THE CACHE IS NOT IN THE ROAD -- SEE THE
NOTE I POSTED FOR DETAILS!
This cache is located in a park that was built on the
location of the Rock Island railroad yard.
Please list your town of residence in your
log so the Eldon Parks and Recreation department knows who is using
their parks.
The above building is the Eldon Depot as it was in 1908. The
structure is no longer standing.
If you are familiar with any of my other caches, then you know that
the cache names usually contain the work "Fried". I also like to
point out unusual or little known facts about a particular
location. I'll admit that I don't know too much about Eldon, but
that is why I came here today. I do know that Eldon is rich in
history.
I named this cache Fried Friction because I read that the depot was
originally to be located around Grand Avenue (about 3/10 of a mile
north-west). But when the train came through, the brakes (friction)
would not hold the steep grade of the proposed depot site. The
train rolled back until it stopped. The depot was built at the
point where the train stopped rolling. The elevation of the track
location at S. Aurora St. is 922 feet above sea level and is at a
constant 922 feet above sea level all the way back to where it
crosses S. Round House Rd. (just over 2/3 of a mile.) The elevation
at the intersection of the track location and S. Grand Avenue is
936 ft. above sea level. The elevation rises 14 feet in just less
than 3/10 of a mile. This calculates out to less than a 1% grade!
Those brakes must have been FRIED! Please note that these are my
non-professional calculations. Please let me know if I’m
incorrect.
Grade = (rise / run) * 100
Grade = (14 ft / 1466) * 100 Grade = .954%
Enjoy! 