, 1969, and was demolished in 1971.

Marty Bernard shared

Matt McClure: 50 years plus to redevelop Wells and Harrison. Goldberg's River City just south remains cold and horrible.

Marty Bernard shared

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Cervin Robinson, Photographer July, 1963

EXTERIOR: FROM NORTHWEST - Grand Central Station, 201 West Harrison Street (Corner of West Harrison & South Wells), Chicago, Cook County, IL

Reproduction Number: HABS ILL,16-CHIG,18--1

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Reproduction Number: HABS ILL,16-CHIG,18- (sheet 4 of 4)

Jerry Hund: Folks, this is no CAD drawing. It’s the real deal. Hand drawn with t square and triangle on vellum... Beautiful.

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Reproduction Number: HABS ILL,16-CHIG,18--3

Evan Stair: Take a look at the grease spots on the benches where heads would rest.

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 Cervin Robinson, Photographer July, 1963

INTERIOR: TRAIN SHED - Grand Central Station, 201 West Harrison Street (Corner of West Harrison & South Wells), Chicago, Cook County, IL

Reproduction Number: HABS ILL,16-CHIG,18--2

Larry J. Pearlman: One of the most European looking stations in North America.

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Reproduction Number: HABS ILL,16-CHIG,18- (sheet 3 of 4)

Peter Nieft commented on Photo 2
From the book ‘Chicago Stations & Trains, (John Kelly 2008) in 1947 some of Chicago’s stations were to be modernized with an Art Deco appearance. Here is an image from that book of Grand Central Station.

Marty Bernard posted four photos with the comment: "Grand Central Station and Trains, Chicago, Part 2   These are Roger Puta's photos."

Marty Bernard shared

Marty Bernard shared

Marty Bernard shared

Marty Bernard shared

Marty Bernard posted again

Mike Bauer: Wish they would have saved the building like they did with Dearborn.

Matt McClure: Mike Bauer Richard J. Daley had zero interest in preservation and he [mistakenly] believed that the lot would be built on immediately. Excluding Goldberg's River City one block south, Daley was off by 50 years.

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B&O 1462 (E8A) with Train 7, The Diplomat, at Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL on August 30, 1969. Roger Puta photo

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B&O Nappanee (5 Double Bedrooms and a Lounge) at Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL on August 30, 1969. Roger Puta photo

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Waiting Room at Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL on August 30, 1969. Roger Puta photo

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B&O 1452 (E8A) with Train 6, The Capitol Limited, waiting to depart Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL on December 26, 1967. Roger Puta photo

Marty Bernard posted four photos with the comment: "Grand Central Station and Trains, Chicago, Part 3   These are Bill Howes's photos.  Captions with photos."

Marty Bernard shared

Marty Bernard shared

1
B&O E8Am 1435 with Train 10, The Washington Express, the last day at Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL on November 8, 1969. Bill Howes photo

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B&O E8Am 1435 with Train 10, The Washington Express (right) leaving Grand Central Station, while The Capitol Limited is being switched, the last day at Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL on November 8. 1969. Bill Howes photo

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B&O Train 10, The Washington Express at Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL on July 17, 1964. Bill Howes photo

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B&O E8A 1449 with Train 10, The Washington Express leaving Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL on October 4, 1964. Bill Howes photo

Marty Bernard posted six photos with the comment: "Grand Central Station and Trains, Chicago, Part 4  Captions with photos."

Marty Bernard shared

Marty Bernard shared

Marty Bernard shared

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B&O E8A 1452 about to leave and leaving Chicago's Grand Central Station with the Capitol Limited for points east the evening of December 26, 1967.

John Clark: Somewhere very close to 11 cars at GCS and about 13 cars after picking up # 20's cars at Willard.

Donald Dexter: One time on the old Cap, the Garrett high school band came down to serenade the train.

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B&O E8A 1452 about to leave and leaving Chicago's Grand Central Station with the Capitol Limited for points east the evening of December 26, 1967.

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B&OCT 9511 switching Grand Central Station below the Roosevelt Road Viaduct, Chicago, IL May 13, 1964.

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B&O 1425 E7A with Train 1 the Diplomat Grand Central Station Chicago, IL in February 1965. Rick Burn photo

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B&O 1446 E8A with Train 6 the Capitol Limited at Grand Central Station Chicago IL in November 1969. Rick Burn photo

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B&O 1465 E8A with Train 6 the Capitol Limited at Grand Central Station Chicago IL on August 27 1969. Tom Hoffmann photo

Ben Cornelius: Quite the plow there. Wonder what it hit.

John Clark: Ben Cornelius You can rule out the usual animal suspects, deer, possum and raccoon an other animals. My best hunch would be an obstruction such as a misplaced rr tie. I once hit a sun kink at 50 mph and was running an older wide-body. Needless to say it bent the snow-plow a little, but sounded like exploding dynamite. I would also believe, some one from the mechanical department, bent it up and out of the way so the 1465 could still be used in revenue service.

Marty Bernard posted five images with the comment:

Grand Central Station and Trains, Chicago, Part 5

Captions with photos.

Brian A Morgan commented with some background:

Grand Central Station was a passenger railroad terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, from 1890 to 1969. It was located at 201 West Harrison Street on a block bounded by Harrison, Wells and Polk Streets and the Chicago River in the southwestern portion of the Chicago Loop. Grand Central Station was designed by architect Solon Spencer Beman for the Wisconsin Central Railroad (WC), and was completed by the Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad purchased the station in 1910 and used it as the Chicago terminus for its passenger rail service, including its Capitol Limited service to Washington, D.C. Major tenant railroads included the Soo Line Railroad, successor to the Wisconsin Central, the Chicago Great Western Railway, and the Pere Marquette Railway. The station opened December 8, 1890, closed November 8, 1969, and was demolished in 1971.

Marty Bernard shared

Marty Bernard shared

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B&O 1413 E6A built 1940 and SOO 2554 GP9 built 1954 at Grand Central Station Chicago IL in October 1960. Rick [B]urn photo

Rodney D Zona: Old B&O Railroad Garrett, IN based passenger train and engine crews worked to and from Chicago. Old Soo Line Railroad Stevens Point, WI based passenger train crews worked to and from Chicago. Old Soo Line RR Fond du Lac, WI based engine crews worked to and from Chicago.

Nate Beal: That's the laker next to it!

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C&O E8A 4009 built late 1951 at Grand Central Station, Chicago, IL about to take the Pere Marquette to Michigan the evening of December 12, 1967.

Rodney D Zona: Old C&O Railway Grand Rapids, MI based passenger train and engine crews worked to and from Chicago. In photos 2 and 3.

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C&O 4026 E8A with Train 8 at Grand Central Station Chicago IL in November 1969. Rick Burn photo

Arthur House: 4026 was renumbered 1471 and was the last C&O E unit in service, lasting several years in Amtrak service. It was never repainted out of C&O colors.

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HAER-data

HAER-data

Marty Bernard posted
Even though this is a poor photo, I wanted to show you the sign.  B&O Grand Central Station in Chicago, IL, circa 1968

Robert Preis commented on Marty's post
Tried to clean it up a little bit….