Chicago Great Western Railroad Memorabilia Value Guide

The Chicago Great Western Railroad started operations in 1909 and stopped service in 1941 for a total period of operations of 32 years.

Railroads like Chicago Great Western Railroad that were started after 1900 will not have as many valuable collectibles or antiques as older lines. Railroads from this period tend to have more items left so collectors have a much easier time finding items like passes, timetables, and manuals. The types of items that will be valuable are typically unique or significant items like builder's plates, daters, sealers, signs, and rarer lanterns.

Chicago Great Western Railroad operated after 1940 which means that many of the most common items you might find will not be especially valuable, these include items like timetables, pinbacks, menus, and other promotional items given out by the railroad. These items tend to be quite common on the market today and typically will be worth only a couple dollars. If a railroad antique is dated 1940 or later, chances are that unless it is a very unique item, it will not be worth much if you want to sell.

Railroads that ran service to as many states as Chicago Great Western Railroad are fairly rare because it requires a large railroad to cover ground in 6 different states. Since Chicago Great Western Railroad was so large, most items from it will tend to be more common than items from smaller lines. However, large railroads also touched the lives of many more people and were much more well known so while items are more common, there is also a larger demand for them. Value for items from a line like Chicago Great Western Railroad can be in a huge range from a couple dollars for something small like a pinback or deck of cards, to thousands for a builder's plate off a famous locomotive or hundreds for a hard to find lantern.

Chicago Great Western Railroad Operated Routes in the Following States: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska