Rochelle and Savannah, IL

 Having heard of the railroad hot spot at Rochelle, IL I decided to visit in the spring of 2010. Also I had saved an article from Train's Magazine about the Walter Payton roundhouse at Aurora, IL. 

In March of 1995, the pride of the Chicago Bears and pro football Hall of Famer, Walter Payton, along with partners Scott & Pam Ascher and Mark Alberts, purchased the dilapidated building for $10 following a unanimous vote in the Aurora City Council. After 370 days of renovations, Walter Payton's Roundhouse was opened to the public on the vernal equinox, March 21, 1996.

The history of the Aurora Roundhouse begins in 1856, when Aurora, Illinois was chosen as the site for a major car building and repair shop by the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Originally, twenty-two stalls were built to house and repair locomotives. Eight additional stalls were added in 1859, and in 1864, the final ten stalls were added to the Roundhouse, making it a complete circle. Further additions and improvements between 1863 and 1923 included two fireproof buildings, a 701 foot artesian well, an engine house for the car department, a new coal house, and an electric powerhouse. In 1867, a new depot was built, along with the additions of two stone roundhouses and other shops.

Rochelle, IL

Rochelle is an old town with many interesting sites.

The lines to the two Western rail giants: Union Pacific (UP) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF). Today, the tracks are part of Union Pacific’s Geneva Subdivision of UP’s Illinois Division and the Aurora Subdivision of BNSF’s Minnesota Division.

As many as 120 freight trains every 24 hours bang across the Rochelle diamonds. The UP’s traffic here is mostly coal and Inter modal. BNSF’s traffic is mostly Intermodal with a few grain, general freight and auto rack trains mixed in. Rochelle has not been served by regular passenger trains since the inception of Amtrak in 1971.

Union Pacific goes west from Rochelle to Clinton, IA. and east to Proviso, IL.  

BNSF Railway goes southeast from Rochelle to Aurora, IL. and northwest to Savanna, IL

Abandoned old Cadillac and barn west of Rochelle

I left Rochelle and headed west toward Clinton, IA somewhat following the Union Pacific tracks. After crossing the Mississippi River I turned left into a maze of road construction. It was Saturday so some of the business were closed so I was able to go thru their parking areas to get back to the tracks. The photo on the left is of #5486 just after it crossed the Mississippi. The center photo is south of Savannah, IL. The track on the left heads southeast, the track on the right heads south to Clinton, IA. The photo on the right was made just south of Savannah. The photo on the left and the right are my two favorite images from the trip.

Sometime after I returned home I saw a photo from the Savannah area taken high above the Mississippi River of a train following the river bank. I never gave it a thought that there were some other possible photos in the area. Good reason to return.

Thank you for looking. Any comments or questions are welcome.  Bud