Rondout, Illinois

Rondout is an

In 1951, Peter Baker & Son Co. moved their asphalt plant from Lake Forest to Rondout, contributing to the development of the area.

History of Rondout and Railroads

As noted above, the initial north-south and northwest three-way railroad junction was built in 1880 by a predecessor of the CPR, which still operates it.

In 1889, another railroad line was built that crossed the Milwaukee & St. Paul/CPR northeast-southwest at grade, just south of the first Rondout junction point. This new 1889 line was built by the

Then, in 1902, the

In the first decade of the 20th century, Rondout junction's original grade-level interlocking tower was replaced by a brick structure. By 2013, it was one of the few remaining railroad interlocking towers in Illinois. In early 2015, it was closed with control transferred to the CP dispatching center in St. Paul, MN. The structure remains in use as an office for Metra maintenance staff.[6]^[7]

On June 12, 1924, Rondout was the site of the largest train robbery in United States history.^[8][9][10] Several outlaws, including the "Newton Gang" and a corrupt postal inspector, targeted Milwaukee Road's Fast Mail train and successfully carried out a robbery of more than $2 million of cash, jewelry and securities. All of the conspirators were caught and prosecuted shortly afterwards, all but $100,000 of the stolen goods were recovered, and a historical marker was built to commemorate the event.^[11]

As of 2017^[update] commuter trains still pass through Rondout on the

The former North Shore Line's Mundelein branch is now (2017) the North Shore Bike Path, paralleling Rockland Road and still elevated over Rondout junction.^{[3][4][12][13][14]}

Education

Rondout is served by

• The 1998 film The Newton Boys features a sequence depicting the 1924 train robbery.

References

External links

• Rondout School