Oregon depot project

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2003 3:15 pm

Oregon, Illinois, that is, a commuter stop on the Burlington mainline west of Chicago.

http://www.oregondepot.org/
ryarger@rypn.org

Don C. · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2003 3:46 pm

> Oregon, Illinois, that is, a commuter stop
> on the Burlington mainline west of Chicago.

Bob,
Oregon, IL, is WAAYY west of the commuter territory, about MP 100 or so. The "Q" did operate a daily except Sunday wayfreight from Eola, IL, to Oregon and return - quite late in the game. Both 5632 and 4960 took turns pulling it as a fantrip, doing the local peddling work along the way. Oregon is where the Mount Morris branch still diverges from the mainline. The mainline passenger trains from Chicago to the Twin Cities all made stops at Oregon. The depot is a nice building and I wish the people working on it the best of luck.

Don C.

http://www.261.com
milw261@sbcglobal.net

Stephen Hussar · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2003 4:45 pm

My wife grew up in Oregon, IL and remembers riding a passenger train over to Savannah, IL and return sometime in the 1970's. She also says the whole town turned out to watch the freedom train roll through around 1976, but doesn't remember whether or not a steam locomotive was pulling it.

I believe that would have been the 4449...you'd think it would have made a lasting impression! ;-)

The restoration work on the depot looks very nice.

SJHussar@aol.com

Ed Selinsky · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2003 5:11 pm

On one of her deadhead moves from Chicago about five years ago. Milwaukee 261 moved her grease stop from Rochelle to Oregon so that a couple of busloads of middle school students could see the activity, hear a short program and get some Operation Lifesaver materials. The depot restoration was just beginning around that time. It will be fun to do it again in front of the restored depot.

eselinsky@new.rr.com