Topics

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General Discussion / Throwback Thursday: Chicago Switching Meet-Up, April 2007

« on: May 11, 2017, 08:27:43 PM »

The years race by. In April 2007 Goose Island still saw rail service and Finkls Steel's Northside operation was still pouring molten metal, just to name a few operations now gone forever. On a gorgeous Monday a few of us got together for a day of exploration and train chasing. Bonuses included having Doug Kaniuk along for his expert commentary and a demo of swing bridge operations c/o the train crew.

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General Discussion / Chicagoswitching 2010 Meet-Up

« on: April 04, 2010, 02:26:00 PM »

I proposed this on another thread a month or so ago, but it got buried quickly.


It\'s been 3 years since the last gathering. All 4 of us -- Doug Kaniuk, TheMats, CNWNorth, and myself. LOL

I\'ll be in Chicago the weekend of 14-17 May. The Sunday and Monday would be best for a gathering though I know we won\'t see any action on the Sunday. 1-3 cars needed at most -- should be fairly manageable.

 IF anyone\'s up for this let\'s get the ball rolling.

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General Discussion / David Plowden at Calumet Photo on Goose Island

« on: January 31, 2008, 02:15:04 AM »

Saturday 9 February 11AM-1PM

David Plowden is perhaps THE premier photographer of man-made America, in particular its railroads, bridges and industrial landscape. He\'ll be doing a presentation followed by a book signing (no obligation to buy, of course) for his new career retrospective Vanishing Point: Fifty Years of Photography. As an added bonus, you can check out the Goose Island rail scene or what remains of it.

Anyone into photography really owes it to him or herself to check this out. I\'ve met Mr. Plowden and own many of his books. He\'s a true gentleman and loves to talk railroads.

Admission is free, but you will need to register:

http://www.calumetphoto.com/ctl?ac.ui.pn=common.CalumetEventsDetail&ac.calendar.eventID=4020

http://www.davidplowden.com/

4

General Discussion / Chi Switching Group Outing for April 2007

« on: February 01, 2007, 01:24:41 AM »

In light of the upcoming closings of Finkl Steel and Peerless Confection I\'d like to propose a group outing to witness the last or close-to-last service at these sites. It\'s a bit far into the future to know when the last service will be, but let\'s at least get the ball rolling.

I assume Tuesday and/or Thursday service for Peerless.

I\'ll be flying in from NYC so I\'m not as flexible as most of you. Still want to give it a shot though.

Any takers?

5

General Discussion / coal service on Lakewood Branch

« on: January 18, 2007, 04:58:31 PM »

Regarding customers which received coal shipments along the Lakewood Branch:

Were most defunct by 1970?

Did they primarily utilize elevated trestles to unload the coal from hoppers?

6

General Discussion / East of Elston / North of North

« on: December 29, 2006, 09:16:04 PM »

The Procter & Gamble plant at North Avenue and the Chicago River was at one time serviced by both the CNW (coming from the south along Magnolia) and the Milwaukee Road (coming from the NW off of Wabansia). I know the CNW service lasted longer (into the late 80s or so). When did the Milwaukee service end?

Also when was the Illinois Steel (or was it US Steel?) plant in operation? Was this the facility which used an isolated Elgin, Joliet & Eastern switching operation? I assume it interchanged with the Milwaukee Raod...

Thanks

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General Discussion / Goose Island Qs

« on: December 29, 2006, 09:07:42 PM »

When did service cease on the spurs which ran down Hickory and Hooker Streets?

Was it the Hooker Street spur which served the engine house at the southern tip of Goose Island?

Any guesses as to the last time the RR drawbridge on Goose Island was last raised?

When did Waste Management / WMX end its rail service?