I like history, geography, railroading, anthropology, biking. You guys are literally pinging all my interest. Keep up the good work! Can't wait for part 12 in this playlist.
A few quick comments on this video. We found a small error in the last few seconds of the video when we referred to Winston Tunnel as being to the east - and then a short time later stating that it was west. This is the sort of small error that is easy to overlook, even after reviewing multiple drafts. Rest assured that the Winston Tunnel is to the west of Rodden. Secondly, regarding the thumbnail, if you hadn't already surmised this - we photoshopped ourselves atop the monumental mid pier of the Apple River bridge. We wanted an arresting image of the bridge, but which included us - and there was no other place to put us, without standing in the river in the foreground - or being too far to see on the far shore. It would take quite a bit of climbing expertise and skill to scale that monolith - and neither Joyce nor I have such skill. We would not advise that anyone scale that pier, as it would be quite dangerous.
I remember in the late 1980s the culvert in Rodden for the cars to drive below the tracks was still there but in bad shape. Very interesting series, thanks for keeping history alive.
I am enjoying what you got going here! Love the joke about the derailed cookie train needing a milk train! Looking forward to the Winston Tunnel episode.
Thanks for watching and the kind words! Very much appreciated! When we were filming/recording this segment, the days were gettingshort - and so we could only do so much by sunset. And North Hanover turned out to be especially interesting - and so we spent more time there than we had originally anticipated. But it was very well worth the time.
Thank you for another great installment of your series on the Chicago Great Western Railroad's depots. I enjoyed watching the video and learning about North Hanover, Illinoi and Rodden, Illinois depots and surrounding areas. The book, by Joe Pierse and Jerry Huddelston on page 90 states that there was an agent's residence measuring 29' x 30'. The agent's residence was across from the depot at the beginning of the Hanover Railroad. There is no mention in the book as to when the agent's residence was built. The agent's residence was sold in either 1956 or 1957 for $100.00 to a Melvin F. Watson for scrap salvage. On Page 28 there are blueprint type drawings of a depot at North Hanover, Illinois with a date of 8 November 1909. In 1914 a depot measuring 16-foot by 40-foot depot was constructed at the Junction with the Hanover Railroad. The 1914 depot was a Fulton style building rather than a M&NW style depot. The dept was retired in 1958 and sold for $200.00 to Eldon Heidenreich. This transaction may have been completed on 10 November 1958. There is no information in the book about the water tank or any other buildings in North Hanover, Illinois. The above book has only this information on the depot at Rodden, Illinois "1948 Retire Depot. 14'x20'. See Spring 2001 issue of page 22, for details." is the quarterly magazine of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society. My copy of that issue of is in storage now. Thus, I am not able to look at that issue of to tell you what information is on Page 22 regarding the Rodden, Illinois depot. I look forward to your continued coverage of the Chicago Great Western depots and other Chicago Great Western structures as you take us further west to Oelwein, Iowa.
Wow! Thanks for all of that excellent information. That is helpful. So that suggests that that smaller building was in fact the Station Agent's home, as that is located across from the NH depot and near the beginning of the Hanover Railroad. It would make sense. It's about the right size for a modest house. The 29' x 30' would have to include the bump-outs on the front and back of the building, ie, not 29' x 30' square, but roughly 20' x 30' square with 4' or 5' bump-outs in the front center and back. Interesting too about the sale of the depot in 1958. Does that mean that it may still be in someone's backyard or farmyard in the area? Interesting! Thanks again! And thank you for watching and continuing to support our channel!
Thanks for sharing your experience with fishing the Apple River near the North Hanover depot. That's really a special place - many signs of the old railroad still in situ there. Thanks again for the comment!
Thanks for watching and continuing to support our channel. Yes, it is indeed a beautiful area. Thankfully, much evidence of of the right of way - and many artifacts - are still around for us to ponder and enjoy.
Good job overall! I’ve been following the cgw series and am looking forward to the tunnel and the mess(if you cover it) that is the connection to the current bnsf tracks near portage and east Dubuque. Keep them coming. Also, a high school out that way did a video on the tunnel. Pretty good info
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Yes, the whole area from the tunnel to Dubuque is a bit mystifying - and we are hoping to unentangle it a bit. Yes, the Elizabeth HS video regarding the Winston Tunnel was very well done. We've watched that as well.
The "Dinky" concept was common on some interurbans in later years. I believe the Sycamore and Woodstock interurban had one, as well as the New Bremen-Fort Loramie branch of the Western Ohio Railway.
This series is terrific and I'm looking forward to all of them. I hope, probably at the end episode, you show a sampling of surviving CGW equipment and where it can be seen today.
Thanks for watching and commenting! That's an excellent suggestion. We hadn't thought that far in advance, as we have a ways to go - but it's an excellent idea - thank you for that!
Thanks for watching and for your support! With all of the anticipation regarding the Winston Tunnel, we hope we can live up to the expectations. :-) Thanks again!
@@BeHistoric When I first went to the Winston Tunnel it was on private propery and you had to tresspass to go to the west end of the tunnel. Now there is a public path there, but it is still hard to find.
Once again, thank you for an enjoyable & informative video. I've lived in Dubuque for almost 50 years since I came to Loras College from Oelwein. As far as I can remember, this is the 1st time I have ever heard anything about Rodden. The story of the station agent reminded me of some of the stories in H. Roger Grant's recent book, "The Station Agent and the American Railroad Experience". PS, I caught the error bout the Winston Tunnel bbut figured it was just an accidental misstatement. Something that is easy to do.
Hi, Thank you for watching and commenting - and sharing your experiences. Thanks too for the kind words. Yes, Rodden is fairly remote - but they seem to be doing good business at the local B&B establishment. And it is interesting regarding the station agent's role in the town, especially with the size of a few of these places. Thanks for catching the Winston Tunnel error. We typically watch four or five drafts of the video before we go to press - with two sets of eyes. And in spite of seeing that ending several times, neither of us caught that small but obvious error - until of course, we published it. Ah, well, just adds more mystery to the Winston Tunnel. :-)
Thanks for the video. We have been all over Illinois, photographing WPA art in the remaking post offices that have it. I think this part of the state is my favorite part. The arial shots were great.
Thanks for your continuing support for our channel - and for the kind words. It is a very beautiful and scenic part of the state, to be sure. Every nook and cranny seems to have a story. And the drone seems most appropriate to use in this part of the state, where possible of course.
Hi Tracy, thanks for commenting! Then we don't feel so bad. :-) It took us awhile before we realized that we had missed the turn - and by that time - we decided to just keep going and wrap back around to Rodden. Thanks again!
Another Great informative video, I would love to go back In time 1814 -1900's. I've always have wondered how things came about. As in property and small farms. It would be interesting if we could bring someone back from that era and see what they think about the modern day world. Maybe you if you run out of track, you can do the Chicago & Galena Stage Line.
Thanks for watching and for the continuous support of our channel! It would be interesting to go back in time. For us, part of doing this series is taking us back in time as we traverse across the countryside, seeing it in a new (or old) way. Thanks again for the comment!
I recently discovered your channel, and am enjoying it. I grew up in Jo Daviess County, but you are teaching me things I didn't know. My grandfather helped build Highway 20 from Woodbine west. I plan on going back and watch the series from the start. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for watching - and very glad that we are providing some new information to you, especially to someone who's spent most of their life there. Highway 20 was the other big transportation boon to the area - so your grandfather did something very important to the long term success of the county. Thanks again for commenting - and thanks in advance for watching our other videos!
Thanks for another interesting segment. I begin by wondering-why don't we cover more of the route this time? By the time these neat spots are revealed over a half hour has gone lol
Thanks for the comment and for watching! Yes, it would seem that way. There is quite a bit of information to cram into these videos - and we don't like making them to go too long. Plus when we were filming these segments in the Fall, the days were short - and we could only get so far before losing the light. We have no set number of stations we try to do per video. We let the content and the overall timing guide us. But glad to hear that the time goes by quickly while watching!
Thanks for commenting! We can see how it would be - given its scenic beauty and its twists and turns through the rolling hills. We enjoyed that part of the ride, in spite of the fact that we were taking the long way to get to Rodden.
Thanks for commenting! Not sure as yet. We have many different series that we are considering right now. But we have our hands full at the moment with the CGW to Oelwein, as we have quite a ways to go yet. :-)
At 16;06 your article backs up what I said about mail and packages being put on trucks killed private passenger trains. By the thousands. Loss of all the mail across the country Oct 1, 1967 bankrupted the whole system! Amtrak underfunded and cut back more was the result four years later. This was the work of the powerful highway lobby lead by General Motors. Under 1000 miles rail mail overnight was just as fast as flying it. Since mail and packages move at night. Instead of 20 cars of mail there are now 40 trucks on the roads. There is NO air mail anymore since De Joy took over the post office. But mail does go by his XPO trucks. The cost of stamps follows the cost of fuel these trucks use. And the service is lousy today. At much higher cost.
Thank you for watching the video and commenting! Yes, mail delivery was once the exclusive purview of the railroads, often a few times per day, until it was taken over by overland trucking in the 1920s to 1950s.
In bed with covid 19 , but staying sane watching your videos!
Very glad that you are enjoying the series - and very much hope that you will be up and around in no time, as you recover from COVID!
I like history, geography, railroading, anthropology, biking. You guys are literally pinging all my interest. Keep up the good work! Can't wait for part 12 in this playlist.
Glad that you enjoy our videos! Thank you for watching and commenting!
A few quick comments on this video. We found a small error in the last few seconds of the video when we referred to Winston Tunnel as being to the east - and then a short time later stating that it was west. This is the sort of small error that is easy to overlook, even after reviewing multiple drafts. Rest assured that the Winston Tunnel is to the west of Rodden. Secondly, regarding the thumbnail, if you hadn't already surmised this - we photoshopped ourselves atop the monumental mid pier of the Apple River bridge. We wanted an arresting image of the bridge, but which included us - and there was no other place to put us, without standing in the river in the foreground - or being too far to see on the far shore. It would take quite a bit of climbing expertise and skill to scale that monolith - and neither Joyce nor I have such skill. We would not advise that anyone scale that pier, as it would be quite dangerous.
I remember in the late 1980s the culvert in Rodden for the cars to drive below the tracks was still there but in bad shape. Very interesting series, thanks for keeping history alive.
Thank you for watching and commenting and sharing your experiences with the road. It is still there - but as you noted then - in bad shape.
I am enjoying what you got going here! Love the joke about the derailed cookie train needing a milk train! Looking forward to the Winston Tunnel episode.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Very glad that you enjoyed it! Yes, the milk train joke was just sitting there and needed to be said. :-)
Such a great series. I always look forward to the next one. The CGW is my favorite railroad and you teach me things that I didn"t know!
Thank you for watching and for the words of support! It is much appreciated! Glad that we were able to relate some new information to you.
cant wait to see the winston tunnel segment. That tunnel has always fascinated me. i hike there often and find it mesmerizing.
It does seem to hold a lot of attention. We're hoping to do it justice. Thank you for watching our videos and commenting!
sweet a new CGW vid .. cant wait to learn more about north Hanover!!
Thanks for commenting! Hopefully, you will find it of interest!
BRAVO !!!!!! best one yet ! But oh so mean to keep us waiting on the Winston Tunnel :) Thank you for the great work.
Thanks for watching and the kind words! Very much appreciated! When we were filming/recording this segment, the days were gettingshort - and so we could only do so much by sunset. And North Hanover turned out to be especially interesting - and so we spent more time there than we had originally anticipated. But it was very well worth the time.
Good, thank you.
Thanks for commenting and glad that you enjoyed the video!
Thank you for another great installment of your series on the Chicago Great Western Railroad's depots. I enjoyed watching the video and learning about North Hanover, Illinoi and Rodden, Illinois depots and surrounding areas. The book, by Joe Pierse and Jerry Huddelston on page 90 states that there was an agent's residence measuring 29' x 30'. The agent's residence was across from the depot at the beginning of the Hanover Railroad. There is no mention in the book as to when the agent's residence was built. The agent's residence was sold in either 1956 or 1957 for $100.00 to a Melvin F. Watson for scrap salvage. On Page 28 there are blueprint type drawings of a depot at North Hanover, Illinois with a date of 8 November 1909. In 1914 a depot measuring 16-foot by 40-foot depot was constructed at the Junction with the Hanover Railroad. The 1914 depot was a Fulton style building rather than a M&NW style depot. The dept was retired in 1958 and sold for $200.00 to Eldon Heidenreich. This transaction may have been completed on 10 November 1958. There is no information in the book about the water tank or any other buildings in North Hanover, Illinois. The above book has only this information on the depot at Rodden, Illinois "1948 Retire Depot. 14'x20'. See Spring 2001 issue of page 22, for details." is the quarterly magazine of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society. My copy of that issue of is in storage now. Thus, I am not able to look at that issue of to tell you what information is on Page 22 regarding the Rodden, Illinois depot. I look forward to your continued coverage of the Chicago Great Western depots and other Chicago Great Western structures as you take us further west to Oelwein, Iowa.
Wow! Thanks for all of that excellent information. That is helpful. So that suggests that that smaller building was in fact the Station Agent's home, as that is located across from the NH depot and near the beginning of the Hanover Railroad. It would make sense. It's about the right size for a modest house. The 29' x 30' would have to include the bump-outs on the front and back of the building, ie, not 29' x 30' square, but roughly 20' x 30' square with 4' or 5' bump-outs in the front center and back. Interesting too about the sale of the depot in 1958. Does that mean that it may still be in someone's backyard or farmyard in the area? Interesting! Thanks again! And thank you for watching and continuing to support our channel!
I live in Hanover. I have fished over by the north Hanover Depot many times
Thanks for sharing your experience with fishing the Apple River near the North Hanover depot. That's really a special place - many signs of the old railroad still in situ there. Thanks again for the comment!
Great job as usual. Sure wish the Great Western Trail was expanded to include this. Perhaps some day.
Thanks for watching and continuing to support our channel. Yes, it is indeed a beautiful area. Thankfully, much evidence of of the right of way - and many artifacts - are still around for us to ponder and enjoy.
I wish they had made a trail out of all of this, not just from Chicago to Sycamore
Yes, this area in particular would have made for a great nature trail. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Good job overall! I’ve been following the cgw series and am looking forward to the tunnel and the mess(if you cover it) that is the connection to the current bnsf tracks near portage and east Dubuque. Keep them coming. Also, a high school out that way did a video on the tunnel. Pretty good info
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Yes, the whole area from the tunnel to Dubuque is a bit mystifying - and we are hoping to unentangle it a bit. Yes, the Elizabeth HS video regarding the Winston Tunnel was very well done. We've watched that as well.
The "Dinky" concept was common on some interurbans in later years. I believe the Sycamore and Woodstock interurban had one, as well as the New Bremen-Fort Loramie branch of the Western Ohio Railway.
Thanks for commenting. That's interesting that that was a somewhat common term for those gas powered coaches.
This series is terrific and I'm looking forward to all of them. I hope, probably at the end episode, you show a sampling of surviving CGW equipment and where it can be seen today.
Thanks for watching and commenting! That's an excellent suggestion. We hadn't thought that far in advance, as we have a ways to go - but it's an excellent idea - thank you for that!
I love this series and am looking forward to the Winston Tunnel segment which I have stumbled around many times - sometimes not finding it.
Thanks for watching and for your support! With all of the anticipation regarding the Winston Tunnel, we hope we can live up to the expectations. :-) Thanks again!
@@BeHistoric When I first went to the Winston Tunnel it was on private propery and you had to tresspass to go to the west end of the tunnel. Now there is a public path there, but it is still hard to find.
Once again, thank you for an enjoyable & informative video. I've lived in Dubuque for almost 50 years since I came to Loras College from Oelwein. As far as I can remember, this is the 1st time I have ever heard anything about Rodden. The story of the station agent reminded me of some of the stories in H. Roger Grant's recent book, "The Station Agent and the American Railroad Experience".
PS, I caught the error bout the Winston Tunnel bbut figured it was just an accidental misstatement. Something that is easy to do.
Hi, Thank you for watching and commenting - and sharing your experiences. Thanks too for the kind words. Yes, Rodden is fairly remote - but they seem to be doing good business at the local B&B establishment. And it is interesting regarding the station agent's role in the town, especially with the size of a few of these places. Thanks for catching the Winston Tunnel error. We typically watch four or five drafts of the video before we go to press - with two sets of eyes. And in spite of seeing that ending several times, neither of us caught that small but obvious error - until of course, we published it. Ah, well, just adds more mystery to the Winston Tunnel. :-)
Thanks for the video. We have been all over Illinois, photographing WPA art in the remaking post offices that have it. I think this part of the state is my favorite part. The arial shots were great.
Thanks for your continuing support for our channel - and for the kind words. It is a very beautiful and scenic part of the state, to be sure. Every nook and cranny seems to have a story. And the drone seems most appropriate to use in this part of the state, where possible of course.
I had difficulties navigating the roads around this area as well, and with no reception my Google earth wasn’t much use.
Great series!!!
Hi Tracy, thanks for commenting! Then we don't feel so bad. :-) It took us awhile before we realized that we had missed the turn - and by that time - we decided to just keep going and wrap back around to Rodden. Thanks again!
Another Great informative video, I would love to go back In time 1814 -1900's. I've always have wondered how things came about. As in property and small farms. It would be interesting if we could bring someone back from that era and see what they think about the modern day world. Maybe you if you run out of track, you can do the Chicago & Galena Stage Line.
Thanks for watching and for the continuous support of our channel! It would be interesting to go back in time. For us, part of doing this series is taking us back in time as we traverse across the countryside, seeing it in a new (or old) way. Thanks again for the comment!
I recently discovered your channel, and am enjoying it. I grew up in Jo Daviess County, but you are teaching me things I didn't know. My grandfather helped build Highway 20 from Woodbine west. I plan on going back and watch the series from the start. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for watching - and very glad that we are providing some new information to you, especially to someone who's spent most of their life there. Highway 20 was the other big transportation boon to the area - so your grandfather did something very important to the long term success of the county. Thanks again for commenting - and thanks in advance for watching our other videos!
?wow 👏
Thanks for watching and commenting! Very much appreciate it!
Thanks for another interesting segment. I begin by wondering-why don't we cover more of the route this time? By the time these neat spots are revealed over a half hour has gone lol
Thanks for the comment and for watching! Yes, it would seem that way. There is quite a bit of information to cram into these videos - and we don't like making them to go too long. Plus when we were filming these segments in the Fall, the days were short - and we could only get so far before losing the light. We have no set number of stations we try to do per video. We let the content and the overall timing guide us. But glad to hear that the time goes by quickly while watching!
Blackjack Road is a famous motorcycle ride.
Thanks for commenting! We can see how it would be - given its scenic beauty and its twists and turns through the rolling hills. We enjoyed that part of the ride, in spite of the fact that we were taking the long way to get to Rodden.
Once you get to olwein, can you guys head south? because I want to learn more about Des Moines though Martainsdale/ St Mary's
Thanks for commenting! Not sure as yet. We have many different series that we are considering right now. But we have our hands full at the moment with the CGW to Oelwein, as we have quite a ways to go yet. :-)
At 16;06 your article backs up what I said about mail and packages being put on trucks killed private passenger trains. By the thousands. Loss of all the mail across the country Oct 1, 1967 bankrupted the whole system! Amtrak underfunded and cut back more was the result four years later. This was the work of the powerful highway lobby lead by General Motors. Under 1000 miles rail mail overnight was just as fast as flying it. Since mail and packages move at night. Instead of 20 cars of mail there are now 40 trucks on the roads. There is NO air mail anymore since De Joy took over the post office. But mail does go by his XPO trucks. The cost of stamps follows the cost of fuel these trucks use. And the service is lousy today. At much higher cost.
Thank you for watching the video and commenting! Yes, mail delivery was once the exclusive purview of the railroads, often a few times per day, until it was taken over by overland trucking in the 1920s to 1950s.