Fun Fact: CNW had a 3 foot narrow gauge operation as well. This was due to their purchasing a small narrow gauge railroad that interchanged with their main line. The Galena and Southern Wisconsin Railroad Company (G&SWRR) existed as a functioning 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad from 1874 to 1880, when it was ultimately bought by the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) after a series of short ownership and name changes. The railroad continued to be a narrow gauge operation until sometime in the 1900's, when it was converted to standard gauge. It was abandoned in 1933.

“A growing city needs a railway line” - totally agree.

I was an employee from 72-2012...and this video is rife with inaccuracies and the silly bit about "employee ownership" is simply not true. Larry Provo came up with the idea of selling the railroad to the employees.

It surprises me is the names of these railroads. Most companies are named after their founders like Ford, Boeing, Warner Bros, DuPont, and Kellogg’s. But the railroads were named after states, cities, or regions. I’m surprised there wasn’t a Vanderbilt Railroad.

The EMD 1995 is my favorite heritage locomotive. It's nice when I see it pop up on the various railfan sites.

Good 'ol Cheap and Nothing Wasted. We've got a lot of C&NW equipment at IRM and we're right alongside the original Chicago and Galena Union's original right of way. Great video.

This is full of nostalgia for me because my father was a depot agent in Nebraska all his life and I watched the trains all the time while growing up!

I remember CNW trains rolling though Iowa and Illinois all the time when I was a kid. Out of all the mergers that happened in the late 20th century with Class I railroads I wish CNW and Southern Pacific were still around today.

Definitely my favorite midwestern railroad! I wish you mentioned the story behind why they were the only left hand running line in the US.

A villain railroad to a lot of people for acquiring beloved railroads like the Minneapolis & St. Louis and Chicago Great Western and then abandoning almost all of those lines. In addition, the C&NW was a big reason it took the ICC so long to rule on the proposed UP/Rock Island merger.

You need to put the class R-1 4-6-0 into to one of your videos. The R-1 was extremely successful. The GP-7 of it's day. Pulled passenger trains, freights, commuters and did yard switching. Three still exist today, one in a museum and two being restored.

I love these little history lessons Always informative and well researched 10/10

This is perfect for background noise. Not only is it relaxing. But you also learn some cool stuff. Also i like the way you narrate as it is a nice mix of serius and goofing around.

I thought wed come to it!Having it hard a bit after the 50s and 60s but turning it around and even building new lines for coal hauling and succesfully selling themselves out to UP(Sadly this led also to the end of ATSF,BN and SP.)

I love these kinds of videos you have been doing. Any chance of videos on the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and their creative use of the CB&Q for increasing profits?

I've been looking forward to this one

You have such good solid mini docs. Really hope you cover the st.Louis Brownsville & Mexico (Gulf Coast Line) I’d sure love to share a ton of information to make that happen

CNW passenger service ceased in 1971 when Amtrak took over. It ran freight until it was bougt out by Union Pacific The Milwaukee Road is now Canadian Pacific Now we have the 8 hr trip on the Empire builder between Chicago and the Twin Cities Sad the 1960s and 1970s "modern planes" pretty much took over rail passenger travel . It takes roughly 1 hour to fly from Chicago to Minneapolis. 😢

Nice video! Since you already did the WP, how about doing this a series about the predecessor roads of the present UP, like the MKT, MoPac, D&RG, and SP?

They have got lines to the Powder River Basin it was the Fremont to Chadron Line. However the Fremont to Norfolk Line is largely forgotten. 4:03 FE&MV (Fremont Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad) Fremont Nebraska was another point where CNW would interchange with UP. As a matter of fact Fremont Nebraska still has some Artifacts from CNW on their lines. 8:53 If you ever go to Fremont Nebraska Go along Clamar Avenue there is still strong evidence of where rails used to be 1982 Fremont to Norfolk Section was abandoned. And the Fremont to West Point was sold to a Tourist railroad called FEVR (Fremont Elkhorn Valley Railroad) The railroad went Bankrupt in 2012 due to worsening track conditions and the track was removed in 2013. The equipment was to be moved to Nebraska City but Nebraska City didn't allow it so most the equipment stayed in Fremont Nebraska till finally this year equipment started being purchased by people and The CNW SW1200 #1219 is being taken Apart.

My friend worked 4 come 36 yrs...been in MSP since I was born in 1949 and a favorite of railfans...at end of his career,he said come meant" cheap &nothing wasted" a perspective till Uncle Pete buyout 👋

Green Bay track from Apleton was finished in November 1862 during Civil War with 160th Anniversary in 11-2022 A.D.

I grew up in the 1960's in Milwaukee near a CNW trestle that had a Milwaukee Road line running underneath. The CNW line was upgraded to welded track in the 1970's, and us kids were pretty amazed by the process, and by how quiet trains became afterwards. I also saw my first EOT device on those same tracks - really hated seeing the cabooses go! The Milwaukee road track on the other hand was literally falling apart. Missing spikes and bolts here and there was common. They worked on it, but not much.

ALCO DIESELS were concentrated in Green Bay, ( not just the GB&W ). With switchers like the RS27 working the paper mills and switchyards, and others: and Giant C628/c-c running North to Escanaba for the iron ore unit trains in winter, and Taconic pellets, and regular freight, plus ➕ also going South to Milwaukee on the old West Bend Sub., Because the track was rebuilt to carry these Heavy C628, and increased speeds. Also the Lake SHORE div., through Manitowoc and Sheboygan also carried Taconite unit trains when the new CNW bought new EMD SD60, and SD70, and with large coal hoppers with pellets loaded 1/2 over the wheels. And regular freight was carried on Train 180 East departing at 6:00 pmc, frequently with 5 diesel mixed with the SD60 and older GP7's now used as switchers. 180 East meets 181 West at Denmark with 180 speeding past the double semaphore by Main Street supermarket; and I have the Super 8mm Kodak home movies 🎬 🎞 🎥 🎦 📽. . Lakeshore was also used for steam with CNW 1385 4-6-0 ALCO 1907 from.MID CONTINENT RY. MUS., in North Freedom, which arrived in April 1982 for repairs in the Roundhouse in North Green Bay. But sadly CNW downgraded the Valley div., through Oshkosh, then embargoed the rest of the track to Fondulac. And abandoned miles of branches like from New London North to Shawano, and the Clintonville branch to Eland Jct. That went North to Rhinelander and the ski resorts in winter, and fishing lakes in summer. But...it changed completely in 1987 when the new F.R.V.R. was started by ITEL in San Francisco. Who reactivated the Fondulac route. But downgraded the Manitowoc line through Bellevue and Maribell to only 25, or 10 mph, still with long trains on Monday after sitting down for the weekend. But this changed yet again when WCL came in 1993, and abandoned and ripped off the central section from Denmark East to Maribel for nearly 14 miles but leaving 2 short stubs West to Green Bay: or East to Manitowoc. There was a plan to make a new shortline for steam excursions. But the WCL had the DNR build the trail; and the feed mill in Denmark was greatly Expanded with Giant grain bins over the site of the old tracks. Later in 2003 it was merged into C.N. BUT last year in 2022 it was unmerged into the HLCX shortline family. There also are many plans FOR AMTRAK to come back after the past 52vyears when the last 400 was stopped on Friday, April 30, 1971. Especially for Packer Football Excursions to Chicago Bears 🐻, due to the long rivalry since 1919; because the G.B. PACKERS are the Only team of the N.F.L that doesn't have access to Amtrak and other excursions. Happily in 2021 we made plans to run The N.E.W. GREEN BAY 400, using original 1956 bilevel coaches, and EMD Diesels like F7, and E8a. Very soon, "ALL ABOARD THE N.E.W. 400!!!!". HIGHBALL !!-! HI IN APRIL 2023A.D. HAPPY EASTER AND RESURRECTION SUNDAY OF JESUS CHRIST 🙌!!!!! GLORY ALLELUIA!!!!! AMEN ✝️ 🙏 ✝️ 🙏 ✝️ 🙏!!!

You should do a video about the last steam operated common carrier the Crab orchard & Egytian railroad in particular #17 that last ran frieght service in 1987.

WAIT! Heineman raided the assets to create NW Industries. He was the champ of deferred maintenance!

The first SD40-2 i ran was the former C&NW 6867.

I have met one of the experienced employees

Oh my god it’s my favorite railroad that’s old track (now the UP Geneva sub) runs in basically my backyard

could you do a video on what made every railroad stand out?

My first Lionel train set was a Chicago and North Western 4-4-2 Atlantic passenger train. And now they’re my third favorite railroad (sorry, DRGW and SP take one and two)

Yo you should make a history video about CNW 1385 just like how you did 5629. Idk if you knew this, but the Chicago and Northwestern actually had their own steam program during the 1980s’s, using 1385.

Your take on deferred maintenance deserves a bronze plaque. Failure to maintain just makes the brown snowball even bigger when it rolls downhill....

My favorite railroad too! I grew up along the C&NW, in Arlington Heights, IL. Rode a couple of generations of trains into Chicago.

Actually, the most notable passenger service of CNW was with traditional Overland Route partner Union Pacific - an agreement that lasted 75 years before the "Big Switch" on October 30, 1955 when UP switched the "Cities" trains from CNW to MILW for the Chicago - Omaha segment.

Did you know that Chicago and Northwestern had a steam program for a short while?

You make no mention of Larry Provo, who became President of NorthWestern after NWI Industries divested the Railroad. He was the one who first applied to get C&NW into the Powder River basin. Then when the ICC told him he could go in for half of BN's line, told BN's Lou Menk that C&NW would pay cash for C&he's half. Menk having seen the buyout as having taken all of C&NW's money couldn't believe that they could pull it off. Menk cried foul when UP paid for C&NW to go to the Powder River.

Great video. My only observation is the continual reusing of the same footage over again. Great information..

The CNW made some weird choices in Wisconsin from the 70s onward trying to buy the GB&W with the MILW and SOO just to screw over the BN offer only to backfire when the MILW went bankrupt and when they sold some of there lines in eastern Wisconsin to the FRVR with that being a complete disaster for both railroads with that being a hole different rabbit hole to go though

Are u going to cover the southern Pacific rise and fall that would be great. One of my favorite railroads. Your videos are awesome.

Great video! You can still see the C&NW logo on some of the UP/Metra lines around Chicago! Just a couple pronunciation corrections: Elgin = "EL-JIN", schooner = "skoo-ner".

Of course, I enjoyed that history lesson. Thanks for posting.

There was an old dash 9 painted in cnw livery at the up butler yard outside of Milwaukee. I think they still use it for local freight trains

I would like you to do a video featuring the following locomotives: the JNR Class D51, JNR Class C62, DRG Class 05, DRB class 52 (kriegslok) and NSB Class 49 (Dovre Giant).

Day one of asking for L&N Video

Would you like to talk about the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads in the future? You don’t have to, but I’m just saying, if you talked about Penn Central and New Haven, I think it’d be only fair that you talk about PC’s big predecessors.

Forgot they owned the superior coal company in illinois.suplied their coal.i also believe they owned part of the consolidated coal companies in illinois and iowa

This is so sad I cried a little 😢😢😢😢

Interesting: UP acquired CNW in 1995. They acquired SP in 1996.

The city trains didnt leave because of deferred maintainance , Heineman wanted more of a share of the profits because CNW did all the maintainance of the trains in Chicago and all the UP did was carry them from CNW to SP who did the work on the other end,so they moved to Milw who did it for the old agreement.

Good video..... you need to do my home road Missouri Pacific

ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!!!!

0:47 9:58 those are Chicago & Northwestern E class pacifics. they were actually seen pulling the CNW's green and yellow bi level cars on commuter trains in their later years as seen here 11:30 *another good obscure class of pacifics* 7:54 8:32 the H-1 Northerns😎 *these were among the biggest steam engines on the Chicago & Northwestern.* 12:29 E2a pacifics were the magnum opus of the CNW😌👌 they were really reliable, and one of those numbered 2908 had a unique marslight angled at the sky

Why didn't you cover the Crandall cabs? That was a unique financial saving idea

Hey Darkness, since you've covered quite a few American fallen railroads, why not cover some British ones sometime? I mean, you did talk about BR's ill-fated Modernization Plan. If you ever do cover a British fallen flag, I know a great one to start with, the Somerset & Dorset Railway.

fun fact: there were 2 CNW locomotive that are in service until 2017/2018

11:15 I just love shots of trains like that

What do you think about making a video about the split up of Contrail; and the state of north east freight railroads in the 21st century?

Chicago and Northwestern number 175 is being restored by the Steam Railroading Institute

So, what is next? The Reading? The Missouri-Kansas-Texas? The Denver & Rio Grande Western? The Southern? All are good ones.... (Do the Katy first, though!)

The Chicago/Northwestern Railroad passed through Shakopee MN throughout all the years I was growing up. The rail line ran lengthwise through town parallel to the Minnesota river, about 300 yards south of the river channel. The CNW had a right-of-way agreement that regulated the speed through town to be under 25 mph, the number of crossing streets, and the volume of the horns at nighttime. I will always remember how memorable the night time subdued horn reports were. During summer time it was most unique to hear the softened horn reports at each crossing street, as the freight consists of grain hoppers and tank cars rolled through. Too bad the Democrat unions killed the company.

Can you talk about the reading next?

I agree. I Miss CNW

C&NW was approached by the DRGW + SP to run a flim flam on the UP. Turns out, UP didn't make it to Chicago, they relied on the C&NW friendly connection. The Rio Grande Industries company figured this out, and they approached C&NW, "You want to make a lot of money?". The two companies made it look like they were thinking of merging. Enraged, UP bough them both for way too much money, then proceeded to rip them apart. They even burned the D&RGW and SP company records in Denver.

Yeah I like Chicago Northwestern the Green in the yellow is awesome but my favorite Fallen flag is the Denver & Rio Grande Western good job Darkness

aside from the Illinois central, this is my second favorite railroad

Many of those GP7's & such lasted till the UP merger. The MoPac mindset had taken over the UP by that point and if you put an ex-Mopac GP15 next to a CNW GP7 or GP9 the CNW Units looked and ran better mechanically. CNW actually maintained there's because they didn't want to waste money on new 4 axle power for branch service.

I know this may be a hot take but; REAL heritage units are steam locomotives

22:17 LOL! :^)

You said Elgin wrong.

Milwaukee Road RULES! ✊🏻😉

Probably just me, but it seems like there has been increasing time in between uplands. Are you ok, or is this just me?

Do the Missouri Kansas Texas railroad also known as the Katy

CNW, cheap and nothing wasted

Make me proud of these lads.

DUDE! It is EL JIN, not GIn

PSR = Deferred Maintenance + Labor Cuts

if the cnw was smart, they should of sold those branchlines to interested buyers

My grandpa worked on this railroad

02:05 schooner = SKOO-ner

22:11

Deferred maintenance. Lookin at you Norfolk Southern.

That was a great video and I love the communist bit.

Elgin is pronounced EL-gin. Sorry, that bothered me. Other than that, great video

You're mispronouncing livery...it sounds more like l iv(if) er e

The last of the grangers.

Is this Richard Simmons narrating? 😢

Communism? On my railroad? It's more likely than you think.

22:17 bejesus

It’s pronounced eljin

Elgin is pronounced elgyn not elgen.

The memes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, please pronounce livery correctly. It sounds like liver the abdominal organ. I cringe when you say it like alive.

🤣😂🤣😂.... communist cat .. communist railroad.. that's sooo good

I'm from Glenn Ellyn I'm 60 now and a very old old man and I remember . I'm kidding yes I remember the race track every 5 min the gates were going down CNW : green, medium yellow black red and white constantly

I love Communism ❤️

Would somebody teach him how to say, "Livery"! ˈliv(ə)rē