Winston Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Winston Tunnel is a railroad tunnel located 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) west of Elizabeth
, Illinois
.
The tunnel was completed in 1888 for the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad, a predecessor to the Chicago Great Western Railway
(CGW). The tunnel was located on the CGW main line 152 miles (245 kilometers) west of Chicago
in the isolated and hilly Driftless Area of extreme north-western Illinois
.
In 1972, four years after the Chicago Great Western was merged into the Chicago and North Western Railway
(C&NW), the CGW's largely redundant trackage in the area, including the Winston Tunnel, was abandoned. It was the longest railroad tunnel in Illinois throughout its years of service at 2,493 feet (760 m).
between Dubuque, Iowa
and Stockton, Illinois
in 1886 before construction on its own line through the isolated wilderness could commence. Engineers quickly realized that a tunnel would need to be constructed in order to traverse the rugged landscape. The Sheppard, Winston and Company (for which the tunnel would be named) and more than 350 laborers worked by hand, digging through the silty and unstable shale
for nine months starting in the spring of 1887. The work was backbreaking and dangerous, and at least one worker, a thirty-two year old Finnish immigrant named John Hill, was killed. When complete, the total cost of the tunnel, $600,000, had exceeded expectations.
The tunnel proved to be a constant nuisance to the Chicago Great Western and its predecessors. Almost immediately, railroad engineers realized that the unstable nature of shale through which the tunnel was bored, ground water seepage, and the isolated location of the tunnel meant repairs would be frequent and costly. The tunnel was originally braced by wooden beams when it opened to rail traffic in January 1888, but these eventually proved inadequate, to be replaced in 1902 by brick and reinforced concrete. Constant deterioration of the supports meant large-scale reconstruction of the tunnel would be needed again in 1912, 1918, 1944 and 1947.
The bore was also improperly ventilated at first. A shaft sunk into the top of the tunnel failed to provide enough fresh air, and the crews of the steam engines would often complain of the intense heat and smoke due to the poor air circulation. Piecemeal solutions failed to work, and by 1912 the railroad was forced to install a huge fan, powered by a 310 hp diesel motor and staffed by operators day and night, to ventilate the tunnel. The fanhouse, constructed by 1916, was abandoned by the CGW with the acquisition of diesel locomotives by 1947.
When the Chicago Great Western was federalized
during World War I
, a contingent of Illinois National Guardsmen
were assigned to protect the tunnel.
The operating nightmares of the tunnel, not to mention the millions of dollars the CGW spent to keep it open, forced the railroad's management to consider many schemes to rid themselves of the burden. In 1909, 1951 and again in 1964 (the same year the North Western and Great Western announced their intentions to merge) the CGW sought engineering proposals to reroute their trackage around the bore, to daylight
the tunnel, or to completely rebuild and improve it. To the often cash-strapped Great Western, however, all these plans proved far too expensive.
In the end, the 1968 merger with the Chicago and North Western (C&NW) sealed the Winston Tunnel's fate. The Great Western's main line through northern Illinois closely paralleled the North Western's own line, but through less densely populated and less commercially active areas. The steep grades of the line and the obvious financial burden of the Winston Tunnel also played a role in the decision to completely abandon the Great Western's trackage in the area. The C&NW operated its last train through the tunnel in 1971. Scrappers pulled up the tracks the following year. Upon abandonment, the C&NW placed chain-link fences over each bore of the tunnel to keep squatters
and other trespassers out. A 1973 attempt to turn the right-of-way through Jo Daviess County
, including the Winston Tunnel, into a rail trail
, failed when ownership of the land reverted to nearby property owners.
The western half, however, was purchased by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
as a "satellite area" of Apple River Canyon State Park
. The DNR installed a new steel gate to replace the chain-link fence covering the western bore, and is developing the area with nature trails and other improvements. However, the tunnel is currently off-limits to general public visitation, as it is a very dangerous place to visit, with the ever-present danger of further collapse
and rattlesnake
bite.
Elizabeth, Illinois
Elizabeth is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 761 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Elizabeth is located at ....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
The tunnel was completed in 1888 for the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad, a predecessor to the Chicago Great Western Railway
Chicago Great Western Railway
The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad...
(CGW). The tunnel was located on the CGW main line 152 miles (245 kilometers) west of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in the isolated and hilly Driftless Area of extreme north-western Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
In 1972, four years after the Chicago Great Western was merged into the Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
(C&NW), the CGW's largely redundant trackage in the area, including the Winston Tunnel, was abandoned. It was the longest railroad tunnel in Illinois throughout its years of service at 2,493 feet (760 m).
History
The newly constructed Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad across northern Illinois utilized trackage rights on the Illinois Central RailroadIllinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
between Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
and Stockton, Illinois
Stockton, Illinois
Stockton is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, down from 1,926 at the 2000 census.-History:The village of Stockton is the youngest village in Jo Daviess County...
in 1886 before construction on its own line through the isolated wilderness could commence. Engineers quickly realized that a tunnel would need to be constructed in order to traverse the rugged landscape. The Sheppard, Winston and Company (for which the tunnel would be named) and more than 350 laborers worked by hand, digging through the silty and unstable shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
for nine months starting in the spring of 1887. The work was backbreaking and dangerous, and at least one worker, a thirty-two year old Finnish immigrant named John Hill, was killed. When complete, the total cost of the tunnel, $600,000, had exceeded expectations.
The tunnel proved to be a constant nuisance to the Chicago Great Western and its predecessors. Almost immediately, railroad engineers realized that the unstable nature of shale through which the tunnel was bored, ground water seepage, and the isolated location of the tunnel meant repairs would be frequent and costly. The tunnel was originally braced by wooden beams when it opened to rail traffic in January 1888, but these eventually proved inadequate, to be replaced in 1902 by brick and reinforced concrete. Constant deterioration of the supports meant large-scale reconstruction of the tunnel would be needed again in 1912, 1918, 1944 and 1947.
The bore was also improperly ventilated at first. A shaft sunk into the top of the tunnel failed to provide enough fresh air, and the crews of the steam engines would often complain of the intense heat and smoke due to the poor air circulation. Piecemeal solutions failed to work, and by 1912 the railroad was forced to install a huge fan, powered by a 310 hp diesel motor and staffed by operators day and night, to ventilate the tunnel. The fanhouse, constructed by 1916, was abandoned by the CGW with the acquisition of diesel locomotives by 1947.
When the Chicago Great Western was federalized
United States Railroad Administration
The United States Railroad Administration was the name of the nationalized railroad system of the United States between 1917 and 1920. It was possibly the largest American experiment with nationalization, and was undertaken against a background of war emergency.- Background :On April 6, 1917, the...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a contingent of Illinois National Guardsmen
Illinois Army National Guard
The Illinois Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
were assigned to protect the tunnel.
The operating nightmares of the tunnel, not to mention the millions of dollars the CGW spent to keep it open, forced the railroad's management to consider many schemes to rid themselves of the burden. In 1909, 1951 and again in 1964 (the same year the North Western and Great Western announced their intentions to merge) the CGW sought engineering proposals to reroute their trackage around the bore, to daylight
Daylighting (tunnels)
Daylighting a tunnel is to remove its "roof" or overlying rock and soil, thus exposing the railway or roadway to daylight. This could also be seen as converting the tunnel to a railway or roadway cut...
the tunnel, or to completely rebuild and improve it. To the often cash-strapped Great Western, however, all these plans proved far too expensive.
In the end, the 1968 merger with the Chicago and North Western (C&NW) sealed the Winston Tunnel's fate. The Great Western's main line through northern Illinois closely paralleled the North Western's own line, but through less densely populated and less commercially active areas. The steep grades of the line and the obvious financial burden of the Winston Tunnel also played a role in the decision to completely abandon the Great Western's trackage in the area. The C&NW operated its last train through the tunnel in 1971. Scrappers pulled up the tracks the following year. Upon abandonment, the C&NW placed chain-link fences over each bore of the tunnel to keep squatters
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
and other trespassers out. A 1973 attempt to turn the right-of-way through Jo Daviess County
Jo Daviess County, Illinois
Jo Daviess County is a county located in the northwest corner of U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,678, which is an increase of 1.7% from 22,289 in 2000. Its county seat is Galena....
, including the Winston Tunnel, into a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
, failed when ownership of the land reverted to nearby property owners.
Present day
The Winston Tunnel still exists, although in a very isolated area, and in a very deteriorated condition. Nature has reclaimed the right-of-way; the fan house, unused since the 1940s and severely damaged by the elements, was demolished in early 2007; and the eastern bore, located on private property, has been almost completely sealed with earth.The western half, however, was purchased by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
as a "satellite area" of Apple River Canyon State Park
Apple River Canyon State Park
Apple River Canyon State Park is an Illinois state park on 297 acres in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, USA. The land for the park was purchased by the state in 1932 and preserves the canyon on the Apple River....
. The DNR installed a new steel gate to replace the chain-link fence covering the western bore, and is developing the area with nature trails and other improvements. However, the tunnel is currently off-limits to general public visitation, as it is a very dangerous place to visit, with the ever-present danger of further collapse
Collapse
Collapse may refer to:* Collapse, the action a collapsible or telescoping object does* Collapse * Collapse * Collapse ** Cave-in is a kind of structural collapse** Collapse of the World Trade Center, a 2001 event...
and rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
bite.