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[quote user="CGW"] The tracks did run by the depot and the depot is located at it's original location.  A bridge once carried US 20 over the CGW.  Once the line was taken out, they removed the bridge and filled in the ROW.  It is amazing to think that they once ran 100+ car trains through the hills of NW Illinios.  If you know where to look, you can still see areas where the CGW once ran; for example, there is a high grade just west of woodbine along US 20.  topozone.com may be the place to go to find a detailed map of the CGW trackage along with other rail lines that no longer exists.As for Winston Tunnel, the west portal still exists and is owned by the DNR I believe; however, you cannot enter it because it is fenced off.  The east portal has been bulldozed shut and on private property.  The tunnel itself has collapsed about half way through I've been told.  I have never been there, but I heard the area is infested with rattle snakes...so if you ever go there, be careful.On another historical note, a village called Oneida, IA (about 35 miles west of Dubuque on the CGW) is the location of where one of the first sections of welded rail in the US was installed in 1939.  The CGW was also an early user of TOFC service.  It is too bad the CGW did not find a better merger parter that found more use of the CGW trackage rather then to get rid of its competition.  I guess that was a common trend of the railroad industry back in the 60's and 70's. Jeff[quote user="eolafan"]When I travel to Dubuque from Aurora a few times a year I take Hwy. 20 west from Rockford and travel right through Stockton.  Last time through (it may have been in Stockton or Elizabeth, I can't recall) I noticed the CGW museum so I took a detour and they were closed that day...I'll have to go back some time.  I noted the museum looked like a depot (passenger or freight) but did not seem to be located where there was ever tracks...can anybody help by providing a map or something that would tell me where the CGW tracks went through Stockton?[/quote] [/quote]I've often wondered the same thing about the CNW/CGW "merger" ("CNW takeover" is more correct).  I know the CGW was exploring a combination with the SOO, and that I think would've been very interesting as it would've been an end-to-end merger, with virtually nothing in the way of redundant trackage.  I've read only a few details about that SOO/CGW proposal - I'd certainly like to know why it never occurred.  That would've given the SOO the access to KC that they didn't achieve until 1985 (although the MILW's route there was a better way as opposed to the CGW's via St. Joseph where I think they had 4 mandatory stops in the city).
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