15:40 : West Chicago Subdivision (right). Access adjacent to Aurora station (Metra). Historic Aurora to Batavia and West Chicago (east side of Fox River). After 1985, the branch was stubbed short of its historic JC Tower at EJ&E crossing in West Chicago. This also disconnected the CN&W switch interconnect. This CB&Q route was the original route from Aurora to the Galena & Chicago Union (CN&W, now UP) that Aurora businessmen used to access Chicago.
12:34 That empty field was once the Aurora passenger station and yards. Three long double-sided platforms and a couple of extra tracks. More yard trackage was at right. You can see the pit that was once part of the station and the remnants of three staircases going up to the platforms. The reason for the odd jog you see around 11:48 is that this was once three tracks plus more branching off to the platforms (also why the bridge is so wide at this point.) All the trains stopped here. The GN/NP/CB&Q passenger trains to Minneapolis/St. Paul and beyond branched off to the line you see at right around 11:10, the CB&Q trains to Denver, Kansas City, etc. went straight down the line this train comes in on.
