
	Fun Aurora Facts Some great factoids! What's in a name? Famous Aurorans Birthplace of the Burlington RailRoad The Aurora Branch RailRoad, the second railroad in the Chicago area, was chartered in 1849 and began as a 12-mile line between Aurora and West Chicago. By 1855, the line had grown into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, or C,B & Q. By the early 1900s, the "Burlington Route" encompassed 11,000 miles of track in 14 states. Today, the Burlington Northern Santa-Fe has 33,500 miles of track in 28 states.
	From 1856 to 1974, the Burlington Car shops in Aurora helped build and repair locomotives, coach, and freight cars for the line. At their height around 1910, the shops encompassed over 70 acres and employed 2,400 men. The stone roundhouse (now known as Walter Payton's Roundhouse Complex) and adjacent to machine shops (now Aurora Transportation Center) are all that remain of the once-vast shop complex.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 905, Aurora IL 60507 * For specific physical addresses, contact us For information: 630.906.0650 * Fax: 630.906.0657 For Historical Research: 630.897.9029 Aurora Public Art Commission: 630.906.0654 Another creation by Cyber Dimmensions