IC depot in Rockford, Amtrak Depot?

hello,I was holiday last year (2005) in the Rockford area and the people I was staying with showed me the Amtrak depot there but didn't know when it had been closed or which company had used it before Amtrak.If anyone on here can assist I would greatly appreicate it,Thanking you in advance aset.

Amtrak has bus thru service to Rockford

Thanks Scotty,I used the Amtrak bus to get to Rockford but I am interested in finding out more information about the old Amtrak depot in the city itself just behind the Swiss Cottage I think it was referred to.Thanks again for your input,Geoff

That's the old Illinois Central Railroad depot. I don't think Amtrak ever used it.

Someone who collects old schedules could verify the address of the station, but I seem to remember they either used the old IC building or an 'AM-hut' across the tracks. (service ended in 1981 or so)

I grew up in Genoa, about 35 miles to the southeast, and got to watch the 'Blackhawk' once a day. For awhile it was just an RDC, otherwise a 'bloody-nosed' SDP-40F and a couple of coaches. Even got them to stop in our little town for our 8th grade field trip to downtown Chicago! (which had no scheduled stop)
TT

Amtrak's "Black Hawk" ran between Chicago and Dubuque 1974-1981. The Rockford station is listed in the Amtrak timetables at 815 South Main Street.

rlsteam wrote:The Rockford station is listed in the Amtrak timetables at 815 South Main Street.

That would be the IC station. I stand corrected.

The Rockford ICG station was on south main, during the time that the Blackhawk ran it contained both ICG personnel as well as an Amtrak ticket seller. The ICG dispatched a segment of the Iowa division out of Rockford, I believe that it was Irene to Seward. When ever the freights rolled though the dispatcher would hand off paper orders to the engineer and I think to the conductor as well. The Amtrak employee was in a tiny enclosure that had been built into the waiting room. The ICG employees worked out of what had at one time been the ICG ticket booth and dispatching office.

At some point in the early eighties the most of freight warehouse burned. It had been used by the Rockford Newspaper to store newsprint. At some point after the line became Chicago Central the station was abandoned completely. There was during the seventies a small functioning yard, with a couple of locomotives assigned for area local work.

During the run of the Blaqckhawk I never found the ICG employees to be very personable, they seemed to put up with Amtrak passengers in their station, however they always left the old ticket windows open so that I could look at the dipatching board and see where the trains were, which was great.

A little info and a Photo here


http://www.pbase.com/trailryder/image/50843225

Later Bill