When you're hiking through the woods, you don't expect to find a train there. But, that's exactly what happened in northern Illinois recently and I've learned this locomotive is almost 100 years old.

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This is a brand new video share from Decaying Midwest. They do urban exploration of abandoned places and just found this train. It's worth noting that they got permission from the train's owners before capturing the video. Here's how they described it:

In this video, I explored an abandoned train in the middle of woods in Northern, Illinois. I have no idea why Train Engine #5 was left here.

Here's a close look at this train with so much history behind it.

I've done some investigating myself and learned this is near Galt, Illinois. That's on the outskirts of Sterling, Illinois to the southwest of Rockford. Another explorer came across it a couple years ago and mentioned it was built in 1924. According to their description on YouTube, it was sold to the Northwestern Steel & Wire Company in 1960.

It's also gone through several number changes over the decades beginning with #8305 and eventually train #05 after being sold to NS&W. The train was active until the early 1980's when it was retired and eventually left to decay in the woods adjacent to some grain silos.

Crazy cool locomotive history that's just sitting abandoned in the woods in Illinois. Never know what you'll find when you go out on a hike I guess.

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