Rondout station (Illinois)
| Company type | Unincorporated community |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation, Education |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Headquarters | Lake County, Illinois , United States |
Area served | Libertyville Township, Lake County, Illinois |
| Products | Railroad junction, Elementary education |
Rondout is an unincorporated area situated in Lake County, Illinois, United States, originally developed around a railroad intersection. Positioned within Libertyville Township, Rondout does not have officially established boundaries and shares postal codes with Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, and Libertyville, Illinois. The community maintains its own elementary school under the jurisdiction of Rondout School District 72. The primary route through Rondout is Illinois Route 176, running east to west and locally known as "Rockland Road."
Rondout Community
Between 1870 and 1872, the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad (later known as the Milwaukee Road; since 1986 operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway - CPR) completed a rail connection between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1880, a branch line extending to Libertyville, Illinois established a junction initially called Libertyville Junction. The nearby settlement, first named Sulfur Glen due to its sulfurous water sources, was renamed Rondout in 1888, possibly to attract commercial interest or to honor a resident’s previous hometown.
In 1951, Peter Baker & Son Co. moved their asphalt manufacturing facility from Lake Forest to Rondout, contributing to the area's industrial growth.
History of Rondout and Railroads
The original railroad junction running north-south and northwest was constructed in 1880 by a predecessor of CPR and continues to operate today.
In 1889, the Waukegan and Southwestern Railway built a line crossing the Milwaukee Road at grade near Rondout. This route was soon purchased by the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway (EJ&E), which was later acquired by Canadian National Railway (CNR) in 2009. The crossing point and freight interchange between CNR and CPR remain active. An interlocking tower was erected southeast of this expanded junction.
In 1902, the Chicago & Milwaukee Electric Railway extended a branch line to Mundelein, Illinois, passing over both the EJ&E and Milwaukee Road tracks near Rondout. Samuel Insull reorganized this line as the Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee (North Shore Line) in 1916. Passenger platforms and freight interchange for the North Shore Line at Rondout operated until their closure in January 1963.
By the early 1900s, Rondout’s original interlocking tower was replaced with a brick building. This structure remained one of Illinois’ few remaining interlocking towers until it ceased operation in 2015 when control transferred to CPR’s dispatch center in St. Paul. Currently, the building functions as an office for Metra maintenance personnel.
On June 12, 1924, Rondout was the location of the largest train robbery ever recorded in U.S. history. Criminals including members of the "Newton Gang" along with a corrupt postal inspector stole more than $2 million in cash, jewelry, and securities from Milwaukee Road's Fast Mail train. Most stolen items were recovered and those involved were prosecuted; a historical marker commemorates this event.
As of 2017, commuter rail services continue to operate through Rondout on the Milwaukee District North Line. The primary Rondout Station on Rockland Road closed in 1984; its station building had been removed earlier in 1979. Remaining platforms were largely dismantled by 1997 with public access restricted by 2002.
Rondout's Contemporary Rail Operations
As of 2017, Metra's Milwaukee District North Line commuter service continues to operate trains between Chicago and Fox Lake, traveling through Libertyville and Lake Forest and passing via Rondout junction. Additionally, Amtrak's intercity services, including the Hiawatha, Borealis, and Empire Builder trains, run along the main Chicago-Milwaukee-Minneapolis/St. Paul corridor.
Located just south of Route 176/Rockland Road at Rondout junction (2017), the single-track Waukegan Subdivision, managed by the CNR through its Wisconsin Central division, intersects with the north-south C&M (rail) Subdivision. The Union Pacific Railroad possesses trackage rights over the Waukegan Subdivision. The Fox Lake Subdivision, which extends northwest via Libertyville, is owned by Metra along with the C&M segment south of Rondout; meanwhile, the northern portion is under the ownership of CPR. Both subdivisions are dispatched by CPR’s Soo Line. Rail entities holding trackage rights in this area include Amtrak, CPR, Metra, and the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad.
Since 2017, the former Mundelein branch of the North Shore Line has been transformed into the North Shore Bike Path, a rail trail that runs parallel to Rockland Road and crosses above Rondout junction.
Education
The educational needs of Rondout are met by Rondout School District 72, which operates a single elementary institution providing instruction from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade to students from Rondout and surrounding communities. Upon completion, most students move on to attend Libertyville High School.
Appearances in media
- The 1998 motion picture The Newton Boys includes a scene portraying a train robbery that occurred in 1924.